1973 West Gray St Ste 13
Houston, TX 77019

713.529.9933

  Instagram - Kirby

  Kyle Humphries, AIA, LEED AP in Houston, TX on Houzz

© Murphy Mears Architects 2022

Longwoods Residence

Single-Family Residence | Houston, TX | 2014

Metal shutters operated with interior hand cranks, open at night, with an elevated view through the high-ceiling living room.

 

 

Longwoods Residence

For a retired Houston couple with an ever-growing collection of paintings and photography, their new home is filled with natural light to illuminate the artworks without overwhelming them. Light is a defining material in this five-bedroom, 6,600-square-foot residence in an established residential neighborhood. Glass walls shaded by adjoining porch roofs, continuous clerestory windows, a sliding louvered shade panel that references the aperture of a camera, and an elliptical skylight all work in concert throughout the day to bring light within.

Although the house is two stories, the design allows the clients to primarily occupy the first floor, with the second level available to accommodate grown children and guests. Private and public areas are arranged accordingly on the first floor, with the rear of the house, linked by a light-filled central corridor, functioning as a house within a house, complete with master suite, office, sitting area/library, and access to a covered terrace and lawn areas.

The exterior of the house is composed of distinct volumes, each with its own function and orientation on the site. Archetypical pitched roofs referencing profiles from neighboring dwellings are juxtaposed with simple horizontal roof edges. The primary building material, steel-reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete block (AAC Block), is seamlessly coated with a neutral-toned plaster. Small expanses of Garapa wood are left untreated to patina to a natural gray. Interior walls and ceilings are coated with a subtly textured plaster finish, and flooring and stair surfaces are chiefly French oak and limestone.

Large, high-ceilinged rooms are open in feel and present contemplative spaces for viewing art without compromising the owners’ desire for privacy.

 

Integral color stucco finish over AAC block, with garapa wood accents and a standing seam metal roof.

 

 

Shared passage across the living room, connects across the central gallery to the dining room beyond.

 

Dining room, open to the gallery and living room beyond.

 

Front entry walk, visible through the living room window with the hand-crank shutters partially open.

 

Central gallery open to the adjacent kitchen, with the stair, front entry, and outdoor and indoor living spaces visible beyond.

Kitchen finishes and lighting configured for even indirect illumination of work surfaces with natural and artificial light.

 

Kitchen cabinets with oak accent panels and glass backsplash, open to the breakfast room with a corner view of the North garden beyond.

 

North garden path, with the breakfast room corner window and autocourt back entry beyond.

Sheer shades lowered from hidden ceiling pockets above the breakfast room corner window.

 

Natural light from the South window wall in the family room shaded by the porch roof above, illuminating the walnut centerpiece housing the library on its opposite side.

 

Walnut bookshelves opposite a floating art panel in the North window wall of the library and family room.

 

Master bedroom open to the private back garden with integrated shades raised above the ceiling plane at the floor to ceiling bay window.

Limestone, quartz and porcelain slabs washed in natural light from the transom windows over the master tub and shower.

 

Linear garapa wood window accents coordinate with the custom metal shutters beyond, standing seam metal roof above, and the horsetail reed landscaping across the front of the house.

Guest bedroom with automated shades raising into hidden pockets above the West and South windows.

 

Front walk on axis with the living room front window, with the custom shutters cranked close in the afternoon sun.

AAC block structure under construction, with a steel track for the custom metal shutters installed above the living room front window.

 

Modeled exterior stucco and interior plaster finishes under balanced light at dusk reveal the volumes within the AAC block home.