Designing a Dream Home

STORY BY SANDRA COOK PHOTOGRAPHY BY MIRO DVORSCAK.

A local builder, architect and  interior design firm team up on a stunning showcase house that quickly became a family home

Anyone who has driven along Memorial Drive west of Loop 610 has no doubt admired the lush canopy of native oaks and pines that covers this largely residential region of the city. Local builder and residential developer Chris Cunningham of Cunningham Development has built a multitude of custom homes in the Memorial area over the past three decades.

Last year, Cunningham Development collaborated with architect Patrick Berrios of Patrick Berrios Designs to construct a new home with elements of traditional design that would blend well with the longestablished
neighborhood.

“I had previously designed a similar home in Hedwig Village a few years back and I decided I wanted to do a similar, but larger home on this property in Hunters Creek,” says Chris Cunningham, of Cunningham
Developments. “That’s when I asked Patrick Berrios to design this house. We also took inspiration from homes in Aspen and Vail, Colorado.”

Cunningham took this opportunity to bring in the latest and greatest features in one beautiful home. “We also emphasized energy efficiency throughout the design and build out,” says Cunningham. “This resulted in the home’s energy efficiency score beating the requirements for an Energy Star rating, meaning it is about 40 percent more efficient than average homes of this size and type.”


Cunningham turned to Jane Page Design Group to finish out the interiors, with JPDG’s Laura Litton taking the lead on developing an interior design that would appeal to a broad range of buyers. All of the design efforts of the builder, architect and interior design team culminated nicely, as the home, built as a showcase house, sold to a family moving to Houston from out-of-state even before it was opened to the public for touring.


DESIGNER’S TOUCH
Designer Laura Litton joined the project after construction had begun, but helped the builder make subtle refinements that allowed the home’s interiors to complement the architecture and enhance the overall aesthetics of the home. Since this was a new home that had been built in a well-established, older neighborhood, it was important to incorporate traditional elements both inside and out.


Litton’s design approach for the entire house was to use a combination of old and new to yield a buyer-friendly home that would speak to people who prefer traditional, as well as those who are drawn to a more modern look. Most rooms feature a neutral palate, but include a variety of textures and materials for
added visual interest.

“We used antiques in almost every room, but the house doesn’t look old fashioned,” says Litton.

Overwhelming Floral Wallpaper Gives Way To Easygoing Earth Tones In a Master Bath

Kathy Long called me after following my column in Houston House & Home. She thought my advice seemed practical. “Every day I walked into our master bath and thought, ‘I really don’t like this wallpaper.’ It was not a good way to start the day,” she smiled. “My husband lived in fear that he would come home one

day and find me ripping off wallpaper or banging out floor tile,” she laughed.

TIP: Paint gives a lot of bang for the buck.

“As long as we were confused, we did nothing,” she said. With three kids in out-of-state colleges Kathy and Michael also needed a master plan they could follow. She loved the visit because there were several small projects that she could quickly complete to freshen up her home. After our meeting, she had comprehensive notes with exact measurements, products, contractors and a budget for the renovation. “I took your notes to the paint store to buy paint the same day,” she explained. “One of your suggestions that

stays with me is the recommendation for good granite seams.

Everywhere I now go I look at granite seams—I cannot help it!”

TIP: In a slab house, if you don’t move bath drains, you can save a lot of money. The basic floor plan worked and the room just needed cosmetic updates. After interviewing contractors, Kathy hired Les Albin of Lacon Homes to do the work. She said that visualizing the finished look of the tile was difficult for her. 

“We went from an 8 x 8” floor tile to an 18 x 18” floor tile and a larger 13 x 13” tub surround tile. While you can lay a piece of tile down and get an idea, it is difficult to visualize how it will look. I decided just to trust your recommendations on the sizes and heights because I felt like we were on the same page right away and that you were able to articulate my concerns even though I was not able to communicate them very effectively!” Kathy explained.

Kathy advised when undertaking a remodeling to be prepared for unexpected problems and modifications to the plan. She explained that when the plumber removed the shower’s P-trap it was clogged full of concrete.

“He said he is not sure how it even drained!” Kathy said. She also said it is easy to say, ‘while we are at it, let’s do X, Y and Z’, which can blow a budget fast!

TIP: Take control of your project and order everything in advance so every item you are responsible for is there when the contractor says

he can start your project,  Kathy says.

“With our tile, we learned the hard way that items can be discontinued and promised delivery timelines don’t always happen, so don’t wait until the last moment,” she said. Items also can arrive broken so allow plenty

of time to reorder or return, Kathy advised. Kathy said her friends and family are jealous of her bath and are

inspired by the room’s simplicity. 

“Since we are keeping resale in mind, we knew it needed to be neutral but not boring. It is such a treat to walk into the bathroom each morning and to love not having green floor tile and wallpaper,” she explained. We love the accent tile, and the limestone vanity counters. The room is relaxing, not jarring. We like the neutrality of the bath and find it soothing,” she concluded

A CULINARY KITCHEN…IT’S ABOUT THYME

When CulinaryThymes.com website publisher Alyce Eyster was ready to redesign and remodel her kitchen, she called on her friends at Kitchen & Bath Concepts to assemble and lead a team of professionals to plan and produce her dream kitchen. KBC’s Micqui McGowen CMKBD, (Certified Master Kitchen & Bath Designer), worked with Eyster to design a space that eliminated the “jammed up” areas, resulting in a more efficient food and traffic flow, much more countertop space and better storage.

Alyce’s culinary interests, both professional and personal, deserved an exceptional kitchen. A true “foodie”, she writes about food, teaches cooking, and loves cooking and entertaining at home, especially since the completion of the new kitchen. The redesigned kitchen is bigger, brighter and all-around better.

The new floor plan is much more functional, and flows well for large or small groups, and especially for their active family of four, plus pets. Hard-working stainless steel pro-type appliances, two sinks, two ishwashers, ample storage space and large no-maintenance Silestone countertops all make this new kitchen a joy to work in. Simple lines of the BrookHaven cabinetry with slender chrome handles, combined with beautiful linear glass backsplash tiles create a calm transitional design statement for this modern kitchen in an established home.

Kitchen & Bath Concepts’ approach to every project is a comfortable, collaborative process between client, designer, and the project team, where genuine listening occurs, ideas are shared, and plans are developed, combining experienced knowledge, expert craftsmanship, and beautiful materials. The project team includes the contractor, suppliers and other trades involved. This approach always generates the best results for the client and the most satisfaction for the team.

Talmadge Hargraves was the general contractor for the Eyster kitchen. He has worked with KBC for over 20 years creating beautiful projects and happy clients. His scope of work includes new home construction, additions and major remodels. Talmadge says he “appreciates the level of design detail and professionalism of the KBC designers.”

David Gardner, of ICM Marble & Granite provided fabrication and installation of Silestone countertops in the kitchen. David also has a long history of collaboration with Kitchen & Bath Concepts. ICM has been in the stone business over 25 years, has a full-service showroom, and also works with other countertop materials like the “Yukon” Silestone in Eyster’s kitchen. Brookhaven cabinets by Wood-Mode were designed and ordered by KBC for the kitchen and bar area in two contrasting finishes—painted white for the
kitchen, with a dark “Java” stain on cherry for the bar area. Alyce loves the precision- quality construction and beautiful long-lasting finish of her factorymanufactured cabinets.

Here’s what she says about the experience:
“To say that we are thrilled with our new kitchen would be an understatement. The improved flow enhances cooking and entertaining and the kitchen certainly generates its share of wows. It is so satisfying to see the culmination of the efforts of many that went into this project. We are grateful to have worked with some amazing folks. And the final product is better than we ever
could have imagined.”