THE CLIENT
When this family of four chose a private enclave in Kingwood for the location of their new 7,000-square-foot home, they desired a home that could accommodate frequent entertaining, yet still warm and intimate for daily life. To help turn this into reality, builder Sugar Creek Premier Homes (sugarcreekliving.com) connected them with interior designer Laura Roach. “The client was in agreement on the design of the house from the start,” says the founder of Habitat Roche (habitatroche.com). “I felt really blessed to have them trust me to bring forward their vision in a manner that considers all of the elements and criteria.”
THE STRATEGY
“The house is new construction, and the client’s initial inspiration images were of ultracontemporary architecture with a dark exterior in a heavily wooded area in the Pacific Northwest. Interior images featured open sweeping spaces that were more industrial than the ‘feel’ that they were asking for,” explains Roach. In the end, the design integrated rustic elements throughout the home in a sophisticated way to create a spacious yet intimate setting. “The key was to create a dialogue that flowed through the home,” she says. “Repeated elements include travertine slabs, niches for framing specialty finishes, wood plank wall coverings and statement art. These elements carried throughout the space create a cohesiveness that allows the various styles in each of the personal spaces to relate back to the whole.”
PHOTOGRAPHED BY JULIE SOEFER PHOTOGRAPHY
ALLIED STONE
Silver travertine fireplace, alliedstoneinc.com
BERNHARDT DESIGN
Chairs, bernhardtdesign.com
MARIE FLANIGAN, MADISON LILY
Rug, madisonlily.com
NEAL & COMPANY
Custom sofas & cocktail tables, 713.956.7100
RH MODERN
Armoires, rhmodern.rh.com
PHOTOGRAPHED BY JULIE SOEFER PHOTOGRAPHY
CREATIVE STYLE FURNITURE
Custom chaise, creativestylefurniture.com
GIL BRUVEL, LAURA RATHE
Art, laurarathe.com
MADISON LILY
Rug, madisonlily.com
NEAL & COMPANY
Custom bed & side tables, 713.956.7100
RH MODERN
Lamps, rhmodern.rh.com
PHOTOGRAPHED BY JULIE SOEFER PHOTOGRAPHY
ARIZONA STONE & TILE
Eramosa Carbon tile, azstoneandtileconcepts.com
BARCLAY
Taylor free-standing tub, barclayproducts.com
EUROFASE
Conto chandelier, eurofase.com
MICHAEL BERMANN THROUGH DAVID SUTHERLAND
Side table, sutherlandfurniture.com
PHOTOGRAPHED BY JULIE SOEFER PHOTOGRAPHY
ALLIED STONE
Caesarstone Noble Gray countertop & backsplash, alliedstoneinc.com
CREATIVE STYLE FURNITURE
Custom counter stools, creativestylefurniture.com
USONA
Penta pendants, usonahome.com
PHOTOGRAPHED BY JULIE SOEFER PHOTOGRAPHY
JANUS ET CIE
Chairs, shopjanusetcie.com
RESTORATION HARDWARE
Table, rh.com
CREATIVE STYLE FURNITURE
Custom chairs, creativestylefurniture.com
NEAL & COMPANY
Table, 713.956.7100
THE DETAIL
“Integrating the desired finishes in a timeless manner played well with the floor plans and overall style of the home,” says Roach. Loft-inspired style set the mood for this design with a base of rich oak flooring. Ivory, bronze, black, walnut and white oak with accents of gray and blue were the color palette followed.
In the living room, the client wanted Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance for Bernhardt Design lounge chairs. “I love these chairs. They are very comfortable and have a very sophisticated French high-design vibe,” says Roach. “In many ways, the inclusion of these chairs determined the overall direction of the house.” A full-height, 21-foot slab-clad fireplace was installed to balance the height of the ceiling. “While I love a thoughtfully considered mix of disparate elements, in this case, I felt that the existing floor plans, flow and size required a response that applied the client’s requests in a more sophisticated manner,” she notes. A subtle travertine slab wall is repeated in the primary bathroom. “Framing the slabs within a lighted niche made them a bit more special in this location,” says Roach.
The kitchen island and game room bar share the same design elements of 3-inch edge detail with single waterfall return on one side and bronze-finished leg on the other. Above the island in the kitchen, the client asked for clear glass pendants. “When they are rendered with a thick glass globe, they are beautiful. However, most of the time they disappear from a distance and the Edison-style bulbs can produce a lot of glare,” says Roach. “These pendants from Usona solve both.” Custom-designed walnut cabinetry in the kitchen and throughout the home accommodates the desired function by each user in each room.
THE OUTCOME
“While the footprint is grand and spacious, it retains an air of serenity and invites you in,” says Roach. “The family uses every room in the house, entertaining on a regular basis. It was a joy to work with them.”
PHOTOGRAPHED BY JULIE SOEFER PHOTOGRAPHY
STONEGATE BY AFX
Light fixture, stonegatebyafx.com
PHOTOGRAPHED BY JULIE SOEFER PHOTOGRAPHY
CREATIVE STYLE FURNITURE
Custom chairs, creativestylefurniture.com
HUBBARDTON FORGE
Cityscape pendant, hubbardtonforge.com
PHILLIP JEFFRIES
Gilded Age wallcovering, phillipjeffries.com
RH MODERN
Table, rhmodern.rh.com
ROBERT SALISBURY KNIGHT
Art, robertsalisbury,
knight.com
PHOTOGRAPHED BY JULIE SOEFER PHOTOGRAPHY
ANN SACKS
Ogassian field tile, annsacks.com
KELLY WEARSTLER FOR VISUAL COMFORT
Sconces, visualcomfort,
lightinglights.com
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