Attention, lovers of fab architecture: We have two new listings, and they are both outstanding examples of their styles. One is a Prairie home with a strong Mid-Century Modern accent. It whispers Frank Lloyd Wright, but without his leaky roofs, itty-bitty closets and wretched kitchens. The other is an exuberant homage to Czarist Russia with luscious color and exquisite details.
Let’s begin with the Prairie-meets-MCM. Sensible, solid and wittily elegant, 2324 Shannon Street brings together an organic merging of stone and wood, outdoors and indoors, lightness and strength. There is a mix of striking materials (e.g., walnut floors and veneers, Italian tile, Neolith countertops), styles and natural settings. The owners worked closely with David Cox of Design DCA and Winfrey Design Build LLC to construct a home in their favorite architectural style, which they describe as Contemporary Prairie.
2324 Shannon Street
“We loved all the horizontal lines, the low-pitch roof line, the wide overhanging eaves and the strong windows,” explained the owners. “We wanted to use the beautiful natural wood and stone as a feature of the home and also to have large windows throughout that provided the seamless connection out to the environment around the house. No matter where you are in the house you have a view outside. Although we wanted our home to be open concept, we also wanted to ensure that there was a sense of defined spaces. The goal was a home that was modern yet not sterile.”
The high ceilings and an abundance of windows and glass doors fill the house with natural light, and large expanses of wall provide space for grand art installations. The home has four bedrooms (all upstairs) with ensuite bathrooms, plus one half-bath. This is a house that will appeal to owners who value high-end modern design, such as the Poggenpohl kitchen, as well as practicality: Miele and Thermador appliances, the all-glass climate-controlled wine room and two large kitchen islands with three sinks make cooking fun and entertainment a snap.
Outside, the plunge pool (with underwater treadmill and swim machine), loggia with fireplace, summer kitchen, gardens and connecting hardscape are all put to efficient use. The result is a home that supports a peaceful easy lifestyle with effortless indoor-outdoor flow.
The house is in Oak Estates, a “pocket neighborhood” across the street from River Oaks. In fact, Oak Estates was developed in the 1940s by S.N. Adams, who had once been a builder for the River Oaks Corporation and who also developed the adjacent Highland Village Shopping Center. The neighborhood attracts residents who covet its peaceful ambiance, mature trees and a delightfully short stroll to Highland Village and Central Market. The list price is $2,875,000.
Our other listing is located at 903 Kirby Drive just south of the intersection with South Shepherd. You’ve surely noticed it while waiting for the traffic light to change. It’s a striking confection of a townhome, built in the Irish Palladian style in 1998, and as finely wrought as a Fabergé egg. It was inspired by the original owners’ fascination with early 19th century neoclassical architecture and decorative arts, particularly Czarist Russia.
903 Kirby Drive
To wit: Rapidly guests gathered, then three taps were heard on the floor; and silence fell. A last quick arrangement of one’s train or one’s sleeves was possible before the double doors opened and in the frame stood his majesty, looking as shy as possible and as if dreadfully sorry to interrupt. – from My Life, Here and There (1921), a memoir by Princess Julia Cantacuzene and hand-lettered around the perimeter of the library at 903 Kirby Drive
Commissioned and finished by interior designer Michael Siller and custom-carpet legend Larry Hokanson, the home includes three grand rooms – a gold dining room, red living room and green library – that provide nearly a sweep through the formal second floor. Each or all of these rooms, with their 13-foot-plus ceilings, elaborate draperies, crystal chandeliers and Rococo plasterwork, would have suited the monarchy of Europe’s storied empires, from France’s Napoleon to English King George IV to Imperial Russia’s Alexander I.
In fact, while building in the 1990s, the original owners traveled to Saint Petersburg to the State Hermitage Museum, founded by Empress Catherine the Great in 1764, to research colors, window treatments, lighting and decorative arts for the home. The result is a home that is luxurious, majestic and, yes, unapologetically opulent. It’s no surprise that it was featured in a major article in Architectural Digest in 2001.
Besides the second floor’s large formals and library, there is a French kitchen, jewel-like powder-room and walk-in wet bar; third-floor primary suite with his and her bathrooms (and adjacent study) and a secondary bedroom; and first-floor formal foyer and guest bedroom, plus access to the four-car garage that boasts abundant built-in storage and a separate utility room. The garage can be approached most easily from the alley behind the home (off South Shepherd). A leather-lined elevator serves all three floors.
Designed by the renowned New York City architectural firm of Ike Kligerman Barkley, this home was designed in the Palladian style, which is named for Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio and much appreciated for its classical elements and grand appearance. The use of Corinthian columns – here they are in the living room – bring a stately and timeless feel to the formal rooms. And while the outside architecture is austere, the inside is lavish and regal. The interiors are gorgeously appointed and include extensive moldings and cornices with carved medallions, transom windows over French doors, Scalamandré draperies, custom hand-made Hokanson carpets, rough-hewn hardwood floors and brass fixtures throughout. Price: $2,850,000
