A seventh-generation Texan Victorian estate given a new lease of life
Given the state’s vibrant social calendar and historic pride in its reputation for hospitality, any serious house in Texas will be big and welcoming and full of life. It was with this in mind that a local politician asked Anne Grandinetti of Mark Ashby Design to remodel and redesign the family home that his great-grandfather built forty miles east of Houston in the late 1800s.
Located in the Texan hamlet of Wallisville, the family estate more closely resembled the treasure hoard of an avid antiques collector than the comfortable family home the owner and his wife were after. “It’s a very small community,” says Anne of Wallisville, “and it’s so bathed in history.” The main house on the estate is a 6,000sqft-plus clapboard Victorian building dating to 1905, but the estate itself has its roots in the 1880s. It survived a hurricane in 1915, and underwent a renovation in the 1980s at the hands of the current owner’s father, who restored it lovingly in Victorian style. A collector, his scheme was faithful to the history of the place and to its period Victorian furniture, and would have been a haven for any antiques enthusiast. The only problem, Anne explains, is that “if you're familiar with Victorian furniture, you know how uncomfortable it can be to actually live with. Not family-friendly.”
As such, the owners wanted something softer to suit their young children; having worked with Mark Ashby Design for almost 20 years on “six or seven projects”, they trusted Anne (along with Curtis and Windham Architects) to metaphorically sand down many of the five-bedroom house’s sharp edges while staying true to its history and status as a local landmark. Anne set about reassessing the house, keeping lots of period touches while dispelling any possible fustiness. The history added “incredible pressure,” she admits. “I knew we had to nail it. We couldn't follow any trends; it had to be classic, but also very current and fresh. So finding that balance was really hard, but so much fun.” Anne adds that she and her clients are now “like family members, and I know I can anticipate what they want.”
Over four years, the house was transformed. Anne and her clients began by discussing various options, with ideas spanning everything from “a light remodel to a full renovation.” In the end, they settled on the latter. They focused on finishing the guest house first, as well as the all-new pool pavilion, so there was somewhere for the young family to live on the property while the main building was done. They also moved around several buildings on the estate, and put in a man-made pond for the children to fish in to go with the school house, tennis court and skeet shooting area. “It was a complete gut, because we knew we were only going to do this once.”
As Anne designed with the clients’ children in mind, she had to consciously plan the house with the idea that the furniture and fabrics “were going to get beat up.” A long-term desire to work with antique Chicago brick flooring, for example, dovetailed perfectly with the practical requirements of the house; the flooring ended up in the pool pavilion, but also in the main house’s kitchen, through which a child could (at least theoretically!) ride a bike without causing damage. “It’s not precious,” Anne explains.
In the children’s bedroom, Pierre Frey animal-print wallpaper was chosen to mirror the many animals that live on and around the rural estate, including cattle, longhorns, alpacas, goats, a donkey and a horse. Anne then hung curtains of the same design in the room that were measured to sync up with the wallpaper exactly. “One day, if they ever call me and want to change it, I’ll be heartbroken,” jokes Anne. “But for now, it’s there. And it’s wonderful.”
At the same time, Anne and her team retained a deep respect for tradition and the house’s heritage. A local Houston artist named Rusty Arena painted a mural in the entrance hallway of pastoral scenes subtly based on the real-life property. The owner’s extensive art collection was incorporated into the scheme, including a piece by Agnes Martin that hangs in the same hallway, atop wallpaper commissioned with it in mind. Art has informed the house as much as practicality; when Anne talks about the hand-carved marble bathtub – a statement piece that was made in England and transported to America – she describes it as a work of art in its own right. “That was a wildcard moment.” Vanity tops were then carved from the same block of marble and fitted.
The result is a house that tells the story – past, present and future – of the owners’ family while remaining eminently comfortable. Working on the project was a rare opportunity to shape an estate that could be utterly holistic and integrated, and Anne says she is keen to work with her clients again. “They’re such great collaborators,” she says. “It was a dream job.”
Shade Degges1/21Built in 1905, the Victorian elegance of the estate is set amid a vast landscape populated by farm animals including longhorn cattle, alpacas, a donkey, a horse, chickens and goats.
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Shade Degges3/21The custom wallpaper mural was painted by artist Rusty Arena, who is based in nearby Houston. The mural features moments, buildings and animals from the home owner’s property. The console is by Dennis & Leen, while the painting above is by American artist Agnes Martin. The light sconces are by Porto Ramona and the antique runner is from Black Sheep in Austin.
Shade Degges4/21The chairs are French Louis XV Bergère chairs from Moxie Interiors in Houston. The chess table is by Moooi. The fireplace is original, with an updated stone and mantel, and the wall sconces and lamps are vintage, from Kirby Antiques in Houston. The mirror is an octagonal mother-of-pearl and brass mirror from Moxie Interiors in Houston, while the antique Oushak rug is from Black Sheep in Austin.
Shade Degges5/21The table is a custom butter walnut 80” table from Iastesta Studio, and the chairs are bespoke, inspired by a vintage chair Anne found on a shopping trip to Los Angeles. They are covered in a moss green Brazilian leather by Keleen Leathers. The chandelier is a vintage Murano chandelier from Jean Marc Fray in Houston, and the custom sisal rug is by Marc Phillips. The painting is by Ori Gersht.
Shade Degges6/21The table was one of the last pieces to be sourced. “It was a long hunt for the perfect table,” says Anne, “and had to meet many requirements. We were so happy when we stumbled upon this piece at Legacy Antiques in Dallas. I got goosebumps when I found it because I knew it was the one.” It is a 19th-century English William III carved and bleached wood table.
The seat is a custom banquette Anne designed in collaboration with Moxie Interiors in Houston, upholstered in Holly Hunt gray alpaca velvet. The curtains are embroidered linen, from Elitis. The light is an Art Deco light from Caché Collection in Los Angeles.
Shade Degges7/21The chairs are vintage Cleo Baldon counter stools in deep blue leather. Antique Chicago brick floors we added to to look like they were original to the home, and Anne designed the surfaces herself: the kitchen island is a black soapstone, with a statuary marble for the surrounding countertops and backsplash. The lights are Chelsea pendants by Urban Electric.
Shade Degges8/21The vintage bamboo chairs and the 19th-century oak farm table are from The Renner Project in Austin, the custom leather tufted banquette is from Briley’s, also in Austin. The chandelier is a Crawford chandelier by Porta Romana and the art is by Elizabeth Murray.
Shade Degges9/21The vintage papa bear chair is by Hans J. Wegner covered in Loro Piano cashmere.
Shade Degges10/21The wallpaper and silk Roman shades are by Jardin d’Osier Imprimé Hermes. The light is a vintage brass fern from 1stdibs. The custom sectional sofa is upholstered in fabric by Mark Alexander, while the coffee table is a brutalist coffee table by Lothar Klute. The rug is a Shadow rug by Alexandra Champalimund for The Rug Company. The chest is an 18th-century Flemish commode.
Shade Degges11/21The bed is by The Beautiful Bed Company, in Los Angeles. The chest of drawers is by Bunny Williams, the Cassina Utrecht chairs are covered in Pierre Frey fabric, and the light is by Urban Electric. The rug is a custom wool and alpaca rug by Erden.
“We matched the Pierre Frey curtains to the wallpaper in order the wrap the room in a continuous pattern,” explains Anne. “Keeping the patterns the same actually creates a cohesive affect, rather than introduce another pattern. We had the wallpaper installed first. Our curtain vendor then measured the curtains so the pattern would match up exactly to the wallpaper. It was a process, but quite worth it and necessary in the end.”
Shade Degges12/21The art is Sitting Bull by Andy Warhol, and the Snoopy lamp is by Flos Lighting.
Shade Degges13/21The custom nightstands are by Merve Kahraman from 1stdibs, and the custom bed is by Richard Wrightman. The curtains are by Schumacher. The alpaca on the bed – made of genuine alpaca – is in honour of the clients’ real pet alpaca, Bubbles.
Shade Degges14/21The wallpaper is by Phillip Jeffries, and the bed is bespoke, in Pollack wool fabric. The curtains are a floral pattern by Schumacher, and the antique Louis XVI child’s chair is from the Round Top antiques fair in Texas.
Shade Degges15/21The sofa was originally purchased for the clients’ last home from Jean Marc Fray in Austin. Anne recovered it in a Pierre Frey velvet to bring a fresh take on an older piece.
The side table is a vintage marble Saarinen table by Knoll. The floor lamp is a vintage Audoux Minet rope lamp from 1stdibs; the chandelier is a Tzar glass and steel chandelier by Mark Brazier-Jones from Maison Gerard, New York City.
Shade Degges16/21The art is by Ethan Cook, the drapes are Rose Uniacke and the bespoke canopy bed was designed by Anne and draped in Morris and Co fabric.
Shade Degges17/21“I fell in love with this mirror at the Round Top antiques fair,” says Anne. “The client was not sold, but I made a deal. If you hate, it comes to my house. I had to have it. Needless to say, they loved it in the end as well. It’s so perfect in the space layered with the salmon crackle wallpaper by Gregorius Pineo.” The sink is a Drummonds console sink in Arabescato Corchio marble.
Shade Degges18/21The bespoke bathtub is from Chesney’s. The chandelier is a French Bagues crystal chandelier from Kirby Antiques in Houston, and the curtains are café curtains in floral Schumacher fabric.
Shade Degges19/21The wallpaper is Toile de Derby wallpaper by Flat Vernacular, and the tiles are by Ann Sacks.
Shade Degges20/21The attic of the main house was converted into a playroom for the children. “We had built-in bunk beds made for sleepovers”, says Anne, “draped in Ralph Lauren fabrics.”
Shade Degges21/21The space was also used to homeschool the children during quarantine (the classroom is beyond the open door). The chairs were bought in Dallas, from Scout Design in “doodle” pattern. The globe is a family heirloom.
