The owners of Oak Estate recently moved to Houston from New York. There, they lived in a much smaller space with a crisp, modernist aesthetic. Moving from an apartment in New York to a home in Houston signaled a need for furniture that suits the scale of each room. In scaling up, our clients certainly did not want to lose their New York aesthetic. They asked Laura – our founder and CEO – and Shannon – one of our senior designers – to create a clean, modern space. They also wanted to add pops of color that express their personalities. Because their family includes two young boys, prioritizing livability was also key throughout the course of this project. In addition to durability, modernity and appropriate scale, the owners of Oak Estate also wanted a space that speaks to their shared culture. As such, Oak Estate’s remodeled interior draws inspiration from the family’s Indian heritage. Viewers will note these influences in the fabrics, patterns and color palette chosen for this modern interior. In the end, Laura and Shannon turned this Houston home into an elegant refuge for a polished yet playful family. Each space is inspired by modern design and Indian culture. To view the finished product, follow below for a virtual home tour of Oak Estate in the Highland Village neighborhood of Houston, Texas.
Goals for the Oak Estate Project
As mentioned above, the owners of Oak Estate in Highland Village recently moved from New York to Houston. Here, they purchased a stunning custom-built home that might have been perfect for the previous owners. Of course, this custom-built home was designed for another family entirely. As such, the interior needed a touch up in order to fit the needs of the home’s current owners. During our initial consultation, the owners of Oak Estate expressed a need to scale up their furniture collection. This collection was restricted by the size of their New York apartment. They also asked our designers to embrace modernist design elements, including clean lines, bold colors, organic shapes and industrial materials. Creating a space their kids could enjoy without fear of ruining rugs, upholstery or delicate wallpaper was also important to our clients. Finally, they asked our design team to draw inspiration from their Indian heritage. We describe our design goals in further detail below – in no particular order.
First: Embracing Modernism While Bringing Small Furniture Up to Scale
For decades, New York has been home to visionaries of architectural and interior design. Modernist pioneers like Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe and Marcel Breuer all settled in New York, called by the city’s dynamism and diversity. More recently, the likes of Japanese architect Tadao Ando, Iraqi designer Zaha Hadid and German architect Annabelle Selldorf have lived and worked there. These designers not only changed the skyline of New York. They also completely changed our understanding of high design and industrial architecture – overlapping, pairing and drawing lines between the two.
Houston has also been a haven for groundbreaking architects and interior designers. John S. Chase, Isamu Noguchi and John F. Staub all designed landscapes, buildings and interiors across Houston. Conceived by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and partners, the Caroline Wiess Law Building still draws art and architecture aficionados from around the world. Of course, New York City is also famous for its studios and micro apartments – something the Big Apple does not share with Houston, Texas. From their apartment in New York, our clients brought with them a love of clean, modernist interiors and a collection of small-scale furniture. They did not bring a love of cramped quarters. Given this, one of our goals was to scale up their furnishings to match the grandeur of their new Houston home.
Second: Infusing This Interior with Indian Influences and Inspirations
Our clients and the LUDC design team also sought inspiration from Indian culture – including its fashion, interiors and traditional craftsmanship. Over many centuries, Indian art forms, motifs and methods have influenced interior design, architecture and fashion across the globe. For example, few prints are as enduring and influential as paisley or batik. Woodblock printing – which decorates many high-end wallcoverings, upholstery fabrics and other interior elements – has deep roots in Indian textile design.
A writeup for the Victoria & Albert Museum’s exhibition “The Fabric of India” elaborates. According to the V&A, India provided artisans around the world with a wide variety of materials for centuries. They distributed raw Pashmina wool, wild Tasar silk and cotton as well as finished textiles deftly woven from each. Of course, one cannot forget the “red dyes of south-east India” or the distinctive indigo blue used to color textiles for fashion and interiors. Summing up the nation’s influence, this exhibition’s curators note that the “rich natural resources” of India make its textiles second to none.
Throughout Oak Estate, readers will note shades of ocean blue, rich rust, silvery sage and deep black. All of these can be found in traditional Indian textiles. From grasscloth wallpaper and antique brass to Tibetan wool and walnut wood, each space in the home is also incredibly tactile. Our team is currently working on the client’s mother’s home, so we added a few pieces from her collection as well.
Third: Ensuring the Space is Functional for a Family of Four
Lastly, we knew this remodeled Houston home had to be durable as well as stylish. With two young boys in the house, the furniture had to be sturdy and the fabrics had to be long-wearing. To accommodate this, we chose performance fabrics and functional furniture from our favorite designers.
Join Us for a Virtual Home Tour of Oak Estate in Highland Village
We begin our virtual Houston home tour with an elegant entryway. One of our favorite accents in this space is the award-winning Illan LED chandelier from Luceplan, designed by Copenhagen-based architect Zsuzsanna Horvath. From the grand entryway, we travel into the formal living room. This space is the first room guests see when they walk into the house. Our designers transformed this formal living room into a comfortable yet impactful one that sets the stage for the rest of the home. Clean lines and organic shapes coexist in this elegant interior. Next, we find ourselves in the dining room where gossamer drapes and a lacquered ceiling add light and depth to the space. From the dining room, we proceed to the family room, through the kitchen and into the study. Our virtual home tour ends with the primary suite.
Entryway
As one enters Oak Estate, they encounter a console table custom-made for our clients by the artisans at House + Town. Directly across from the console is an Abberton Mirror from John Richard, the surround of which was finished in Etruscan gold. A beveled base gives this mirror an architectural flair. That aesthetic pairs well with a set of Thin Retro Float Juniper Design sconces flanking the arched doorway.
A vintage-inspired Echelon Occasional Chair from Baker Furniture’s Kara Mann Collection creates a small seating area. The curved back of this rattan and Danish cord accent chair softens the rest of the space, which is largely linear. The pattern of the Diamond Maze Grey area rug resembles the crisscross of Danish cord woven over the chair’s back two legs.
Of course, the star of this space is Zsuzsanna Horvath’s Illan LED chandelier. Illan was the winner of the Red Dot Design Award 2021 “Best of the Best” prize for lighting. According to Luceplan’s press release about the award, the Illan combines “important factors like technological innovation, research on materials and sustainability.” Its delicate cornucopia shape is one rarely seen in lighting design.
When asked about her design, Zsuzsanna Horvath commented that “the lamp is on the borderline between art and design.” It balances “functional quality, good looks and a bit of the magic we need in our everyday life.” Crafted from extremely fine, laser-cut strips of FSC®-certified plywood, the Illan appears almost weightless. Its soft glow appears to emanate from an unknown source.
Formal Living Room
Next, we head into the formal living room – which is the first room visitors see when walking into the house. For this space, we also chose a mixture of organic curves, geometric shapes and bold, clean lines. The result is a soft yet sophisticated space that pairs architectural Art Deco elements with others from the whimsical Postmodern period. Lighting includes a Rousseau Grande Ten Light Articulating Chandelier by Kelly Wearstler and a Hutton Floor Lamp from Arteriors.
For seating, we chose the Galápagos Sofa from Adriana Hoyos, which was upholstered in a custom fabric. We also chose a pair of House + Town swivel chairs, upholstered in the Taffy colorway of Opuzen’s vinyl Memoir fabric. Between the chairs and sofa are nesting tables from Adriana Hoyos and a gray vintage faux shagreen end table from Madegoods. House + Town’s swivel chairs sit opposite a concrete Sefafina accent table from Arteriors that resembles black marble.
Soft finishings include a color-blocked hand-loomed wool and silk Freida rug from The Rug Company. We pulled from the organic tones in this rug when choosing fabric for the sofa’s throw pillows. For the pillows, we picked Casamance’s swirling Pensee Masai fabric in the Cuivre colorway and Dedar’s Patchwork metallic jacquard fabric in the black colorway. Custom drapery with Samuel and Sons trim and a Castello embroidered border lets light into the space.
Dining Room
From the formal living room, we move into the dining room. A sculptural 1970s-inspired dining table from Baker Furniture and dining chairs custom-made by House + Town make this space elegant yet fresh. We absolutely love the fluted pedestals that support this Huxley Dining Table. In fact, we remember seeing similar accents on other pieces at High Point last October. Learn all about our trip in the post “High Point Market Recap 2021 Trend Report.”
The lacquered ceiling, Robert Sonneman chandelier, Phillip Jefferies Silky Strings Moonstone wallcovering, floor-to-ceiling windows and sheer drapes bring light and movement. We chose Farrow & Ball’s Treron high-gloss wall paint for the ceiling because it is “traditional in feel but perfect for modern homes.”
For the drapes, we chose Sacho’s Perla fabric. This fabric is a “romantic, semi-transparent jacquard fabric with a dry structured cotton polyester ground scattered with floral motifs.” This fabric has a distinctly fashion-forward feel, strongly resembling Marchesa’s Floral & Feather Embellished Illusion Gown from a couple of seasons ago. The rust color we chose for the dining room drapes recalls that of the formal living room’s Casamance Pensee Masai-upholstered throw pillows.
Three works by John Richard – W.H. SKETCH I, W.H. SKETCH II and W.H. SKETCH III – also add dynamism to the space. According to Interior HomeScapes, these pieces are “inspired by history, provenance, great foreign cultures and exotic materials.”
Family Room
From the dining room, we head into the family room. Key elements include a Gianni LED Multi-Tier Chandelier by PageOne Lighting and Bolero Upholstered Chairs from Adriana Hoyos. The family room is a symphony of different textures and tones — curated yet comfortable. While the color palette is largely neutral, organic shapes, unusual patterns, warm metallics and dark tones create plenty of intrigue.
As an example, the Gianni Chandelier from YLighting plays with negative space in a way that ties it to others throughout the home. For the seating program, we chose a versatile House + Town sectional upholstered in Pindler’s “easy clean” Osborne fabric in the Dove colorway. Opposite the sectional is a pair of equestrian-inspired Adriana Hoyos Bolero Upholstered Chairs covered in a custom fabric.
Between the sectional and chairs are an antique brass Hilda Accent Table from Arteriors and a layered House + Town cocktail table. We also chose an Adriana Hoyos ottoman. The ottoman was upholstered in a dreamy Rebecca Atwood fabric with a half-moon motif. An H Upholstered 300 chair from Adriana Hoyos and a Cantoni Cava Accent Table by Naturri Italia round out the furniture program.
This family room’s lighting program boasts a Dana Floor Lamp by David Frisch and a simple columnar Hope Table Lamp from Arteriors. For the walls, we chose another Phillip Jeffries wallcovering – Mirage in Tumbleweed on Marshmallow Manila Hemp.
Kitchen
Few alterations were made to Oak Estate’s sunny and spacious kitchen. We mounted a row of 16″ Dot Pendants by Peter Bristol Pendant for Circle Lighting above the island. For seating around the island, we selected a set of leather-wrapped Bottega Stools from Design Within Reach.
Study
The study draws inspiration from early Modernist architecture, interiors and furniture design. We love the industrial look of this Nodes Table Lamp by Kelly Wearstler for Circa Lighting. An almost Brutalist-looking Benjamin Desk from Nuevo Living serves as the perfect centerpiece to this bold space.
The cabinets were pre-existing. However, we repainted the wood with Farrow & Ball’s Stiff Key Blue. We also wallpapered the back panel with Phillip Jeffries’ Desert Dunes in Riverside Navy. Both the paint and grasscloth are a cool inky navy tone that serves as a stunning backdrop to the warm walnut desk.
Owners’ Suite
Our virtual home tour ends with the owners’ suite. Both spaces contain pieces already owned by the residents of Oak Estate. With a light-filled bedroom and glamorous yet understated bathroom, the owners’ suite is serene and sophisticated. One of our favorite elements in the primary bath is the tile surrounding the freestanding tub. This geometric patterned tile is distinctly modern. However, its gentle tones remind us of timeless terrazzo tile.
In the primary bedroom, we opted for another grasscloth wallcovering from Phillip Jeffries – Manila Hemp – in a soft champagne color. For the drapery, we chose a sheer linen jacquard fabric from Rubelli called Voile de Lin. Other elements include a neutral wool and silk area rug that reminds one of classic 1930s checkerboard floors – but with a contemporary twist.
An end-of-bed bench from Ambella Home and tufted headboard recall the tailored aesthetic of Danish designer Frits Henningsen. The Lana Bench was upholstered in custom Rubelli fabric. We also added House + Town slit chairs with dual fabric – Noblish in Ralph and Trikes Crown Jewel in Smoke. For the bedding, we chose sheets, shams and pillowcases from Texas-based brand Home Treasures, all sourced from Plush Homes. We chose Boheme bedding, Royal Sateen RC Hemstitch Finish shams and Delancey sheets. All in all, our design team focused on creating subtle contrasts and highlighting different materials, finishes and textures.
Thank you for joining us on this virtual home tour of Oak Estate!