West University Place, Houston
Sunset Residence
A pool came with this narrow interior lot, so the whole house opens to the water.
Franco Albarran, Founder
Oasis Living
A pool came with the property. The client wanted it to stay, and to be the focus the house was organized around.
The dining room has three walls of glass and a view to the water, with sliding doors to a screened porch the client had on their old home and wanted again. We remodeled the pool to strengthen that indoor-outdoor connection.
Every property has one thing worth building around. On yours, what would it be?
Living with Art
In this home, a living room wall had to carry both a television and the client's own art.
The client is a charcoal artist, so we built one flat wall to hold both. A Frame TV reads as a painting when it is off, with their own square canvas to the left and three charcoal pieces to the right, all on the same surface.
A lot of people make things they never put on the wall. Is there work of your own you would live with every day?
Storage Built In
Here, the living room's equipment and everyday clutter needed somewhere to go, and that storage is usually an afterthought.
So we gave it presence. A twelve-foot cabinet runs the full base of one wall, built and finished off site, then brought in and set in one piece.
Every room collects things that need to disappear. What would you want out of sight in yours?
Wiring Out of Sight
The Frame TV on this wall only reads as a painting if nothing gives it away, and a normal outlet would leave a cord hanging below the screen.
We recessed the outlet into the wall and ran a conduit down to a cabinet below, so no cable ever hangs below the screen.
Some of the cleanest details in a finished room are the ones you never see.
Island Hosting
In this kitchen, an island could easily have become a catch-all, with a sink or cooktop breaking the surface.
The client asked for one continuous countertop, so the island stays a single clear plane. When they host, food runs the full length of the island.
A kitchen runs better when one surface stays clear. Which would you protect in yours?
Cooking in Company
Closed off, this kitchen would have left whoever is cooking out of the room.
We placed the kitchen between the living room and the dining room, open to both. The client can cook and stay in the conversation, with the backyard in view past the dining table.
Cooking can put you in the room or off to the side. Where would you rather be when it fills up?
Work to the Edges
Even with the island kept clear, this kitchen still needed a sink, a place for dishes, the everyday things.
We moved that work to the perimeter: the sink sits under a window with open oak shelves on either side, so the island stays clear.
A clear counter usually means the work has somewhere else to live.
Quiet Stair
Walk in the front door and the stairs are not what you see. We tucked them around the corner.
The stair has no skirting, a simple handrail, and white oak treads. At night, LED step lights in the risers become the ambient light for the room.
Not every part of a house has to announce itself. What would you leave plain on purpose?
One Shared Counter
The primary bath here could have split into two vanities, his and hers, two of everything.
The client wanted the opposite, one counter they share. The room is organized around that single vanity, with large mirrors, wall sconces, and a subdued palette set for quiet mornings and evenings.
How a couple spends mornings can shape the whole room. How would you want to share the start and end of a day?
Calm by Restraint
The calm in this bath does not come from one special finish.
The shower carries the same palette as the rest of the room, white subway tile and brushed nickel fixtures, nothing competing for attention. The mood comes from light and repetition.
The fewer materials in play, the quieter the room.
Built for Change
In this bath, where the mirrors and sconces would land was still open when the walls were going up, and changing your mind later means opening the wall back up.
Before the drywall went on, we sheathed the whole wall in plywood. Now a mirror or sconce can anchor anywhere along it, at any height, whenever the client is ready to decide.
Some choices get easier once the room is real in front of you. Which would you rather wait on?
One Finish Throughout
A guest bath like this one gets the most traffic and the least attention.
So we gave it one direction and held it across every surface: oil-rubbed bronze on each fixture, pull, and mirror frame, white oak cabinetry, rounded mirrors, white subway tile. Nothing in the room is expensive; the effect comes from following that direction all the way through.
Consistency can do more for a small room than another foot of space.
Room to Experiment
The rest of the house has to agree with itself, but a guest bath is small and self-contained.
The guest bath leans industrial instead, with a harder edge than the rest of the house: black fixtures and hardware, a black-framed mirror, and a pair of black-and-white photographs on the wall.
A small, self-contained room is the safest place to take a chance. Where in your home could you take one?
Building a home is a big undertaking. You won’t take it on alone.
Build the team early
Architect, builder, and designer aligned from day one
Design around real life
We study how your family actually lives before drawing plans
Eliminate surprises
Budget and design evolve together throughout the process