Contemporary Farmhouse- Glen Arbor

While the project in Montrose is still in progress, I wanted to check in briefly to introduce another project I’ve been working on for the past few months. It is 5800 square foot, five bedroom and 4.5 bath custom home here in Houston. The homeowners are going for a contemporary farmhouse style and it is going to be stunning. The home is being built in a flood zone, so in order to meet code it had to be built 6’ above ground on concrete blocks, which makes the scale of this two story home really impressive.

Love that wall of windows on the left + double steel front door.
Ignore the temporary garage door. 

We are already to the sheetrock phase so I’ve had several site appointments with the homeowner and builder. Our first walk-through was to discuss the framing and electrical placement, such as overhead lights, wall sconces, hanging fixtures, switch placement, etc. One issue that was caught was the placement of three small windows in the master. They were along the wall where the bed would be positioned and after checking the height, we realized they we would be partially, if not completely, covered by the headboard. Since this room has plenty of natural light coming from a large bank of windows on the adjoining wall, we decided to remove these and frame over them for a solid wall for the bed.

Homeowner, myself + Project Manager to discussing plans
while still in the framing stage.

Windows in the master that we decided to remove and close up.

Still plenty of natural light in the master.

During the second and most recent site visit we went over all the interior millwork. We went through the plans, room by room, making changes to the cabinetry as needed. While the kitchen stayed relatively the same to the architect drawings, we eliminated a few upper cabinets on either side of the sink and replaced them with open shelving instead. These will be 3” thick shelves with a rustic, natural wood finish. We’ll be accenting the range hood with a piece of natural wood as well. This, along with a few glass front cabinets, will nicely break up the white cabinets and walls.

Homeowner, Carpenter + Builder checking the plans

Range hood will have a similar wood accent,
but in a lighter color. 

Moving into the main living room, it was initially planned to keep this space more formal (i.e. no TV), but the homeowners decided it would be nice to have the option as long as the TV could be concealed. After discussing a few options with the builder and the carpenter, we came up with the idea of adding an automatic lift kit inside one of the built-in cabinets that would allow the TV to be raised up for normal, daily living and back down when they don’t want the “black box” to show.

Standing in kitchen, looking towards dining + living room

Fireplace will be stucco with shelves + cabinets on either side

My client and I were on the same page for wanting to make the bathroom vanities appear to be free-standing pieces of furniture versus a solid built-in vanity. Not only does this look more custom, it also adds a lighter quality to the space. We plan to paint the vanities in the kids’ bathrooms, but the master will likely be a white oak, which play nicely with the planked walls and dark floor we have planned. I can’t wait to share all the tile and lighting for this home--- it’s so good!

With that, I’m signing off for the rest of the week. I'm heading to Kansas City to cheer on my alma mater, the Iowa State Cyclones, at the Big 12 Tournament. Here’s hoping we aren’t leaving this beautiful Houston weather for nothing! Next week I’ll be back to share more of the design details for this contemporary farmhouse!