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Houston designer creates a nature-inspired bungalow redo
Craftsman with a TwistStory & Photography by SARAH GANDY
Back in 2006, designer Roberto Cervantes decided to buy his
1920s bun-galow in Eastwood for practical purposes as much as
anything. Thehouse had been renovated in 2005 and all the
electrical and plumbinghad been redone, says Roberto, That meant I
could get an inspectionon it, get a mortgage approved and move
right in. All of these wereessential elements for Roberto who was
looking to move not only hishome, but also his business from of a
rented loft space. Another key char-acteristic of the property:
there was ample space in the backyard forRoberto to build a
separate studio for his multi-faceted design business.
There was nothing wrong with the house, says Roberto. Most
peo-
ple would say it was fine. And yet, for the designer and artist,
bestknown publicly for his restaurant interiors, such as Barnabys,
Tafia,Coppa, and Brasserie 19, the home still needed some
refinements.
Though the ideas for the house would start flowing quickly, any
reno-vations would have to wait. I moved in and decided to
stabilize my busi-ness in the home first, says Roberto. Meanwhile I
designed and builtthe studio behind the house, paying for that as I
went along. Once thatbuilding was complete I was able to move my
business there and beginwork on the house itself. I didnt do any
renovations until 18 monthsafter I moved in.
ABOVE: The Eastwood home artist/designer/architect Roberto
Cervantesexhibits clever creative touches at every turn. The arched
built-in cabinet isoriginal to the kitchen, which is painted a
wasabi-like green. The colorfulobjects on the shelves complement
the striped table, designed by Roberto.
OPPOSITE: The stair landing was added during renovation,
replacing a smalldoorway that opened to steep attic stairs. A new
stairway was also con-structed in order to match the original oak
wood floors throughout and tomake the steep angle less severe. The
painting is by Ryan Gieger.
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Ideas in MotionWhen the time came for the home redo,
Robertocollaborated on the design with Ben Johnston (atthe time the
two had a design business together,but each now owns separate
companiesRobertoowns Archi-Arts and Ben owns Avondale
DesignStudio). One of the most dramatic changes camein the kitchen
area which had been chopped upwith pantry spaces and doorways.
People during that time period tended tobreak up homes into
compartments, saysRoberto. But we decided to open the kitchen tothe
dining room in order to make it a more livablespace for today. To
make sense of the new openfloor plan, Roberto and Ben designed
aCraftsman-inspired partition wall with an archedopening which
helped delineate the kitchen fromthe dining room. We also decided
to paint therooms different colorsgreen for the kitchen andorange
for the dining roomin order to definethe spaces separately.
Another minor floor plan change that createdsignificant visual
impact was the decision to openthe attic stairs to the main living
area. WhenRoberto bought the house a small door closed offthe
stunted set of stairs leading upstairs. The stairlanding didnt
exist and the stairs were extremelysteep, says Roberto. So we got
rid of the door,replaced the stair treads with oak to match the
restof the house, and made the slope of the stairs lesssevere. We
designed a new stair landing to comeout into the space, which also
created a nice focalwall for art or family photos.
RIGHT: In the dining room, a large painting by Houstonartist
Seth Alverson over looks the old zinc-topped din-ing table made by
Noir. Roberto and architect BenJohnston designed a
Craftsman-inspired wall to providea distinct boundary between the
rooms, yet allow thetwo rooms to feel connected. The chairs are
goatskin-backed Tyler Chairs by Oly, while the shell chandelieruses
naturally occurring holes in the shells to stringthem together.
We decided to open thekitchen to the dining roomin order to make
it a more livable space for today.
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Smoother SurfaceAmong other issues were some aesthetic choices
thatprevious owners had made. The walls were all tex-tured; the
ceiling had been troweled, says Roberto.So we smoothed out all of
those surfaces andadded wood trim in order to be more
consistentwith the time period.
Some of the more intricate trim work occurson the living and
dining room ceilings, wherestained wood is applied in a
Craftsman-derivedpattern. Its the look of a coffered ceiling,
onlyflattened, says Roberto. Its an embellishment tothe room that
brings a deep, rich color withoutlots of contrast. Its actually a
modification ofwhat would be typically seen.
When it was time to pick colors for the home,Roberto drew
inspiration from the home itself andits surroundings. A lot of
people are into neutrals,but I wanted something richer. The colors
I used aresaturated, but not unnatural, says Roberto. Theorange is
a terra cotta color and its found in the tileson the front porch.
The green is a compliment tothat orange. The orange you could get
through rust,the green comes from a copper patinatheyre stillcolors
found in nature.
Likewise, Roberto kept a natural, but visuallystimulating
palette when it came to furnishing thehome. Throughout the house
Ive used wood,metal, and hides, says Roberto. These are all
non-synthetic ways of showing color, pattern, tex-ture, and
patina.
RIGHT: The generously sized chaise, covered in fabric byKravet,
sits opposite a matching sofa. The patchworkrug is handmade and
available through Archi-Arts. Thesconces above the fireplace are
antiques from Canada,while the copper pendants are from
RejuvenationLighting and Hardware.
A lot of people are intoneutrals, but I wantedsomething richer.
The colorsI used are saturated, but notunnatural.
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Whether its ceiling trim, goat hide chairs, or light fixtures,
Robertoisnt afraid to twist the inspiration from the past in order
to create his ownunique space. Musing on the two lighting pendants
in the living room,Robert notes, Light fixtures from (the 1920s)
were pretty clunky andactually not very beautiful, so sometimes you
have to take departures inyour decorating. The living room fixtures
are more of a 50s style, andwhen they were shown in chrome in the
catalog they indeed look very50s. But in a copper finish they take
on a completely different lookandsuddenly they work with this
space.
Out the back door, Robertos new 900-square-foot studio also
showsthat different decades of design can live in harmony. The
studio stands incontrast to the brick bungalowits a modern
construction with flecks ofcolor throughout the grey faade. The two
buildings, says Roberto, exem-plify his philosophy: I appreciate
modern design, but I also appreciatepast designsand ultimately
thats where all modern design came from. It all draws inspiration
from the past.
BELOW: Piano is a Helpinstill Roadmaster, which was marketed in
the 1970s as aportable piano that entertainers could easily take on
the road. It was invented byCharles Helpinstill, who still performs
in Houston under the name Ezra Charles.Roberto bought the iconic
piano twelve years ago through and ad in the Greensheet.
ABOVE: Roberto chose a soft grey paint for the office to provide
a visual break fromthe other color-saturated rooms. Custom wood
tables were made by a Houston-basedcraftsman from Texas pecan
trees. The large painting and the comic strip installationart are
both by Roberto Cervantes. The handmade patchwork rug is available
throughArchi-Arts.
OPPOSITE: A painting by artist Ryan Gieger hangs above an
Italian Deco antiquedresser in Robertos peacock-hued bedroom.
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RESOURCESINTERIOR DESIGN:ROBERTO CERVANTES, Archi-Arts,
281.974.2999,www.archi-arts.com
ARCHITECT:BEN JOHNSTON, AvondaleDesign Studio,
713.876.0432,www.avondalestudio.com
GENERAL CONTRACTOR:COMPLETE REMODELINGSERVICES, 713.890.1043
LIGHTING:REJUVENATION LIGHTING AND HARDWARE,
www.rejuvenation.com
KITCHEN COUNTERTOP:Michelangelo Marble sourced fromARIZONA
TILE,713.468.0511
KITCHEN FAUCET:Hudson Faucet by STROM PLUMBING,
www.signofthecrab.com
CUSTOM HEXAGONAL END TABLES:IRON ACCENTS, 713.942.8676
FIREPLACE HEARTH TILE:SYZYGY TILEWORKS, www.syzy-gytile.com
BATH ACCESSORIES:RESTORATION
HARDWARE,www.restorationhardware.com
Color Hardeners Releases Acid StainsPremium Sealers
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