The goal of this project was to design a residence on a narrow urban lot in University Park, Texas, for a couple who travels extensively in the Cotswold countryside of England and collects English antiques. At the same time, the home needed to provide light, openness, convenience, and other amenities of modern design.
The residential architect’s solution: use authentic English details and architectural antiques, for example, antique leaded glass set directly into cut limestone, slate roof with capped parapet walls, English bond brick patterned garden wall, antique English chimney pots, antique mantels and paneling dating from the 1600’s, and English cottage proportions; provide side courtyards with large windows; place main living areas on first floor with guest rooms and baths on second level. The resulting home has the ambiance of period English cottages: intimate parlors, a strong contrast between courtyard light streaming into darkly rich interiors similar to the chiaroscuro technique of 18th and 19th century European paintings, open hearth-cooking fireplaces, and abundant English details on windows, doors, and walls.
