They might not wear 10-gallon hats and cowboy boots, but the Texan design team that built this five-bedroom, 5,000-square-foot retreat on Galveston Bay has plenty of roots in the Lone Star State. “We’re all from Texas,” says Houston-based interior designer Melanie King, who collaborated on the project with architect Bat Oggero and builder Chris Cunningham. “Bat and I went to Texas A&M, and the homeowners are from Houston. We had that instant camaraderie.”
The two-story coastal home offers picturesque views of both the bay and the ocean beyond. And it’s close to the city of Galveston, once a bustling port and a center of commerce that is now enjoying a comeback. King played a key role in selecting the millwork and finishes that elevate the home’s aesthetic. “The décor is nautical and coastal with an industrial edge, much like the history of Galveston,” she says. “The foyer has a beautiful barrel ceiling and white oak floors extending to the great room. There, we did a painted shiplap ceiling with wood beams separating the kitchen, dining, and living areas.” Airy light fixtures also add spatial separation, including a shell chandelier in the living area, double linen-and-chrome lanterns above the dining table, and triple pendants with a nautical-meets-industrial look over the kitchen island.
“Entertaining is very important to the homeowners, whether hosting family, friends, or business associates,” says King. “So we added French doors that open onto 10-foot-wide decks to create an inside-outside flow for large gatherings.” Furnishings were selected with coastal elegance and familial comfort in mind. Traditional yet clean-lined silhouettes are upholstered or slipcovered in linens, wools, cottons, and plenty of Perennial fabrics. King pulled the palette from the waterfront setting: driftwood browns and grays, ocean blues and greens, and occasional punches of saturated color. But her starting point was white. “White is my blank canvas,” says the designer. “I set it down first and then layer elements on top.”
King also has a knack with pattern and enjoys playing with shape and scale. In the great room, curtains in a graphic organic print outlined in silver thread on Belgian linen create a nice counterbalance to a pair of chairs upholstered in a petite herringbone fabric. The designer even mixed things up a bit in the bathrooms by combining penny, marble, porcelain, and travertine tile in differing forms and sizes. “The bunkroom was one of my biggest priorities,” King says of the upstairs space that sleeps up to 12 beneath the widow’s peak. “It has shiplap siding, a window seat, cotton bedding and curtains, and an adjacent shower and laundry room. The parents requested this space to be able to accommodate their children and friends.”
By contrast, the master bedroom is all elegance, with a tufted velvet headboard, a chic mesh chandelier, and sumptuous silk and brocade bedding. In the master bath, a glassed-in shower, freestanding tub, and marble-topped double vanity complete the luxurious retreat. And while it offers a nice respite for the parents at the end of the day, this family spends most of its time enjoying the more public spaces of a home tailor-made to welcome friends and family.
See the rest of this bayside beauty in our July/August 2017 issue available here!
