When the original home was built in 1952, city life was so far removed that quail could be seen skittering around the lawn. As the decades passed, the kids grew up — and so did the city. Residents on the edges of River Oaks find they are no longer secluded from the hustle and bustle, but rather smack-dab in the middle of it. In an age when residents of established Houston neighborhoods regularly see homes bought and sold to make way for oversized, look-at-me new construction, this family chose a refreshingly different route, thanks to the Houston firm Glassman Shoemake Maldonado Architects. One grown son, his active family and his mother chose to demolish the original home and create a modern and inviting family compound. The four-bedroom main house accommodates a family of five, while a separate one-bedroom grandma’s house and guest suite share the same property. The structures are built mostly on the old footprint of the original home, so they are modest in scale compared to many of the newly constructed homes in the area. Lead architect Carrie Glassman Shoemake, AIA, worked with partner Ernesto L. Maldonado, AIA, to accomplish the family’s list of goals, such as increasing privacy on the busy Westheimer Road side of the home, saving the large oaks on the property, preserving as much of the open lawn as possible and having separate residences for the young family and the grandmother. The home at 2526 Bellmeade will be on The American Institute of Architects-Houston Home Tour Oct. 27-28.

A well-soundproofed fence of sturdy horizontal wood beams divided by perpendicular burnished concrete sections protects privacy and controls noise quite successfully and, thankfully, without that prison-like quality. Achieving warmth and a sense of hospitality were key goals for the entire project; ostentation was not. Shoemake sought to keep the lines and proportions respectful to the environment and the residents. The tallest walls of the burnished concrete were demarcated with a contrasting row of narrow bricks to remind the eye of the human scale of the project. No one room or exterior wall feels overwhelming; even the larger rooms of the house are comfortable for just one person or a crowd of family and friends.

LIGHT STUDIES

“Houston doesn’t have many seasons,” Shoemake says. “If we can orient the house to accept the [sun’s] light, it gives people a sense not only of the day, but also the year. You get the sense you are part of a solar system, of something bigger than you are.”

FUNCTION AND STYLE

Perhaps the most essential part of all the new living space that resulted from the project is the multifunctional, multifaceted breezeway built between the main house and the grandmother’s house. Aligned to capture Houston’s prevailing southeast breeze, this area lives up to its name — and then some. Burnished concrete walls, scored white plaster above and a metal and wood staircase carve out the generous space that serves as a relaxed, yet regal, invitation to the entire property. Providing shelter from the trademark Texas weather, the area both connects and divides the two houses and provides a communal gathering space that looks out onto the lawn and landscape. This outdoor entry space introduces guests to both of the dwellings and the uncluttered lawn that seems to whisper, “Come play,” while a Zen-like fountain flows along right angles over cool gray river rocks to soothe both the eyes and ears of intrepid city folk.

Many windows were placed high on walls to channel light, while avoiding unappealing views. “We treated Westheimer as a view you couldn’t trust,” says Maldonado. More traditional, direct-view windows take advantage of the property’s serene landscape. On either side of the staircase in the main house, there are two-story walls of glass — one facing east, one facing west. During the spring and fall equinoxes, the space floods with sunlight. During other times of the year, the sun fills the space partially, depending on the season and the angle of the sun. “Natural light creates the theater of architecture,” Shoemake says. “If you can capture it to create movement, then you have much more lively spaces.” In the entry, a beautiful chiaroscuro of light and shadow spreads fingers of light below the stairs, brilliantly complementing a wooden sculpture by noted Houston artist James Surls.

MODERN AND INVITING

Contemporary styling and clean lines were essential elements of the design, but so was the sense of warmth and comfort. Woods were used judiciously inside and out to soften the look. “In all of the homes we create, our goal is to have people walk in and feel, ‘I’m glad to be here,’” says Shoemake. “Houston is more visually harsh than some other cities. We want to create spaces where you feel peaceful and welcome.” Fir paneling from the old house was recycled for the ceiling of the grandmother’s dining room. Some of the same fir paneling was installed on the formal living room’s ceiling in the main house to echo the sentiment for the old house and its memories. The main house’s staircase wraps around monolith of rift-cut white oak, cut so that the tree-ring lines run straight and long for relaxing symmetry.

THOUGHTFUL DESIGN

By incorporating a variety of textures — metal, wood, plaster, stone, plants, fountain, lawn, trees, plants — the dwellings and their grounds are undeniably earthy in spite of their modern design. Both native Houstonians, Shoemake and Maldonado have been working and collaborating closely for more than 10 years. “Ernesto is very focused,” says Carrie. “I come up with a lot of ideas.” The two architects work together in the same office with a one central desk/work table between them. In all their residential projects, gardens become integral part of the homes. The idea is to maintain a connection with nature whenever possible. In this case, the curvy, comforting oak branches reach across the open spaces as nature’s eloquent counterpoint to the property’s geometric forms.