Modern Bungalow

house&home | Apr i l 2013 | house and home on l ine . com2

Modern BungalowA new home suits a young family in the Historic Heights

Holly and Josh, a young Heights couple, had had many conversations about homedesign with their neighbor, Bob Robinowitz, who co-owns the architecture firmMcIntyre+Robinowitz with partner Mike McIntyre. When Holly and Josh found anappealing lot in the Heights, they immediately consulted their friends atMcIntyre+Robinowitz, to design the ideal home for their family.

BY SANDRA COOK • PHOTOGRAPHY BY BEN HILL


The large screened porch was situated to cap-ture the cooling southeast breeze and featuresa gas grill and fireplace as focal points. Holly,Josh and their boys utilize the porch dailythroughout the year and regularly dine al fres-co for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The hang-ing sculpture is by Houston artist LeeLittlefield. The fireplace is by Isokern and sur-rounded by Featherlite concrete block.

With the architects onboard, the nextstep was to find a builder. Holly beganhaving discussions with her father, anengineer, about the design of the homeand the faith that she had in the archi-tects. Her dad was intrigued and had lotsof questions for the architects, so BobRobinowitz and Mike McIntyre invitedHolly’s dad to come in for a meeting todiscuss various mechanical aspects of theproject. When he proposed the idea ofMcIntyre+Robinowitz serving as thebuilder, all parties unanimously agreed.Mike McIntyre had recently built his ownhouse and the firm had been looking foran opportunity to take on the generalcontractor role.

McIntyre points out a key decision onthe construction was to go with a com-pletely sealed home, which includes sprayfoam insulation throughout.

“At 3,600 square feet, the two-storyhouse needs just a 4.5-ton air condition-ing unit,” says McIntyre. “We also builtthe home up off the ground at a similarheight as a typical Heights pier-and-beamhouse, but it sits on a slab with 18-inchpony wall with built-in access to wiringand plumbing for access as needed.”

Holly’s background in art and print-making fueled her collaboration with thearchitects, whom she already knew quitewell. Right away, Holly insisted on havinga big screen porch, lots of natural lightand open spaces for family togetherness,especially in the kitchen, dining, livingareas. She asked that the bedrooms notdominate the home’s square footage.

“I didn’t want big bedrooms whereeveryone went off to be all the time,” shesays. “I wanted big family spaces, wherewe could all spend lots of our time.”

Josh, a school administrator and coun-selor, was quite confident and supportiveof Holly’s design instincts, especially afterwitnessing the design conversations withtheir architect friends Bob and Mike on

“They don’t just see outdoorsthrough the windows, butthey can be outdoors on thescreen porch daily.” —Bob Robinowitz


Turquoise is one of Holly’s favorite colors, so shechose a soft aqua blue for the kitchen cabinetsand a bolder version for the barstools from BendSeating. Bob Robinowitz designed the island tomimic an old Hermann Miller piece with painteddrawers on front and natural wood on side. GreyCeasarstone tops the counters, while the floorsare 150-year-old oak reclaimed from old barns.The light fixture over the dinging table was creat-ed by the homeowner and her father.

several occasions. Josh simply asked for adouble showerhead in the master bath andhis own man cave.

“First on the wishlist was the screenporch,” says Holly. “In our old house wehad this one back room where we were allthe time. I just wanted a nice big spacefor the family to spend time and feel con-nected.”

“Holly told us she didn’t want thehouse to be a big box at the front of thelot,” says Bob Robinowitz. “The lot islocated in a historic district, so it was agiven that we needed to adhere to his-toric guidelines. Essentially, Hollydescribed the idea of the house as aModern Bungalow—they wanted some-thing compatible with the neighborhood,but also pushing toward a more modernvocabulary.”

Holly’s visual sense clicked immediate-ly with McIntyre and Robinowitz, andthe trio maintained a good groovethroughout the design process. Theyfound it easy to exchange ideas. BobRobinowitz describes the design processas “highly collaborative.”

From time to time the group wouldmeet to show Josh the progress on theplans. Each time he looked at the plans,he confirmed that all of the couples’ prior-ities were still included. And each timeJosh reports he said, “looks good to me.”

“He honored the fact that I loved theart and design part of it,” says Holly. “Hehad complete trust in us.”

“He was very supportive every time weconsulted him,” says Robinowitz aboutJosh.

EXTERIOR MOTIVES

“We looked at what she didn’t want: atwo-story box with detached garage andmaybe a rear porch and L-shaded yard inback,” says Robinowitz. “Then we looked

“I didn’t want bigbedrooms whereeveryone went off tobe all the time. Iwanted big familyspaces, where we all spend lots of our time.” —Holly, homeowner


RRIIGGHHTT:: Josh’s study is painted Exciting Coral (Sherwin Williams),which gives a lively stage for several of Holly’s artworks, as wellas pieces found in Austin. The study doubles as a guestroomwhen needed.

“The aesthetic of our work is about refinement of thought, sothere’s a tightness to what we do that elevates the quality andI think people sense that when they walk in.”

AABBOOVVEE:: The linear social zone allows ample space for family time. McIntye+Robinowitzdesigned the offset bay (painted purple) and the exposed-rafter portion of the ceiling to cre-ate a horizontal contrast to the elongated space. The elephant painting is by local artist MattMessigner; deer head by Rachel Denney.

—Bob Robinowitz


at houses with a more slender presence on thestreet and instead of a rear yard, we postionedthe yard more on the side and the front. Thismakes for a great spatial plan and is a little moreof a pubic experience with the neighborhood.”Robinowitz also notes that the longer, east-westaxis orientation of the lot is ideal for passive solardesign, which allows for sun control and mini-mizing afternoon heat gain. The orientation onthe lot also allows for making the most of theprevailing breeze from the southeast.

With the screen porch designed as an integralroom, rather than an afterthought, the homeoffers a dual indoor-outdoor living experience.

“They don’t just see outdoors through thewindows, but they can be outdoors on the screenporch daily.

“We use the porch everyday,” says Holly. “Thekids usually go out to the porch right afterbreakfast.”

The generous porch, equipped with a fire-place, grill, ample seating and play space servesmany purposes for the family.

GROWING FAMILY

Holly and Josh had one child at the beginningof the planning phase, but after the plans wereunderway, they learned that their adoptionwent through for their second child and aroundthe same time they were pregnant with theirthird child. So they started the process with onechild but moved into the new home with threeboys.

“We always knew we wanted at least threekids,” says Josh. “But it happened prettyquickly.”

“At that point, the biggest driver of our con-struction schedule was Holly’s baby,” says MikeMcIntyre. “So we organized choices early tostay ahead of Holly and the baby. We gave hera list of things that that had to be selectedbefore she neared her due date—and she did agreat job. She was able to make quick and won-derful decisions.”

Holly appreciated Mike’s recent experiencewith building his own home, and explains thathepled her step back and think about whichdecisions would matter in five years. This kepther from getting bogged down in the details and

LLEEFFTT:: Robinowitz envisioned and installed the semi-open ceiling in the powder room to allow naturallight from above yet provide the necessary privacy.The sink/vanity was a collaborative effort betweenHolly, her father and the architects. RRIIGGHHTT:: The wall colors in the master bedroom areSherwin Williams “Rainwater” and “Urbane Bronze.”Holly found the antique sofa at a Heights antiquesstore and had it recovered in her favorite hue.


RESOURCESArchitects & Builder: McIntyre+Robinowitz, 713.520.9336,www.mcintyrerobinowitz.com

Shower glass and mirrors: Bobbitt Glass, 713.523.7369

Interior and Exterior Doors: BMC, 281.440.9090

Windows: Eagle Windows of Austin, 512.454.0559

Concrete Block: Featherlite, 512.255.2573

Spray foam insulation: Garland Insulating, 713.896.4608

Fireplace: Isokern, 800.642.2920

Tile: La Nova, 713.796.9050

Lighting: M&M Lighting, 713.667.7541

Hardware: Lighting Inc. Hardware, 713.599.1536

Kitchen Counters: Ceasarstone, Venetian Blind CarpetOne Floor & Home, 713.489.5032

Reclaimed Oak Floors and Treads: The Woodshop ofTexas, 888.950.9663

Plumbing Fixtures: Morrison Supply, 713.861.2343

Appliances: K&N Sales, 713.868.3611

Holly and Josh were already fond of the historical character of the of area, so McIntyre+Robinowitzworked with the couple to design a home that is not a dominating presence from the street , but rathera harmonious structure that complements the family and the surrounding neighborhood. The mainentry is on the side, while the yard and garden wrap from front to side for a continuous outdoor areanear the large screen porch.

to see what was really worth the time to ponder andwhat could be handled quickly.

“When aesthetic things came up, Holly would say let’sgo for what looks good, because behavior can adapt,”says Robinowitz. “She would always be supportive of theroute that led to good design, and we appreciated that.”

“We’d ask her opinion and if she had a strong opinionshe gave it to us, and if not, she’d say ‘I’ll let you guysdecide,’” added McIntyre.

And from time to time, Josh would say “looks goodto me.”

THOUGHTFUL DESIGN

“The aesthetic of our work is about refinement ofthought, so there’s a tightness to what we do that ele-vates the quality and I think people sense that when theywalk in,” says Robinowitz.

“Yes, they do,” Holly agrees. “We are very conscious of what’s appropriate for

Houston,” says McIntyre. “Sometimes you see housesgoing up that don’t seem like they should be in this cli-mate. You wonder if they even thought about things likerainfall, drainage and sun exposure.”

The front of Holly and Josh’s house is a bit more tra-ditional, but the back of house evolves into a more mod-ern feel.

“The higher windows towards the back introducemodern vocabulary into the architecture,” saysRobinowitz.

Holly says they wanted something a different fromthe majority of new construction in the Heights. “I real-ly appreciate the combined aesthetic and how it reallyreflects us, not solely the architects. “

AABBOOVVEE:: New pine floors add to the light and airy feel of the second floor. Holly’sstudio space doubles as a play zone for the boys. The tall work table is a Sears saw-horse fitted with a sturdy top.

BBEELLOOWW:: The two younger boys share a sunny room with eastern exposure.Cushions mounted on the walls serve as bumpers for the hanging bubbleswing.

Modern Bungalow

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