Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: Livable Sophistication in a Texas Family Home
Appealing textures cozy up the elegant tone-on-tone decor in this contemporary space
Don’t let the chicness of this warm, contemporary Texas home fool you. “My clients have young kids, so while they love high style, everything is livable, cleanable and wipe-off-able,” interior designer Marie Flanigan says. She gave the couple the elegant contemporary style they love but, by emphasizing a mix of textures, ensured it would be alluring and warm.
“I love the way the light filters into the front hallway,” the designer says. She installed a simple yet dramatic chandelier, which is composed of cascading glass balls that stand up to the two-story height and draw the eye up. The chandelier sets the tone for a lot of the lighting choices — beautiful glass shapes that intrigue without overwhelming the space.
The staircase handrail and spindles play off the black steel front door. The homeowners knew from the start that they wanted to be able to fit a piano in here, and it tucks in nicely beneath the stairs, ready to make the most of the acoustics.
Chandelier: Bocci
The staircase handrail and spindles play off the black steel front door. The homeowners knew from the start that they wanted to be able to fit a piano in here, and it tucks in nicely beneath the stairs, ready to make the most of the acoustics.
Chandelier: Bocci
“This room is the family’s main gathering space,” Flanigan says. She made sure there were comfy seats for the family and a few guests by including four upholstered chairs and a sofa in the seating arrangement. Adding a barrel chair with a steel structure and a woven chair mixes things up with interesting textures and lends a less formal feeling. The neutral-colored palette also includes wood, linen, leather and velvet.
Rugs were a key component in softening and warming up rooms in this home. Here, a soft silk and wool rug with a high-low pile grounds the room with a luxe tone-on-tone pattern. All of the fabrics on the seating are stain-resistant.
Sofa: Lee Industries; cane chair, coffee table, ottomans: Joseph Company; console table: 1st Dibs/Dos Gallos
Rugs were a key component in softening and warming up rooms in this home. Here, a soft silk and wool rug with a high-low pile grounds the room with a luxe tone-on-tone pattern. All of the fabrics on the seating are stain-resistant.
Sofa: Lee Industries; cane chair, coffee table, ottomans: Joseph Company; console table: 1st Dibs/Dos Gallos
The living room is large, and Flanigan matched its scale by using large pieces like the coffee table and ceiling light and creating a large surround for the fireplace. (She applied a concrete finish to the entire wall.) Blackened steel shelves on the left balance out the black of the fireplace, hearth and TV.
The ceiling light, barrel chair and coffee table also pick up on the black steel architectural accents around the house.
The ceiling light, barrel chair and coffee table also pick up on the black steel architectural accents around the house.
In the powder room, the designer had some fun playing with proportions, like the thick Taj Mahal quartzite countertop and the tall mirror that extends underneath the counter.
“We see a lot of limestone in Texas, but the challenge is to use it in more contemporary ways,” Flanigan says. Here she updated the look of the material by choosing a split-face limestone mosaic for the backsplash. The sink is also limestone. Finally, faceted glass sconces have the look of gems and, along with the hammered faucet, serve as the room’s jewelry.
Tip: When the sink’s P-trap is exposed, be sure to choose an attractive one.
“We see a lot of limestone in Texas, but the challenge is to use it in more contemporary ways,” Flanigan says. Here she updated the look of the material by choosing a split-face limestone mosaic for the backsplash. The sink is also limestone. Finally, faceted glass sconces have the look of gems and, along with the hammered faucet, serve as the room’s jewelry.
Tip: When the sink’s P-trap is exposed, be sure to choose an attractive one.
The designer was able to use her clients’ existing dining table and Parsons chairs, but she gave the chairs a new look with waxed linen slipcovers. The rug is composed of strips of hide. It adds lots of pattern, movement and texture to the dining room, infusing it with sophisticated Texas style.
Slipcovers: Shabby Slips; slipcover fabric: waxed linen in Lange Ivory, Schumacher; Shut the Door, Have a Seat artwork: Thom Filicia for Soicher Marin; drapery fabric: Robert Allen
Slipcovers: Shabby Slips; slipcover fabric: waxed linen in Lange Ivory, Schumacher; Shut the Door, Have a Seat artwork: Thom Filicia for Soicher Marin; drapery fabric: Robert Allen
A wood sideboard appears to float atop lucite legs. “You look at this wall from the entry, so the art provides a graphic pop,” Flanigan says. The black frames play off the black steel windows.
By keeping the slipcovers and window treatments simple, the room feels elegant but not uncomfortably formal. The glass Sputnik chandelier adds a playful touch.
Sideboard: custom, Joseph Company
By keeping the slipcovers and window treatments simple, the room feels elegant but not uncomfortably formal. The glass Sputnik chandelier adds a playful touch.
Sideboard: custom, Joseph Company
“The kitchen is the center of the home, is an important family gathering space and can be viewed from the living room,” Flanigan says. There’s plenty of room to cook, hang out at the counter, eat together (in the breakfast nook to the left) and do homework (at a desk area just out of view to the left). There’s also a large walk-in pantry where Flanigan set up the small appliances and a coffee station, which keeps the counters clean and clear — a less “kitchen-y” view from the living room.
Stools: 1st dibs, upholstered in a vinyl Kravet fabric
Stools: 1st dibs, upholstered in a vinyl Kravet fabric
While function was the most important aspect of the room, style was important too since the kitchen is visible from the living room. Making sure the first floor flowed from one space to the next was an important part of the layout and design choices. “I wanted to create a graphic pop and play with asymmetry in here,” Flanigan says. She also played with color blocking, using a sophisticated palette of white lacquer cabinets, rift-cut oak cabinets and an Absolute Black granite vent hood, backsplash and countertop.
Cabinets: Madeval
Cabinets: Madeval
The custom breakfast room table has an iron base that again plays off those black steel architectural elements; the top is marble. Classic Eames chairs bring in a more casual midcentury modern element.
Table base: custom, Accents in Iron; marble top: Sweeney Marble; Eames chairs: Herman Miller; drapery fabric: Robert Allen; painting: Mary H. Case
Table base: custom, Accents in Iron; marble top: Sweeney Marble; Eames chairs: Herman Miller; drapery fabric: Robert Allen; painting: Mary H. Case
Tucked across from the breakfast room is this cheerful playroom, decorated in yummy greens and with a spectacular botanical mural wallcovering. A soft rug, cushy sofa, bench seat and knitted pouf add plenty of soft places for reading, lounging and playing. “That stuffed animal is actually big enough for me to sit on!” Flanigan says.
Because the room can be closed off from the rest of the house, it’s a place where the kids can get messy, watch videos with the sound up and keep their things spread out. When it’s time to put the toys and games away, there’s plenty of storage beneath the bench and in the cabinets.
Wallcovering: Anthropologie
Because the room can be closed off from the rest of the house, it’s a place where the kids can get messy, watch videos with the sound up and keep their things spread out. When it’s time to put the toys and games away, there’s plenty of storage beneath the bench and in the cabinets.
Wallcovering: Anthropologie
The pool bathroom is more whimsical than the formal powder room we saw earlier. A hexagonal floor tile in three colors is a fun touch, while the sconces bring in the warmth of wood. Another thick counter works well with the rectangular vessel sink.
Mirror: Arteriors
Mirror: Arteriors
In the master bedroom, low, horizontal planes and simple minimalist bedding create a warm and modern look. Painted nightstands and the Mary H. Case painting over the bed inject the warmth, while classic midcentury modern sconces throw in two wonky lines to contrast with all of the straight ones.
Bed and bedding: Restoration Hardware; bedside tables: Chelsea Textiles; Architects industrial double-arm sconces: Shades of Light
Bed and bedding: Restoration Hardware; bedside tables: Chelsea Textiles; Architects industrial double-arm sconces: Shades of Light
Flanigan anchored the bed area with another lovely rug. This one has a high-low pile and a laser-cut tone-on-tone pattern. A steel and hide bench brings in more texture.
Rug: Hemingway Collection, Loloi; drapery fabric: Robert Allen; bench base: Accents in Iron, with hide by GH Leather
Rug: Hemingway Collection, Loloi; drapery fabric: Robert Allen; bench base: Accents in Iron, with hide by GH Leather
In the master bathroom, warm grays, creams and white create a serene oasis. The mirror is two-sided with his-and-hers sinks on either side. The cabinets are rift-cut oak and the countertop is Taj Mahal quartzite.
Cabinets: Madeval; two-sided mirror: custom, Accents in Iron
Cabinets: Madeval; two-sided mirror: custom, Accents in Iron
Over the tub, Flanigan brought in vintage travertine to give that wall its own texture and pattern.
Another of the home’s bathrooms has a luxurious steam shower, so Flanigan used a river rock floor to complete the spa look and feel in here.
Vanity: Restoration Hardware
Builder: Frasier Homes
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Vanity: Restoration Hardware
Builder: Frasier Homes
Browse more homes by style: Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple with two young daughters
Location: Houston
Size: Five bedrooms, six bathrooms
Designers: Marie Flanigan of Marie Flanigan Interiors; Brickmoon Design (architecture)
Flanigan, who has an architectural background, joined the project at the beginning and worked with the family and the architect, giving input on how the interior spaces would flow and helping with some of the architectural details. The exterior of the home has limestone and black steel accents, which she incorporated into the interior palette.