A Garden-Rooted River Oaks Residence Designed for Front-Yard Living

The historic River Oaks neighborhood itself, poetically described by Curtis as “set within an Olmsted-inspired landscape design,” is a community of approximately 1,200 homes of varying lot sizes and gently curving streets. “Early marketing materials for the locality described a bucolic image of yards and hedges, with people socializing, walking, and playing in a mature, hierarchical landscape with traditional architecture set within,” adds the architect. “Our design retained and bolstered these social connections with a respectful, first-development-inspired house that would encourage engaging outdoor relationships between the homeowners and their gardens—a return to the bygone trend of living life in the front yard.”

Wickersham’s interior floor plan emphasizes single–room-width spaces with natural light on two to three sides and cross-ventilation, allowing for views and access to the garden from every room. “Our gardens support the house on the interior, just as the interior design leans on the gardens to root a perception of place and to unify colors on the inside with those present on the outside,” says Curtis in his book. “Wolf Holden Design Studio is responsible for this thoughtful palette development throughout the home.”

Meticulously curated by interior designers Ann Wolf and Ashley Holden, each space incorporates a thoughtful layering of color, pattern, antiques, and collections. “As designers, we always pay attention to who our clients are and make their homes reflect the best version of themselves,” says Wolf, who had worked with the clients on their previous home that occupied the property. “During the span of the project, we worked closely with the homeowners, the architects, and the builder on all the material selections, from the fixtures and fittings to the tile and stone, lighting, and paint colors. The collaboration was a pleasure—the architects designed my own home several years prior, so I was familiar with their process.”

The clients culled through detailed memories of family dwellings, including a grandfather’s green library, and applied them to similar rooms in this home. “The wife’s grandfather was integral in creating some of the earliest residential neighborhoods in Houston as well as Rice University,” notes Holden. “She inherited several paintings above the living room fireplace and pieces of furniture, such as the entry table, from her grandparents. The family’s love of classical architecture, and our love of antiques and layered furnishings, created the perfect synergy to move the project forward.”

Adhering to their tried-and-true signature style, the designers sought to make the house feel special by uncovering meaningful objects and composing collections. A Miro print that hangs above the sofa inspired the family room’s color palette. A C. F. A Voysey–inspired Arts & Crafts–style rug anchors the living room while nodding to the gardens visible outside its many windows. “A trip to Turkey generated the velvet ikat slipper chairs and sofa pillows,” says Wolf, “and antique trips to Maine and New Hampshire for Delftware and accessories yielded a magnificent library collection. True Southerners look for inspiration around the world to bring back to their homes.”

Full of dogs, children, and grandchildren, the house exudes comfort without appearing overly formal, each room emitting an unmistakable warmth. “Every morning the wife sits with her coffee and her journal in the blue-and-white sunroom and delights in the intimate, porch-like feeling of the space,” Holden adds.

A joy from start to finish, and the dwelling feels like a historic River Oaks home and looks like it was always there, despite being one of the newer houses on the block. “My favorite aspect of the project is that it sits so quietly within the neighborhood,” says Curtis. “While definitely the most articulate home on the street and one of the few that try to be about architectural dwelling, it does so without offending or calling attention to itself.”