The Avondale Residence in Houston’s historic Avondale neighborhood was renovated by HR Design Dept. The 1910 Craftsman house, once belonging to Texas Governor Ross Sterling, was restored to balance history with modern details. Enhancements include a second-floor skylight and scalloped wood screens, pairing with the owners’ antique Indian furniture collection.
In the Avondale neighborhood of Houston, HR Design Dept restores a 1910 Craftsman into a private residence, after the original windows were removed by developers who were stopped by the city of Houston from reconstituting the historic interior.
The home, original belonged to Humble Oil founder and Texas Governor Ross Sterling, who served from 1931-1932. Over the years, the home has been subdivided into apartments and fell into disrepair after attempts to turn the structure into multifamily housing was unsuccessful.
“With the historic details gone and extensive developer finishes throughout, the interior became a mostly blank canvas for us to rebuild the spirit of the house,” said HR Design Dept.
The owners of the home had passed the home for years and harbored dreams of returning it to its original state.
The exterior was kept mostly as is, with only a few changes to the hardscaping in the yard made to accommodate a new building that will house the owner’s photography studio.
A number of modest changes to the interior, that the designers hoped to reconstitute the original aesthetics.
White walls are met by light wooden floors that recall the past, and an opening in the wall between the kitchen and parlour was added to allow a lightwell to be installed to the second level.
Besides the lightwell, scalloped screens were added to curve the light into the rest of the house and create a textural contrast to the white-washed walls, which serve as a backdrop for the decor.
“The design is very different than the previously demolished home, but the new structure references the main house gable proportion, hardie siding, and wood screens in the courtyard in material and massing,” explained the studio.
At the back of the lot sits a smaller structure that has a small kitchenette, bath and a large open space for the studio.
The skylight in the studio was built to match the lightwell’s placement and orientation, enchanted by a geological character that features a singular channel of light as well as a a large northern exposure.
