Located on a 14,000 sqft property in Houston’s southwest neighborhood, Meyerland, this home has been designed for a young couple and their two teenage children, with an active but casual lifestyle.
The basis for the home’s design accommodates a large oak tree occupying the front lawn. The home’s siting, organization, and the tree’s canopy provide a shaded entry courtyard. Creating a private motor court for the garage diminishes the street frontage and disguises the overall mass of the house. The rear yard and pool is generous, providing year-round enjoyment from both an open-air cabana and summer kitchen located on the rear veranda.
The shape of the house is situated around the oak tree and organizes the spaces into 3 wings. The main intersection is celebrated with a central, circular stair, while a saltwater coral reef tank punctuates the termination of the main axis. Daily activities are organized along the main axis and include the study, dining room, breakfast, and kitchen. At the terminus of the transverse axis and close to the kitchen, the great room provides an open vantage from which to observe the property. Deep verandas flanking the great room help buffer the interior space from the weather, while visually merging with the courtyard and pool.
The second floor primarily consists of bedroom suites organized around the central stair. Isolated from the sleeping quarters is a game room with vaulted ceilings and large windows that allow for treetop views of the neighborhood.
As in many Santa Barbara style homes, ornamentation is spartan, but demonstrates a sense of sophistication with carefully executed details, elegant finishes, and refined materials.