Found in Houston's David Crockett subdivision, a small enclave of homes surrounded by art stores to the south, the lot was the perfect place for the new homeowners to build a modern contemporary home with a splash of eclectic style.
This stunner features three bedrooms, a home office that can be converted to a bedroom, five baths (one with Jacuzzi tub) plus a media room.
“We wanted to have a modern contemporary home with a warm, welcoming feel and we wanted it to blend with the neighborhood,” says Jim Smith. “We also wanted it to mimic how we live—large, open areas designed for hosting friends and family with plenty of room to maneuver and enjoy, and lots of light with windows all over, especially overlooking the pool courtyard.”
Almost immediately after purchasing the lot, homeowners Smith and Carlo Chiocchio began working with the architect team at Murphy Mears and the project manager at Ellis Custom Homes on the design of the house, focusing on the downstairs living, dining and kitchen areas. “We selected a custom kitchen by eggersmann with a design that expanded to both the downstairs and upstairs master bathrooms and the pool bath off the kitchen,” notes Smith.
The pool has a wide, shallow ledge for lounging and is surrounded by artificial turf, ideal for bocce, cornhole, Ping-Pong and other yard games.
After living in a custom high-rise for years, having little to no maintenance was at the top of the priority list. This challenge was quickly resolved with a variety of Dekton products from Cosentino used throughout the house from countertops and backsplashes to floors, and indoor walls to exterior walls. “We went in search of a product that fit our lifestyle and house building motto of ‘simple yet elegant and low to no maintenance,’” adds Smith, “but the product and design was also internally unique and personal to us so that whenever we are there, we know it is our home.”
The black and white kitchen cabinets from eggersmann surround the Dekton Aura island seating seven.
Venetian plaster was used in three rooms including the main living area ceiling to provide a glassy-type look, but outside of clean white walls, a warm color palette was followed. Another unique design feature found in the home was the choice of using a splash of Porsche Miami Blue. “We were able to connect eggersmann in Germany with Porsche in Germany to deliver a cabinet for the pool bath with Porsche Miami Blue,” says Smith. “We love the color, and it was fitting for the outdoor kitchen and pool decor.” The outdoors centers on the pool, which has a wide, shallow ledge for lounging and relaxing along with the Ledge Lounger pool furniture to match.
A custom wine room from AABC Custom Wine Cellars sits alongside the dining room table from Zimbabwe, beautifully lit by lighting from Ellen Lighting & Hardware.
“The finished product was even more spectacular than what we envisioned,” says Smith. Not only do they have a home that is designed to their liking, but the construction was well designed with the slope of the home withstanding Hurricane Harvey and structurally here to stay with Hebel autoclaved aerated concrete blocks. “We could not be more pleased with the result,” he says. “It is functional, exquisite yet understated.”
Each bathroom has its own look and feel with Dekton tiling from Cosentino.
“WE WENT IN SEARCH OF A PRODUCT THAT FIT OUR LIFESTYLE AND HOUSE BUILDING MOTTO OF ‘SIMPLE YET ELEGANT AND LOW TO NO MAINTENANCE.’”-HOMEOWNER JAMES SMITH OF THEIR USE OF DEKTON TILING FROM COSENTINO
The cozy downstairs bedroom features a bed from Roche Bobois (rochebobois.com) and a clear view of the pool courtyard area.
DESIGN DETAILS
TYPE
Single-family home
LOCATION
Houston
ARCHITECTURE
Murphy Mears Architects
murphymears.com
BUILDER
Ellis Custom Homes, LLC
elliscustomhomes.net
LANDSCAPE/OUTDOOR ARCHITECTURE
Dawson Estes Inc.
dawsonestes.com
RESOURCES
AABC CUSTOM WINE CELLARS
Custom wine room
aabcwinecellarsandrooms.com
COSENTINO
Dekton tiling throughout the home
cosentino.com
DANVER STAINLESS OUTDOOR KITCHENS
Outdoor kitchen
danver.com
DAVCAL
Venetian plaster
davcal.com
EGGERSMANN
Cabinets in kitchen
eggersmannusa.com
ELLEN LIGHTING & HARDWARE
Lighting
ellenlighting.com
LEDGE LOUNGER
Pool furniture
ledgeloungers.com
MADEVAL
Cabinets in home office, pantry, laundry room and secondary closets
madeval.com
WATTS POOL
Outdoor pool
wattspool.com
