{"id":333632,"date":"2026-06-12T13:45:45","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T13:45:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/333632\/"},"modified":"2026-06-12T13:45:45","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T13:45:45","slug":"this-midcentury-modern-houston-house-is-not-a-check-the-boxes-rich-persons-house","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/333632\/","title":{"rendered":"This Midcentury Modern Houston House Is Not a “Check-the-Boxes Rich Person\u2019s House”"},"content":{"rendered":"

“Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links.”<\/p>\n

Above: In the living room of a 1940s house in Houston, designer Markham Roberts installed a 19th-century French chandelier above custom sofas, Milo Baughman lounge chairs, a Louis XVI berg\u00e8re, and a Karl Springer cocktail table. An antique Baule mask is over the fireplace. Artworks by Anthony Prud\u2019homme (landscape) and Ethan Cook; carpet designed by Roberts.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always think it\u2019s interesting when a classicist does something modern,\u201d says Elle Decor A-List designer Markham Roberts. He\u2019s describing a midcentury Houston house by architect John F. Staub that he recently renovated, but he could easily be referring to himself.<\/p>\n

The homeowner, a longtime client, moved from New York City to Houston with her husband and preteen daughters during the pandemic. She had grown up there, in one of the many traditionally styled homes Staub designed in the River Oaks neighborhood (Ima Hogg\u2019s Bayou Bend being the most famous), and a friend encouraged her to look at a late-\u201940s Staub house that was for sale. The two-story brick residence, atypically modern for a Staub design, has an unassuming street presence that appealed to Roberts\u2019s client, who was captivated by the graceful walled garden in back.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe house only reveals itself up close and after you get inside,\u201d Roberts says. \u201cMost people who visit are like, \u2018Wow, this doesn\u2019t look like anybody else\u2019s house here.\u2019 My client enjoys that. And so do I.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Eclectic<\/p>\n

In the bar, a Tyler Shields photograph pairs playfully with a custom Napoleon III\u2013style sofa in Scalamandr\u00e9 fabrics. Lamps by Pamela Sunday; Japanese burl root table, circa 1890, from James Sansum; rug by Beauvais Carpets.Chris Mottalini<\/p>\n

The project wasn\u2019t an obvious fit for Roberts, who is known foremost as a traditionalist, one who is decidedly unafraid of bold chromatic schemes and unconventional pattern pairings. The Indianapolis native learned his craft in the office of designer Mark Hampton, one of the late 20th century\u2019s most celebrated mavens of classically attuned interiors. Working at Hampton\u2019s side for six years before starting his own firm in 1997, Roberts absorbed numerous lessons, including embracing unexpected choices with confidence. While rooted in the past, Roberts\u2019s rooms never veer into the stodgy or precious\u2014or, worse, showroom-like.<\/p>\n

Notably, when the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art honored Roberts with the Arthur Ross Award for Interior Design in 2024, the jury\u2014which included Hampton\u2019s daughter, designer Alexa Hampton\u2014cited his timeless American style while also noting his \u201ccreativity and his ability to work in a wide variety of styles.\u201d<\/p>\n

For this project Roberts channeled his fascination with another storied River Oaks residence from the same era, the house that Philip Johnson created for Dominique and John de Menil. The legendary art patrons consulted with fashion designer Charles James to craft an interior that married contemporary art with antique furniture, African and Oceanic sculpture, and medieval treasures. \u201cIt was not what you\u2019d expect in a midcentury house,\u201d Roberts says.<\/p>\n

Powder Room Vestibule\"Photo<\/p>\n

Photo credit: Chris Mottalini<\/p>\n

Roberts designed the Napoleon III-style settee, covered in Kravet cotton velvet. The pillow is in Dedar\u2019s Scarabeo Blue de Prusse. The sconces are by Chameleon Lighting; the rug is custom by Beauvais Carpets, as is the pedestal, with a glass top from Studio Greytak. The art is a portrait of the client\u2019s grandmother.<\/p>\n

Breakfast Room\"Photo<\/p>\n

Photo credit: Chris Mottalini<\/p>\n

The breakfast room\u2019s banquette and cabinets are custom, the paper lantern is by Muleh, the curtains are a Schumacher fabric, and the rug is by Tibetano.<\/p>\n

Kitchen\"Photo<\/p>\n

Photo credit: Chris Mottalini<\/p>\n

Roberts designed the kitchen\u2019s chandelier and island; the Iskos-Berlin stools are from Design Within Reach. Painting by Kristof Santy.<\/p>\n

Dining Room\"Photo<\/p>\n

Photo credit: Chris Mottalini<\/p>\n

Wrapped in a Rebel Walls scenic paper, the dining room features a ceiling mural by Chuck Fischer. Roberts designed the table and chairs as well as the consoles topped by antique Mughal lamps.<\/p>\n

Bar\"Photo<\/p>\n

Photo credit: Chris Mottalini<\/p>\n

A witty and whimsical mix of objects and art decorates the original bar.<\/p>\n

Staircase\"Photo<\/p>\n

Photo credit: Chris Mottalini<\/p>\n

An Italian Deco pendant light and a Pierre Knop painting overlook the staircase, which retains its 1940s balustrade.<\/p>\n

Porch\"Photo<\/p>\n

Photo credit: Chris Mottalini<\/p>\n

On the covered porch, Soane Britain rattan seating cushioned in a Perennials fabric join 19th-century French garden stools around a midcentury wrought iron cocktail table.<\/p>\n

Gardens\"Photo<\/p>\n

Photo credit: Chris Mottalini<\/p>\n

An owl sculpture by Gail Dooley stands near a gate to the gardens.<\/p>\n

Adopting a similar mindset, the designer interspersed furniture and art from his clients\u2019 New York apartment\u2014which he had decorated years earlier\u2014with bespoke pieces and vintage finds. In the texture-rich living room, custom sofas clad in jewel-tone velvets are joined by an elegant Karl Springer parchment cocktail table, a Louis XVI berg\u00e8re, Milo Baughman velvet lounge chairs, and a quirky wool-wrapped floor lamp that rises sculpture-like in one corner. A 19th–century French chandelier peacocks above it all, suspended from the lustrous blue-gray lacquered ceiling.<\/p>\n

By Roberts\u2019s standards, the room\u2019s colors and patterns are fairly muted, deferring to the artworks, which range from an eye-catching Baule ceremonial mask over the fireplace to a swampy, bayouesque landscape by Roberts favorite Anthony Prud\u2019homme. There are also works by Alexander Calder and Alex Katz that had been inherited from the client\u2019s grandmother. \u201cHer grandmother was a Texas oil heiress and a great philanthropist who owned Rothkos and Redons and Bertoias,\u201d Roberts says. \u201cShe took [her granddaughter] to Katz\u2019s studio when she was a little girl, and he asked if he could paint her.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another Roberts hallmark is deftly tailoring spaces to a homeowner\u2019s priorities and passions. In the living room he installed an antique filing cabinet in which the client can store supplies for her needlework. (\u201cShe stays up till three in the morning doing it,\u201d he says.) He also designed multiple games tables where the couple can play mah-jongg and backgammon; the one in the paneled bar is wrapped in a rich lilac shagreen, complementing the room\u2019s palette of blues and purples and its cheekily louche vibe. \u201cThey entertain a lot, and people in Texas drink, so the bar is happily used,\u201d Roberts says. \u201cWe put all sorts of funny stuff on the walls and the bar, like New Yorker cartoons and strange art with references to nightlife, drunkenness, and rabbit holes\u2014even a rabbit ear disco ball. Things that make her happy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rabbits\u2014and animals in general\u2014are an unexpected theme that runs throughout. Take the dining room, which Roberts wrapped in a whimsical woodland scenic wallpaper populated with bunnies and birds and ermines. He was delighted to discover the pattern was named Rabbit Hole.<\/p>\n

\"Cozy<\/p>\n

In a corner of the living room, a custom mah-jongg table sits among a collection of artworks, including a portrait by Alex Katz and a mobile by Julia Condon.Chris Mottalini<\/p>\n

The clients have a pet bunny, which is house-trained and can often be found roaming free. The household also includes two dogs, two turtles, and four chickens that are kept out back in the lush gardens, which the client planned with designer Leslie Cooper of Cosmos Garden Design. Turns out raising chickens is a subject Roberts knows well, as he and his partner, art and antiques dealer James Sansum, have 20 at their 19th-century country house in New York\u2019s Hudson Valley.<\/p>\n

The overall effect Roberts achieved here is sophisticated and luxurious, but also laid-back, charmingly idiosyncratic, and personal. \u201cThey didn\u2019t want some ridiculous, check-the-boxes rich person\u2019s house,\u201d says Roberts. He adds, with understated satisfaction, \u201cIt looks different from other things I\u2019ve done. I like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tear Sheet Download Gusto Turkish Tulip ChestLoewe Watering Can BagElizabeth Sofa by Barrie Benson for Highland HouseBoheme Autumn Rug by Ward and GrayAbask Fioravola Tulips Majolica Ceramic Lidded Serving DishPerl\u00e9e Perl\u00e9e Toi & Moi Secret WatchLindsey Adelman Branching Disc ChandelierCorston Malvern SconceRule of Three Studio Stone Plume WallpaperHibiscus Chair by Jamie Young Co.Marina Large Crab1900s Moroccan BenchKravet Panel Designs WallcoveringTable Lamp by Carlos OteroTigre Pillow<\/p>\n

This story originally appeared in the Summer 2026 issue of Elle Decor. SUBSCRIBE<\/a><\/p>\n

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