A well-known baroque estate in Houston’s River Oaks neighborhood urgently needed an update when the clients — a young family — approached Nadia Palacios Residential Design. An award-winning architect, owner Nadia Palacios Lauterbach understood that the limestone facade was an essential component of the design, so she worked to respect the integrity of the exterior structure. She and her studio stripped the home down to its studs to complete the major renovation, adding steel reinforcements, a copper roof, new plumbing, and electrical and HVAC systems.
Collaborating with Courtney Hill on the interiors, Palacios recreated the classical space for the contemporary era: luxurious marble surfaces and ample architectural detailing are classically high end, while the layout was revised to incorporate practical considerations, including a new mudroom, as well as the construction of a large master bath and dressing suite on the second floor. Here, we explore the architecture of the inspired, historic home.
Built in 1965, the exterior of the home was modeled after the Baroque pavilions outside Paris, like the Grand Trianon, King Louis XIV's Versailles retreat that was intended to house the king and his mistress. Because the garage of the original property had been impractically positioned and was seldom used, it was remodeled to serve as a morning room and mudroom on the first floor, and a master bath and dressing area on the second floor.
Photo by Tria Giovan
