Decoding Home in Houston

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Decoding Home in Houston

A design team deciphers a couple's styles to transform their residence into the home of their dreams.

A Lady's Sitting Room

Designed as a lady’s sitting room, the living room features Venetian- plastered walls by Eleana Moeller. David S. Gibson tweed from George Cameron Nash covers the sofa, while draperies showcase J. Robert Scott taffeta from Allan Knight and Associates. The lounge chairs and sconce are from Los Angeles’ Lawson-Fenning, and Tara Shaw’s waterfall coffee table tops a rug from Creative Flooring.

A Sweeping Dining Room

Chairs covered by Lozano Upholstery in a distressed material by GH Leather pull up to the dining room table, which features Bernhardt Interiors bases. The blackened-steel fireplace surround complements the ceiling’s custom David Sutherland Newlon Collection wallcovering depicting a Richard Bettinger photo. The rug is from Creative Flooring, and the artwork by Ben Charles Weiner came from Mark Moore Gallery in Culver City, California.

Gilded and Wired Candleholders for an Original Sculpture

Designer Selena Mackay gilded and wired Z Gallerie candleholders to complement the Lindsey Adelman from Kuhl-Linscomb chandelier above the dining table, placing them on the wall to flank artwork by Iñaki Lazkoz. Eleana Moeller hand-applied the lacquered walls using custom Sherwin-Williams paint inspired by Chanel’s Blue Boy nail polish.

Mixing a Bar Backsplash and Cabinetry

The bar area mixes a backsplash and cabinetry—installed and fabricated by builder Matt Stassi—with Lagos Azul limestone countertops from Omni Surfaces. The reflection reveals the wine room, featuring Dirtt frameless glass walls and sliding-glass double doors by Agile Ofis.

Andy Warhol Living Room Focal Point

Segreto Finishes customized the lounge’s Venetian-plaster walls, punctuated by Holly Hunt fabric-clad draperies. J. Randall Powers sofas in Rose Tarlow Melrose House fabric from David Sutherland join a coffee table from Area and an end table from Blue Print. The fireplace surround by Gunnells Concrete Designs showcases an Andy Warhol screen print from Sotheby’s. The tulip-style table is from Again & Again.

Orange Wallpaper Reading Room with Modern Clear Chair

The reading room radiates color with Phillip Jeffries’ African Raffia wallpaper in Turks & Caicos Orange from David Sutherland. Oushak rugs from Creative Flooring and draperies featuring Duralee fabric impart a Moroccan aesthetic. The end table is from Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams.

Reading Room with Orange Wallpaper and Lucite Tables

Lozano Upholstery updated the reading room’s vintage settee in Manuel Canovas embroidered linen from Culp Associates. A nearby sitting area features a custom armless sofa—covered in a Castel linen blend with a Schumacher silk-velvet trim—and vintage Lucite tables from Lynn Goode Vintage. A vintage bench from Shabby Slips and a mirror from the homeowners’ collection appear in the hallway.

Houston Home with a New Roof and Swimming Pool

On the home’s exterior, a new roof by Long Point Roofing and windows from Monarch Windows and Doors create a beautiful façade overlooking a new heated swimming pool by Supreme Pools & Spas.

Back Patio Furnished with Wood-Framed Sofas

Mackay furnished the back patio with wood-framed sofas from Cost Plus World Market, an acrylic coffee table from High Fashion Home, a Serena & Lily stool and a Dash & Albert indoor-outdoor rug from Kuhl-Linscomb. Outdoor draperies from RH provide shade.

Style and Function Coalesce

Style and function coalesce in the children’s family room, which features a trio of Tom Dixon Studio pendants, poufs from Kuhl-Linscomb, a cotton kilim rug from Madison Lily Rugs and a 19th-century chest from Hot Moon Collection in Venice, California, used as a side table. Phillip Jeffries’ Chevron Chic in Zebra Crossing covers the walls.

Children's Family Room with Gold Lamp and Comfy Couch

A custom sofa in the children’s family room wears Thom Filicia for Kravet fabric, with custom pillows in material from Schumacher and Designers Guild.

Clint Eastwood Painting in the Family Room

An Issa Salliander painting in the children’s family room from Galerie Lisa Kandlhofer in Vienna, Austria holds court over vintage Flemish sling chairs from Area flanking a spun-metal side table from Lawson-Fenning.

Whimsical Tree Wallpapered Master Bathroom

The husband and wife have separate master bathrooms, and a highlight of his is Trove’s Nyx wallpaper from Holly Hunt, which covers a wall behind the streamlined tub and Dornbracht fixtures, all from Ferguson. Imola’s Concrete Project flooring is from Thorntree.

Cozy Gray Master Bedroom with Furniture and Pink Accents

The master bedroom’s Phillip Jeffries wallcovering and Rose Tarlow Melrose House drapery fabric are from David Sutherland. A Holland & Sherry wool-covered bedframe is the canvas for pink pillows from High Fashion Home on Pratesi bedding, while chairs clad in Métaphores fabric face an ottoman from Memorial Antiques & Interiors. A Circa Lighting lamp from Area and a Made Goods mirror accessorize a Bungalow 5 nightstand.

If home is where the heart is, a dwelling should reflect its owners’ passions and proclivities. However, carrying out that sentiment typically takes time, as designer Selena Mackay experienced during a renovation she and builder Matt Stassi undertook in Houston. The project was years in the making, and although both homeowners hoped to give the traditional Georgian a more contemporary demeanor, “he wanted clean lines, industrial materials and a spare aesthetic, while she was going for chic and eclectic,” Mackay says. 

As an initial step, architect of record Michael Dreef of Eubanks Group Architects completed the first round of plans. The project was then put on hold but revived two years later and assigned to Dreef’s colleague at the time, residential designer Brandon Breaux, who then kicked it back to Dreef after leaving to start his own firm, Brandon Breaux Design. Both embraced the same strategy. “One of the goals was to keep the exterior aesthetic original, so any additions would be seamless, while giving the interior a current and timeless solution,” Dreef explains. Breaux adds, “We didn’t specify details, so nothing would be dated.” Removing moldings and walls to create expansive open spaces also made the home feel more modern. 

With the broad strokes in place, the couple hired Stassi, who has since started his own company, River Construction, to mastermind a complete renovation down to the studs. Given just the floor plans and elevations for doors and windows, the builder drove the project. “We needed to do everything, from finding the right trades and artisans to picking and sourcing all the materials, finishes, fixtures and furnishings,” he says. Major gestures included building an addition over the garage, overhauling the kitchen, adding a pool and a covered patio with an outdoor kitchen and incorporating Stassi’s idea halfway through the project for a wine room, a job completed in collaboration with Brian Crawmer of Agile Ofis, who provided Dirtt frameless glass walls and sliding-glass double doors. 

It didn’t take long for Stassi to realize they needed a designer to help make selections that would “be stylish, enduring, kid-proof and smart,” the builder says. So he tapped Mackay, who he speculated understood the wife’s style. “Matt called and said, ‘I have a client with great taste, and I know you can help her figure out what she wants,’ ” recalls Mackay, who worked with associate designer Larissa Loveless. From the first meeting, Mackay began decoding the homeowner. “She wore a chic tweed jacket and cowboy boots and used terms such as, ‘Moroccan and modern’ and ‘vintage, contemporary and classic with a twist,’ ” the designer remembers. With those points in mind, Mackay decided to create contrasts, with a focus on being “kicky, colorful and out of the box,” she says. She officially won over the homeowners with a rendering of the dining room, which exuded her approach. “The homeowner saw it and said, ‘You totally get me. Let’s do it,’” Mackay says with a laugh. 

To anchor the dining space, Mackay introduced sleek neutrals—namely a clean-lined custom Carrara-marble-and-stainless-steel dining table, curvaceous barrel dining chairs sheathed in gently distressed cowhide and a vintage midcentury ebonized breakfront the couple already owned—and then amped it up with shimmering navy-lacquered walls, a luminous bronze Lindsey Adelman chandelier and a custom-made wallcovering on the ceiling the designer dreamed up using an image by photographer Richard Bettinger magnified 2,500 times. 

In addition to the dining room, Mackay and Stassi tackled every inch of the residence, translating the homeowners’ diverse influences into seamless yet intriguing spaces. When they were stymied, the builder always seemed to have solutions, prompting the wife to print shirts for the team with the slogan, “Keep calm and let Matt handle it.” An example is the 8,000 square feet of hand-scraped 7-inch-wide oak planks he tracked down to replace the wood floors downstairs—save for the kitchen and study, where polished concrete adds industrial-strength style. He also updated the front-entry façade, replacing the previous two stories of arched glass with a metal standing-seam awning between new steel doors and a window. Finally, rustic red bricks received a coat of soft, understated white paint to emphasize the home’s new streamlined façade and timeless silhouette. 

Mackay embraced Stassi’s approach throughout the interiors, trading overwrought, traditional furnishings and trappings for timeless basics with a twist. In the lounge, for example, she toned down a beloved pair of overstated Victorian sofas by eliminating their swooping camelback spines and overblown rolled arms and then covering them with shimmering indigo linen-velvet to accentuate their freshly refined curves. She also gave antique Queen Anne consoles a new lease on life in front of matching built-in shelves filled with a collection of precious leather-bound books. Thanks to updates like these throughout the residence, the wife has the home she always wanted. “It’s clean, modern and eclectic—and I can really use every room,” she raves. “I was trying to get a look I couldn’t describe—and I still can’t describe it. But I’ve got it thanks to Selena’s and Matt’s translating skills.” 

Lisa Skolnik