By Ela Sathern By Ela Sathern | October 4, 2023 | Home & Real Estate, HBTX Home, HBTX Home Tours,
This home in The Woodlands showcases an elevated take on livable luxury.
Molly, the family Labradoodle, stikes a pose in the living room, which mixes traditional and modern elements with the original fireplace and details of gold, blues and glam. Photographed by FrenchBlue Photography
Melding modern luxury with durable living was the priority of this home renovation in The Woodlands, Texas, a charming suburb just north of Houston. “The homeowners wanted to modernize their newly purchased home with more contemporary lines, sleek surfaces, accents of gold, and bolder colors,” says Ashton Joseph, a senior interior designer at By Design Interiors, Inc. “They wanted their new home to embody livable luxury, where their three children and dog could play, run in and out of the pool, and not have to be overly cautious when trying to live in their home. It needed to be comfortable and fit their active lifestyle while still being dynamic, unique, and embodying all things luxury!”
The entryway is designed to be spacious and striking with a grand entrance. Photographed by FrenchBlue Photography
The challenge was to maintain the charm of the 2008 home but update it to fit the homeowners’ needs. “They wanted to make the home fit their busy lifestyle and personal taste, all while keeping true to the home’s traditional architecture,” says Joseph. “It was important to them to keep the home’s foundation intact but make modifications for a more transitional overall look.” One significant change was removing the wall that closed off the sitting room and kitchen to give the home a more open layout.
A striking gold mirror from John Richards above the Old Biscayne buffet makes a statement in the dining room. Photographed by FrenchBlue Photography
“We tried to do all the main areas first, before the client moved in. This included selecting all the paint, finishes, and executing the major design changes: such as removing and relocating walls, sheetrock, and adding new flooring, tile, etc.,” says Joseph. “Our priority to enable them to live in the house, then complete the remaining spaces in phases. So, they were living in the home while renovating was ongoing, which can be a challenge.” The kitchen and living room were completed first, and then the rest of the downstairs, including the dining room, office and primary bedroom was looped into the next phase. The entire home was done in several phases over five years (2018-2023).
The backyard is ready to entertain with several sitting areas throughout to accommodate many. Photographed by FrenchBlue Photography
“There is a seamless balance of modern surfaces, traditional influences, lustrous gold, and functional living within this home,” says Joseph. “As you flow from room to room, there are themes of lustrous gold and bold uses of color paired with luxurious, easy-to-clean fabrics and surfaces. Each space complements the other to embody a modern, practical, yet glamorous interior.”
Upon entrance through the new iron front door, guests are greeted with two gold and acrylic chandeliers and 3-dimensional wall art. “ e selections in the entry are all light and inviting, with minimal furniture and accessories in the area. We did not want to crowd the space, keeping it open and free- owing,” says Joseph. “We also changed the stair’s hand railing to a sleek, transitional design; as well as staining the wood of the curved staircase.”
This family spends most of its time in the kitchen. “We had to make sure the kitchen and breakfast areas were durable and functional,” says Joseph. “It is the hub for meals, snacks, homework, crafts, etc., which all take place at the rounded breakfast table.” There are resistant quartz surfaces, gold finishes, and touches of blue throughout the kitchen, including the luxe blue barstools from Sunpan (sudpan.com). In the sophisticated dining room, Joseph designed a custom wine display featuring floor-to-ceiling wine racks and a dry bar. The striking gold mirror from John Richards—one of Joseph’s favorite pieces of the home—makes a statement within the room.
The formal living room was designed to be a bold, not-so-formal sitting room. “We wanted it to be an inviting space that can overflow from the living room,” says Joseph. “The funky space is actually the homeowners’ Labradoodle, Molly’s favorite spot to hang. We call it Molly’s Lounge! Its design mixes modern with traditional by keeping the original layered ceiling, white moldings, and scrolled fireplace true to the home while adding a wow-factor with bold cobalt blue walls inspired by the Regina Andrews (reginaandrew.com) chandelier fringe in the living room. We thought, why not make the whole room embody this funky color? It makes a statement and is a space where the homeowner’s style really shines!”
The primary bedroom is chic and cozy. “It is designed to be relaxing with a high-end hotel, boutique feel,” says Joseph. “We pulled in the blue tones from the rest of the home, and from the view of the outdoor pool.”
An interesting detail about the design of the powder and pool bath is they are a juxtaposition of light and dark. “The powder bath greets you with sunny vibes of lustrous gold and fresh white. While across the home, the pool bath is more dramatic, moody and influenced by the darker, metallic night sky. It is a unique play on night and day,” explains Joseph.
The pool and outdoor spaces were a big draw to purchasing the home. Joseph transformed the patio space with several lounge areas for guests to gather, enjoy the pool, lounge by the fireplace, and grill out in the outdoor kitchen. They can also enjoy a water feature which doubles as the hot tub area.
The pool bath sets a mood with a tiered gold-plated sink and metallic wallcovering. Photographed by FrenchBlue Photography
“Overall, our goal was achieved! The home has great bones but was tweaked to create more personalized space for the family,” says Joseph. “It was elevated to a more transitional design filled with streamlined surfaces, vibrant colors... and lots of gold! The home truly embodies practical luxury with the charm of its traditional architecture intact.”
The primary bedroom has a high-end boutique feel. Photographed by FrenchBlue Photography
DESIGNER
By Design Interiors, Inc.
bydesigninteriors.com
CONTRACTORS
Buffaloe Floors
buffalofloors.com
Texas Countertops
texascountertopsinc.com
NER General Construction
832.876.7909
His and Her vanities are divided by a chic drop-in tub that was added to create a lighter, open feel. Photographed by FrenchBlue Photography
Arizona Tile
Quartz tile flooring in entry, porcelain flooring in primary bath, arizonatile.com
Arteriors
Chandeliers in entry and dining room; sconces in primary bath; arteriorshome.com
Bassett Mirror Company
Mirror in pool bath, bassettmirror.com
Bernhardt Furniture
Sectional and ottoman in living room, bernhardt.com
FAO in Design
Accessories throughout, faoindesign.com
Feiss-Generation Lighting
Chandelier in living room, feisslightingonlinestore.com
Feizy
Runner in primary bath, feizy.com
Ferguson
Fixtures in primary bath, ferguson.com
Global Views
Round entry table, mirror over fireplace in living room, globalviews.com
Jaipur Living
Rug in primary bedroom, jaipurliving.com
John Richards Collection
Art in living room, mirror in dining room, johnrichard.com
Jaunty
Round entry rug, jauntyinc.com
Lexington Furniture
Gold chairs in living room, lexingtonfurniture.com
Moe’s Home Collection
Sculptural art on staircase walls, moeshomecollection.com
Old Biscayne Designs
Credenza in dining room, oldbiscaynedesigns.com
Renwil
Mirrors in primary bath, renwil.com
Restoration Hardware
Outdoor furniture, rh.com
Surya
Rug in dining room and living room, surya.com
Thibaut Design
Anna French wallcovering in pool bath, thibautdesign.com
TOV
Bed frame in primary bedroom, tovfurniture.com
Universal
Dining chairs and table, universalfurniture.com
Uttermost
3D art, mirrors and lamps in primary bedroom, uttermost.com
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