Designer: Kathy Anderson of Eklektik Interiors
Lead designer Kathy Anderson of Eklektik Interiors believes in thinking outside the box when it comes to home design. This vision was certainly brought to life in this beautiful home in Tomball, just north of Houston, Texas. Together with design assistant Kathy Stinemetz, she created a transitional home with a mix of modern and timeless finishes that make you take a second look.
The homeowners originally contacted Anderson to help replicate the look of another home she designed. Anderson was hesitant to simply duplicate the finishes from another property and opted to start fresh. “Every job we do, we try to do better than the last house we did,” she said. “We always ask what can we improve and how we can give them what they without duplicating.”
The house had already been through a large part of the building process before Eklektik Interiors began the design work. “By the time we stepped in, a lot of the millwork had already been done,” she said. “The floor and the floor plan had been selected, but none of the finishes.”
The homeowners happily handed the project off to the design team, who were able to take the vision and give the clients what they wanted – a combination of new meets old. “The exterior is more of a Tuscan feel, but the inside we wanted to go with something more transitional,” Anderson said. With a style described as “clean lines meets Texas Hill Country,” the design team chose to bring in personality and interest through finishes and wall art, while keeping the design timeless.
To achieve a clean and modern look, the design team simplified the informal eating space by foregoing window trim, allowing the wood stain to stand out. “The Texas Hill Country style is found in the framing,” Stinemetz said. The light fixture features black iron to complement the spiral staircase outside.
While they appear similar, the living room sofas are two different sofas with the same fabric flipped on them. “We chose them for different reasons,” Anderson said. “One faces the television and is deeper so you can get into the sofa and watch television. The other one is narrow, so guests are more comfortable, rather then falling deep into the sofa. This is the best of both worlds.”
The palette in the home was kept organic with more warm grays, charcoals, and browns throughout the house. “A warmer gray is a bit more livable than a cool gray, especially with all the creams in the stone,” Anderson said. The walls are painted Aesthetic White by Sherwin-Williams since the color works well with either a warm or a cool tone.
The paint color also serves as the perfect neutral backdrop that does not detract attention away from pieces such as the wooden molds from Indonesia hung on the stairwell.
The bedroom is a study in mixing finishes. The nightstand features an antique mirror hanging above it, filled with patina. The table by the door has a completely different finish with lacquer, to help the piece add some shine and layer a different texture into the room.
A copper tub was near the top of the homeowners’ wish list. This copper has a living finish that will continue to add patina to the room. While the piece is certainly eye-catching, it may not be the one to add if you dream of long, hot baths as the tub has no insulation and will lose heat quickly.
“In this particular home, the lighting and finishes made a big difference,” Anderson said. “We wanted to make this home clean and current.” The house itself is large in scale with big rooms, which added a challenge to the process as Anderson and Stinemetz balanced an edgy organic vibe in a way that did not overpower or distract from the room. “We were able to see the vision and give it to them,” Anderson said.
