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a magnificent oak shapes the layout of a southside place home
BY sandra cook
photography by miro dvorscak
Complementary design defines and distinguishes a newly built 2 1/2-story home for a family of five in Southside Place. The careful design of the home focuses on simplicity, yet relies on thoughtful details to impart a sense of craft without an ounce of ostentation. The result is a house that is elegant and serene, yet functional for a busy family.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Not apparent from the street, but unmistakable from almost every angle of the home’s interior, is the magnificent effect that one remarkable live oak can have on architectural vision.
When the clients approached Jay Baker Architects for their home design, they emphasized their desire to respect the tree’s needs and highlight its natural beauty. The tree’s broad branches fan out from the middle of the lot’s east side, leaving much of the property’s western half for the family’s home.
“The tree really forced a lot of decisions immediately,” says Jay Baker, FAIA. “Fortunately, the tree is located on the east side of the lot and makes an ideal focal point. We could orient the house to take advantage of the eastern and northern exposure.” Such positioning
is an ideal strategy for Houston’s climate.
“The tree became the anchor around which the whole design developed,” Baker says. “It proved to be a big challenge not to ruin the shape or health of the tree, but ultimately the tree was the guide that narrowed down the choices for us.” Almost every room of the house has a planned view of the tree.
Since the tree precluded a detached garage, the only choice was to put the garage at the front of the house. Impressively, the three-car garage does not dominate the front elevation of the home.
Elegant outdoor light fixtures and copper gutters go above and beyond their mundane purpose, serving as subtle, but distinct details for guests and curious passers-by
to enjoy.
MANAGING THE DETAILS
Architect Paul Brow of Jay Baker Architects managed the project from start to finish.
“Paul Brow was wonderful,” says the homeowner. “He worked tirelessly on the details. We sometimes got crossways with him, but he just always was right. He knew better than we did and we always deferred to him towards the end of the process. We didn’t even question him. We just said, ‘OK, do it that way.’”
FLUID ARRANGEMENT
The kitchen, dining and living areas downstairs flow in a continuous loop; upstairs has a similar layout. And there is another loop between the floors accomplished with front and back staircases. While the entire house is very open and connected, the design does not display too much to the street. Part of the beauty of the design is that the house unfolds to those who are allowed inside.
On the first level, stained concrete floors by David Miller of Dungan Miller Design flow through all the rooms.
“The concrete floors have been a dream,” says the homeowner. “They are very easy to care for and I think they’re pretty.”
The rich and varied deep green color is reminiscent of the Guadalupe River, but was not the intended result. The planned color was Elephant Hide (gray), but the density of the concrete material caused the initial stain to turn out more red, so blue and green were added to tone down the red, resulting in the dark green hue.
The tree managed to make an impression on the floor, as well. In parts of the living room and breakfast room, the floor is imprinted with leaves that made their way to the foundation of the house on a windy day before the concrete set.
“The leaves were lagniappe,” says Linda Eyles, ASID, interior designer. “The large oak was shedding leaves during the concrete pour and some embedded in the floor — perfect, since the whole house really focuses on the tree.”
The man of the house is the chief cook, so he chose all the appliances. “It’s a wonderful working kitchen,” raves the homeowner. “The counters are a little taller than standard and the space between the island and other countertops is wider than average, which just works great when people come over. You can really have two cooks working together without being on top of each other.”
For utility’s sake, both sinks have heavy-duty disposals. Two big garbage cans help keep things tidy. Two refrigerator drawers near the stove store cooking ingredients for handy access. The large island is topped with one single piece of walnut and counter tops are honed marble.
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RESOURCES
Architects
Jay Baker Architects
2627 Kipling, Suite 210
713.520.5446
Bathroom fixtures
Waterworks
4003 Westheimer Road
713.840.8866
Bathroom marble
and tile
Walker Zanger
7055 Old Katy Road
713.880.9292
Builder
Marcel Baron
Southampton Group
2472 Bolsover St., Suite 371
713.528.0264
Concrete floor
Dungan Miller Design
David Miller
713.522.9073
Interior design
Linda Eyles, ASID
713.520.7426
Landscape design
Fischer Schalles
Susan Fischer & Mike Gibson
2306 Woodhead
713.520.1395
Pool
Monarch Pools
14850 Memorial Drive
281.558.8311
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