THE WALL STREET JOURNAL. Friday, April 3, 2020 |M3
MANSION
I
t was the second marriage for
the newly engaged couple—in
their 40s and 50s—but their
first home together. Their resi-
dence of choice: a five-bedroom,
eight-and-a-half-bath Italian Renais-
sance-inspired mansion in the River
Oaks neighborhood of Houston.
The property sat vacant on the mar-
ket for five years and, in its former
state, featured beige-tinged rooms with
thick Victorian moldings. To modernize
the interiors and create better flow be-
tween the living spaces, it would need
a complete overhaul. They enlisted
Houston designer Dennis Brackeen
with one major caveat: The job had to
be finished in 15 months, so they could
move in the week of Christmas the fol-
lowing year.
Of his first visit, Mr. Brackeen, who
co-owns Moxie Interiors and has de-
signed homes for professional athletes
and musicians, was speechless. “Let’s
just say that the address and the
home’s exterior was the most impres-
sive of the experience. I literally
walked through the house with my
hand over my mouth,” he said.
What ensued was a 10,000-square-
foot gut renovation where every sur-
face was transformed with mirror-like
lacquered walls, custom hand-crafted
wallpapers, marble and onyx slab floors
and imported crystal quartz counter-
tops. Structural changes were also nec-
essary to update the space. In the en-
tryway, a 1950s elevator was removed,
redirecting the traffic pattern upstairs.
In the end, the 15-month deadline
was met and the new owners moved
in, taking only their clothing, he said.
Here are some design elements, and
prices where available.BYCHRISTINAPOLETTOANNOTATED ROOM
Bringing a New Era
To an Italianate Estate
A meticulously modern redesign revives a dated Houston homestead
LIVING ROOM
The reflective black
walls [1] serve as a
visual anchor for
the furnishings and
art, which includes
an original Andy
Warhol [2].
Five coats of
Factory Black
Hollandlac Brilliant
paint from Fine
Paints of Europe
created the walls’
bold, lacquer-like
effect.
The 1970s Georges
Mathias brass
cocktail table [3]
was from Jon
VaccariinNew
Orleans.
‘The husband was
definitely reluctant
of the color at
first,’ said Mr.
Brackeen. ‘Once he
saw the finished
product he
understood.’
Price for the paint,
$155 per 2.5 liters.1
2
3
$2-3
MILLION
Renovation costs, not
including furnitureFOYERThe 1940s brass and antique mirrored center table [4]
was acquired from the estate of cosmetics industry icon Helena
Rubenstein through Caché in Los Angeles. The custom-made
water-jet cut white and Nero Marquina marble slabs [5] created
a visual walkway on what was once a wood floor. The cast stone
molding around the doorway [6] came with the house. Price for
the floor, $100,000.4
5
6
OFFICEGrasscloth wallpaper in ‘Denim’ by Phillip Jeffries [7]
lines the walls. Overhead, copper tiles by Maya Romanoff [8]
cover the space above the ‘Mace’ Chandelier by Jane Hallworth
[9], which is from Blackman Cruz in Los Angeles. On the
windows are custom drapes in Donghia ‘Hanoi, Ben Hai Blue’
fabric [10]. The 1970s Cityscape desk by Paul Evans [11] was
purchased from Tishu in Hudson, N.Y. Price for the wallpaper,
$78 per yard; copper tiles, $60 each; Donghia drapery fabric,
$200 per yard.7
9 8
10
11
LIVING
ROOM
The snow
white
taxidermied
peacock [12]
—a present
from the
husband,
who works
in energy, to
his wife—
sits between
a pair of
French
Napoleon III
Bergere
chairs circa
1865 [13].12
13
FROM TOP: DENNIS BRACKEEN; PÄR BENGTSSON (6)
KITCHENUnderneath an organic wood and ceramic art installation by Dallas artist Lucrecia Waggoner [14]
is a custom-made leather button-tufted banquette, created by Moxie Interiors in Houston. It seats eight
comfortably. The floor was laser cut using white Thassos and Nero Marquina marble interlaced with
Cappucino onyx slabs [15]. The trestle table, dating to the early 20th century, was topped with a custom-
made marble slab outfitted by Aria Stone in Dallas [16]. Off the kitchen, a first-floor bedroom was
transformed into a 2,000-bottle wine room [17] that is clad in solid marine-grade brass. It was designed by
Mr. Brackeen and his team and took over 3,000-man hours to finish. Price for the banquette, $15,00014
15
16
17
18
19
20
GUEST
BEDROOM‘The
wall color just makes
me smile!’ said Mr.
Brackeen of the
adventurous green
[18] from Fine Paints
of Europe, adding that
‘it took about three
formulas to get the
exact intensity of
color.’ An 18th-century
starburst mirror [19]
from Nick Brock
Antiques in Dallas
hangs on the wall
behind the vintage
bronze and mirrored
poster bed [20] ,from
Greenwich Living &
Antiques in Stamford,
Conn. Price for the
mirror, $2,200