England in Houston

Houston is not really known for beautiful residential architecture.  It’s just too new, having been founded in just 1836.   To be sure there are some pretty neighborhoods – the older they are, the more interesting the architecture is.    Conversely, the further from downtown the neighborhood is,  the greater you stand a chance of being surrounded by MacMansions.

One of our most attractive and historic neighborhoods is River Oaks - home to the famous Bayou Bend built by Ima Hogg.    

Bayou Bend

But even this neighborhood is not that old.   It was considered a suburb when built in the 1920s, barely 100 years ago.

  Usually when I show houses on the blog they come from River Oaks or other surrounding areas like the Museum Area.

         

Another historic neighborhood, Broadacres, was also established in the 1920s.

Sprinkled throughout inner Houston you can find some original houses, but we have paid a huge price for something our founding fathers initiated. 

 

Houston, has long prided itself on the fact that it had no zoning laws, and architecture has suffered from this profoundly.  The oldest, original and some of our best houses were torn down without any concern for their worth.  They are still being torn down today.  So many wonderful homes are forever gone from Houston which brings us to today.

With its huge and rapid growth and weak or no zoning laws, Houston has neighborhoods filled with boring, uninspiring suburban houses built without much, if any, architectural acclaim.

SO…when a house does pop up in Houston that is outside of River Oaks or the Museum District and it is a standout – it really grabs our attraction.

And today, I have a house that did just that.  

OMG.  

A realtor sent me photos of her new listing.  She included many more photos that were not in the real estate brochure, which is rare.  

Thank you!!

I just love this house!  It looks like something you would find 0n the north east coast or in England.  The listing mentions Cotswold.  The house is such a treat for Houston.  It’s a classic and it will still be standing for hundreds of years. No one will be tearing this down for lot value, ever.

The house is relatively new, designed in 2008 by Michael Dreef with Eubanks Architects.  here

The décor was done by Cathy Chapman, one of Houston’s top designers and someone that I have long admired.  Chapman used Chateau Domingue to fill the house with antique architectural elements.  What a difference this makes.  Houston is incredibly lucky to have Chateau Domingue in our backyards.    

Let’s take a look at this fabulous house, now for sale in Houston.   And please enjoy.  Houses like this are rarity in this town.

 

Above, is a terrible photo from Google Maps circa 2007.   It shows the house being built which you can see from the street.  It’s on a very secluded street in a beautiful neighborhood filled with tall pines and oaks.  There are a mix of original smaller houses and much larger newer ones.  It is considered the premier neighborhood located outside the loop. 

The family wanted to create a secluded front lawn where the house would be hidden from the street, so they planted a screen of tall trees and bushes. Here, a few years later is what it looked like from the street:

 

By 2015, shown here, you could barely see the house when driving by.  The green screen would grow even taller and fuller through the coming years.   Today, it truly is not seen from the street.

 

 

 

And here is the English Tudor styled house.

 

 

Another view.  Notice the brick work mixed with the stone.  And notice the sidewalk leading up to the front door.

 

 

The bricks are hand formed.  The roof is reclaimed clay tiles. The gutters and flashing are copper and all the windows and doors were custom made.  Every detail is curated, special.

Notice the chimney pots!  Just like in England!!

 

Hope’s Windows and Doors – each window and door was individually, custom made.

The front door is reached at the stone portico. 

 

 

The driveway leads up from the street to either the front door or the garage, behind a wooded gate.  From this view it looks like there is just a two car carriage house.  Hidden, is another two car garage.

                                               

 

This view shows the genius of the architects – it’s all in the details.  Instead of a long, four car garage, they designed a carriage house with two bays.  The other half of the garage  is hidden until you drive through the gate.  

 

The drive court is all brick and stone accent behind a wooden gate and stone wall.

The estate is just over 1 1/2 acres.

The drone view of the back yard.  There are several parterre gardens in the wooded areas.

 

I love the stone around the pool.  It’s such a unique coping detail – I’ve never seen that before.

 

Another view of the back of the house.

 

 

On the right of the swimming pool instead of a fence, a large section of bushes reach to the sky and provide privacy.

 

The back door overlooks a fountain.  To the right is a covered sitting area. 

 

From inside the house:  The double back door overlooking the fountain and past that, the parterre garden.

 

The covered patio with its own stone fireplace, a 1860 Scottish Baroque York stone fireplace with a carving over the mantel of the Currother’s Family Coat of Arms.

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The view from the parterre garden to the back double door.   To the left is a stone double bay that houses the breakfast room and,  upstairs,  the master bedroom.

The outdoors kitchen with checkerboard floors on the left side of the house.

The house has 4 bedrooms and 4.3 baths.  It is just over 11,ooo sq. ft.  The floors on the first floor are 150 year old American chestnut.  The lighting comes from the 17th to the 19th century.  The beams are antique, architectural elements from Chateau Dominque which fill the house. 

 

 

Next to the front door is a pond and sitting area. 

 

Four steps lead to the front door.

( I know, I know, you can only see three steps in this photo!)

The front door opens onto a very large grand hall that even has a fireplace!  It is the center of the house, and at the other end, double doors open to the back yard.

 

Here is the grand hall’s fireplace – set in an inglenook. The Great Sir Hughes Court chimney piece dates from 1760.

   I’m going to show both sides of the grand hall with rooms that lead to the next one.

First let’s look at the right side of the hall.  Before the stairs, there is the Music or Dining Room.

Leading to the right of the front door, is the Music Room.

Those beams.  Wow.  They are incredible and notice the 150 year old Chestnut floor.

Under the stairs at the entrance to the Music Room is this powder room with two English leaded glass windows overlooking the front yard.

Another view of the foyer with the music room to the right and just past the stairs is the hall that leads to the kitchen.

 

The music room – look at that floor!!!!    Amazing.   It is  the American Chestnut floor - over 150 years old.    I love the way the room doubles as a dining room with a banquette and table in the corner.

 

Back in the foyer – here is a shutter that opens onto the kitchen.  Notice the base molding around the old chestnut floors.

The same view, from further back.  To enter the kitchen, you go through a hallway to the left of the stairwell – see

below:

   Right past the shutter is the hall that leads to the kitchen.

 

 

Another view of the grand hall.

The side hall:   You can see the inglenook that overlooks the side hall that leads to the kitchen and music room.  The kitchen is to the right and the music room is to the left.  The hallway ends at the utility room and garages.

The kitchen!  At the very left is the hallway and the entrance into the Music Room.

Antique Belgian blue limestone floor throughout the kitchen area.   Please notice the gorgeous beams and raised ceiling!!!

Past the kitchen is the sitting area and breakfast room.  The back staircase is past the sitting area.  

The island was fabricated from an antique table and topped with Danby marble.  A pair of Swedish lanterns hang over the island.   And a German Silver Sink Company sink was placed in the island.

The beams and the ceiling is just incredible.  Incredible!!!!!

 

 A large marble sink overlooks the backyard.  Notice the 200 year old French oak countertops!!!!  Again, amazing.

 

The sitting and breakfast areas. 

Another view with the back stair case at the right.  The double doors lead to the outdoor kitchen seen before.

The outdoor kitchen off the breakfast and the utility and powder rooms.

Those beams!   What a beautiful area.

Looking towards the fireplace in the sitting area.

Past the sitting area is the back staircase and utility areas that lead to the garages.

PPP

At the front of house between the Music Room and garages is an office with a Bennison covered chair and ottoman.

And at the back of the house between the breakfast area and the garages is this utility room, dog friendly with a watering station and doggie door.  This is so cute!!!

And lastly off the right side of the house is this powder room that overlooks the outdoor kitchen.

Back to the grand hall, lets now look at the left side of the house.

To the left of the inglenook fireplace are the double doors that lead to the living room.  To the right of the fireplace is the family room and gameroom.

Past the double wood doors is the living room with its neo-gothic stone fireplace surround circa 1840 and a Versailles pattern floor.

Close up of the beautiful mantel.

And in the living room – a close up of the Versailles styled floor.

 

The family room leads off the living room seen at the right.  On the left is the grand hall entrance.  You can see the kitchen through the shutter in the doorway.

I wish there were more photos of this room, I love the décor!  Cathy Chapman did such a good job.  The décor is all very quiet and cozy, designed not to take away from the architecture.

To the right of the inglenook fireplace in the grand hall is the door that leads to the before seen family room and gameroom and it’s bar which is seen through the entrance. 

18th century Portuguese cathedral stone is found in the gameroom.  Through the French doors is the covered porch off the swimming pool.  You can see into the powder room to its left. 

The powder room off the gameroom.

 

This area of the gameroom looks across the window to the kitchen.

And this bar is at the entrance to the gameroom.   Marianna Soapstone countertop.

Another view of the bar.

In the gameroom is the climate controlled wine cellar. 

Going upstairs.  There is also an elevator in the house that goes from the ground floor to the third level.

The upstairs has 125 year old reclaimed oak flooring.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

A family room off the landing overlooks the front yard.

 

Two halls off the landing lead to the four bedrooms.

 

 

This hallway has a small kitchen.

And this foyer with a Versailles patterned floor leads to the master suite.

That ceiling!!!!!

The master bedroom has its own fireplace and sitting area.

This sitting area is in the stone bay seen in the back of the house, below:

The two story stone bay with the master suite on the second floor and breakfast room on the first floor.

The double bathroom.

Another view.

AND who doesn’t have a fireplace in their bathroom???

Raises hand.

The closet.

The two daughters’ rooms each have lofts reached by circular stairs.  Here is the first one which overlooks the back yard.

I love the window with the leaded glass on top and the plain window below.

And the loft with built in bunk beds and gothic inspired paneling.

The second bedroom looks over the front yard with its bay windows.

The loft also has a bunk bed with a large bulletin board filled with teenage memorabilia.

The guest suite.

 

 And the sitting room with its reclaimed 125 year old flooring.

 Close up of Cathy Chapman’s decor which I love.  Pinstripes in muted colors. 

Thanks for letting me show you this beauty! 

If you want to see the brochure and/or the house, contact the real estate agent HERE.