Architect: Oscar E Flores
Builder: Todd Glowka
Materials Used: Malone Plank
Location matters when it comes to real estate – but sense of place, and proximity to family, are priceless.
For this project in Houston, the owner invested in the latter, by setting up home not in the historic, old-money neighborhoods of River Oaks or Southampton – but in the waterfront location of Clear Lake, where he’d built his business from the ground up and raised his family.
The project is much more than just a house; it’s a six-home compound where the entire family lives separately, but together – and at the heart of this micro-community sits a family recreation center designed for shared cookouts, pool time and entertaining.
Designed to belong
The project team included Houston architect Robert Dame, builder Tom Hecox, and the designers at Slovack-Bass. From the outset, their goal was to ensure that the different buildings across the compound would feel like a cohesive estate rather than a collection of distinct homes.
One of the earliest design decisions was to establish a consistent material palette. The buildings were clad in a custom blend of Texas stone, giving the development a refined French country aesthetic while maintaining a strong connection to the local landscape.
In keeping with this vernacular theme, wood also plays a central role in architecture and interior design – with vast, hand-hewn beams defining walls, ceilings and floors throughout the sprawling layout.
The role of wood
Within the recreation center, structural and decorative timber elements help soften the scale of the space while adding character and texture. From vaulted brick ceilings in the expansive living space to the coffered ceiling of the games room and a Tuscan-style pavilion with a beamed roof, reclaimed beams play a central role.
These were supplied by WoodCo and used to create sculptural, Mediterranean-inspired roof trusses that lend a sense of heritage and grandeur to the newly-constructed building.
In other areas of the home, new and reclaimed wood flooring and wall panels are used to enrich the space, adding warmth, texture and rhythm that resonates with the stonework, evoking a Colonial feel throughout while also showcasing genuine Texan materials and craftsmanship.
Space to gather
Spaces like this reflect a growing trend in luxury residential design: creating shared environments that bring families together.
Whether used for entertaining, relaxation or everyday family life, the design balances architectural elegance with materials that feel authentic and lived-in.
For projects like this, natural wood continues to play an essential role - connecting modern construction with the timeless character that only real timber can provide.
If you’ve got a project coming up and you’d like to discuss how wood fits into your architectural vision, we’d love to talk it through – why not book a no obligation consultation?