Italian Country Villa
This spacious Italian stone home sits on a large wooded piece of property in Houston, Texas. The site has large southern pines and a great deal of privacy.
The house is divided into three parts: a three-story main house for this couple (two physicians) with living areas, work areas and sleeping areas; a two-story five-car garage with guest suites above; and a one-story guest house with living areas and sleeping areas for the wife’s parents.
The structures all connect with each other because of warm and often wet weather and they all surround an outdoor living area with porches, breezeways and pool with spa and fireplace. The solution for a complex arrangement of spaces tailored to active, hobby-filled lives, together with extended family demands, resulted in a central tower plan with attached lower structures.
The exterior materials are native Texas limestone, culled to provide an intense ocher and red coloration. The mission tile roof incorporates a blend of five different colors to appear aged. The stained mahogany windows and doors complement these earth tones. The plaster inserts at the covered walkway and roof formers add a colorful faux finish to continue the theme of “rustic Italian villa.”
This exciting complex of handsome, beautifully crafted residential structures provides its busy owners with a refuge from their demanding profession. The tremendous openness of the plan and the soothing warmth of the exterior materials and interior finishes created an inspiring sense of serenity.
The vaulted beamed ceiling in the Family room provides a warm European ambience together with its clearstory windows and large limestone fireplace.
