Houston’s Most Beautiful Homes of 2023: the best in design

Our 2023 Most Beautiful Homes list includes 23 rooms from some of the city’s finest houses, designed by top architects and interior designers. There are historic houses that demonstrate the importance of Houston’s architectural history, new builds and big remodeling projects that show how our homes are adapting to our ever-evolving lifestyles.

Houstonians can be a little too quick to demolish older homes and buildings. In the case of the River Oaks home of Jacky Fischer and John Ofield, their decision to restore and save a 1970s-era modern home designed by architect Charles Tapley was brilliant. They made necessary repairs to strengthen the structure and make it more energy efficient, then set about making it the perfect place for Fischer’s collection of iconic midcentury modern furnishings. It’s a beautiful job by designer Laura Umansky’s team at the Laura U Design Collective.

The work of Houston interior designer Marie Flanigan has intrigued local residents since she opened her own firm, Marie Flanigan Interiors. This photo shows the kitchen in her own home in the Heights, where she and her husband, Joe, cook dinner for their three children. I love the simplicity in the design, simple beams on the ceiling, blonde wood cabinets, marble counters and beautiful brass-and-glass pendants.

From the outside, the former Big Three Industries commercial building west of the Heights looks like the unlikeliest place to turn office space into a home. But that’s just what Ray and Diane Krueger did in this structure designed in 1974 by one of the city’s most notable midcentury architects, Karl Kamrath. With help from architect Kyle B. Humphries of Murphy Mears Architects and interior designer Mary Lambrakos, the fourth floor of this vacant, concrete-heavy space became a warm and inviting home with plenty of gallery space for the couple’s growing art collection. It’s 7,400 square feet, and each time you turn a corner you’ll discovery another gallery or living space.

Chris Wood and Debbie Yee had thought their home was perfect, but when they had kids, they realized that the house was set up for single adults, not for children with toys. So they built a home in Montrose with On Point Custom Homes and interior designer Paloma Contreras. On Point managed to use every inch of the lot for house or outdoor living space, while Contreras bathed the interiors in relaxed elegance and the occasional pop of color and whimsy. Behind the double doors at the back of this living room, there’s a vibrant play room that someday could also serve as a home office or be outfitted for something else. For now, the couple’s daughters and their cousins have claimed ownership.

Bruce and Suzanne Winfrey have family in France, so frequent visits there made them dream that someday they’d have their  own French country style home in Houston. Bruce, of Winfrey Design Build, finally made time for it, hiring an architect in France (David Price Design with local assistance from David Cox of Design DCA) to conceive the plan. Shopping trips brought several containers of materials, furnishings and accessories to make the River Oaks home as authentic as possible, inside and out. 

Melissa and Jon Byers and their four sons had eight years to decide exactly how they wanted to remodel their West University Place home. They leaned on architect Matthew Mitchell, contractor Madera Fine homes and designer Stacy Andell of Luxe Living Interiors to streamline the interior and create a whole new, more functional kitchen, a much improved backyard and fresh new looks for all of the bathrooms.

Alejandra Rincon dreamed of living in a very modern home in Memorial, so when she and her husband drove past a place that was for sale, they looked at the lot’s potential. They lived in it for a while, then launched construction when they had a plan with home designer Kevin Young, interior designer Jana Erwin of Nest Design Group and builder Prebisch Homes. It’s filled with a highly functional kitchen, pantry and bar for all of the entertaining they do, plus wall space for the couple’s collection of Venezuelan art and beautiful modern furnishings. 

When architect Virginia W. Kelsey stumbled onto a bungalow on the market, she fell in love with charming Norhill, a historic neighborhood that still mostly exists as it did 100 years ago. The 1,512-square-foot home had been well cared for, but Kelsey, a minimalist, wanted to scale it back, simplifying the kitchen and updating the home’s two bathrooms. A trailblazer in her field, she graduated second in her class at the University of Texas School of Architecture in 1983, as women were just starting to become architects. The home still has its longleaf pine floors though with a soft white oak stain. Her antiques, some inherited from family members, are part of an eclectic mix, finished with help from her interior designer friend, Lucia Benton.

Veronica and Charlie Vatterott bought their Yorkshire home in 2010 knowing someday they’d remodel the things they really didn’t like about it. Several years went by and the home was unchanged, but when the couple’s eldest daughter, Regina, suffered a brain hemorrhage and needed to return home to recover, Veronica sprang into action. She believed the house was too dark and dreary and it wasn’t a place that would encourage recovery. With help from interior designer Cassandra Brand Interiors, walls came down and the kitchen became a place where Veronica and her daughter could cook together. A new nook is a perfect place for a cup of coffee in the morning and even the family room is more inviting. Regina has her own suite upstairs, and the Vatterotts have a dramatically improved primary suite.

Moving from a 6,000-square-foot home to a 10,000-square-foot one was not what Laura Davis had in mind for this phase of her life, but when the pandemic hit and a new grandchild arrived, this bigger house was a gift. Her youngest daughter brought her family of five for a visit from Colorado, then the Davis’s son came with his two children. Not wanting to miss out on the fun, their daughter, who lived in Houston, came over with her family, too. They had 13 under one roof, and no one was cramped. Today they can all gather comfortably for holidays. The spacious dining room has a full dinner table plus a comfortable place to sit with coffee in the morning. They got a big assist from designers Kiley Jackson and Aileen Warren of Jackson Warren Interiors. 

When Adam and Amanda Dinitz started looking for a new house, the right school district for their young son was their top priority. But they also found a place that wasn’t too far from their jobs at the Houston Symphony. The family landed in a Craftsman-style home in Woodland Heights and brought in Kristin Schuster of Inflection Architecture with Lucas Craftsmanship as contractor to reconfigure the floor plan to make it more functional and to create a music room for Adam, who is the symphony’s principal English horn player. They got rid of furr downs and streamlined millwork and other architectural details and borrowed some space from the dining room to make the kitchen bigger.

For Jan and Alan Sexton the newest round of work on their Rice Military townhome began with the need for a new sofa. The couple had great taste and embraced color, but when it was time to get new furniture, they didn’t want to get it wrong. Their interior designer Oscar Banta-Guevara of Interiors by Oscar helped them find the right one, then adjusted wallpaper to a new color to be coordinated. It was an easy fix and it led them to ask him for help in the primary bedroom suite, where the too-gray room needed to be brightened with new paint, bedding, pillows, custom-made lampshades and wallpaper for the bathroom. 

Shannon and Mitch Ackal wanted their Heights home to have a more polished, designer look and brought in interior designer Emily C. Butler to freshen it up with new furnishings, paint, wallpaper and lighting — a room or two at a time. As their parents visited more often, they decided it was time for a bigger garage with an apartment above it for guest quarters. That space is as nice as their main home, with designer bedding from Biscuit and chic Italian Bertazzoni appliances in its tidy kitchen. Sarah Hannah of Four Square Design Studio designed the garage/accessory dwelling unit plan and Eddie Romeo of Bayou City Builders handled construction.

Interior designer Missy Stewart’s own home is a work in progress because every time she sees great new things for clients, she thinks of the perfect place to put it in her own home. Recent changes include an accent wall with wallpaper showing a single giant white bloom on a dark background, black matte hardware and finishes, bold new lighting, great art and slabs of Neolith for her kitchen counters and backsplash.

With a dramatic remodeling project planned for their primary home, Penny and Tom Haber looked around for an apartment to rent for the duration of construction. With rents so high, Penny suggested they look for a small condo in a high rise. Tom had always admired Warwick Towers in the Museum District and a one-bedroom unit was available. With help from interior designer Ginger Barber, they brought in antiques from their main home and updated bathroom and reworked the kitchen to be more open.

As a Realtor, Heidi Dugan sees amazing houses and already spent time making the first floor of her home perfect for guests. She recently took the work to the upstairs in her West University Place home to freshen her primary bedroom suite. That included big changes to her bathroom, closet, office and a small gym, with custom furniture and details designed by architect Nadia Palacios Residential Design, interiors by Elizabeth Donnelly Interiors and construction by Stetzer Builders.

Erin and Kevin Karazsia had a “good enough” primary bathroom but they knew it could look better and be more functional. After a neighbor recommended Laurie Coton of Coton House Realty & Design, the couple launched a complete renovation of their bathroom, taking it from an ordinary, 1990s-style space to one that felt like a spa in a European hotel. We especially love the way porcelain tile that looks like wood makes the shower look like a full-fledged sauna.

It was almost like she threw a dart and landed in Houston. Real estate investor Sandi Adams was ready for a new adventure in life and picked the Bayou City as her next address. She bought a 3,400-square-foot penthouse in the Bristol high rise near Galleria and embraced her inner diva. With help from Christine Ho Interiors, she created a dark and sexy primary suite, added drama to a fireplace wall in the living room, created an onyx lightbox around the kitchen island and stretched a custom-made rug with leopards crawling across an emerald green background on the stairs.  

The weekend retreat that Richard and Sandy Lucas created for themselves has inspired both of them to relax more. Richard was already an avid hunter and fisherman and uses the Matagorda County vacation home to visit his favorite fishing spots. Filled with Sandy’s favorite color, green, the home is cozy and comfortable and full of low-maintenance materials. Now Sandy, principal at Lucas Eilers Design Associates, spends more and more time there with Richard, friends and family, and the self-described workaholic is learning to slow down and is even taking art classes again.

Jason and Elena Kirkpatrick loved their midcentury modern home that backed up to Buffalo Bayou in Riverbend, but when Hurricane Harvey caused their home to flood badly, they needed to rebuild. Architects Mark and Ann Schatz of m+a architecture studio created a gorgeous, two-story home elevated enough to essentially create a basement garage beneath it. Inside, they have a dramatic kitchen and a living room with an amazing view. The Schatzes found all kinds of ways to create architectural effects throughout, including an iron rail on the stairs, a wall of limestone tile and a roof that looks like it’s floating above the house.

When Ron Duce moved to Houston and looked for a home for his family, he found one in Champion Forest and called his wife Jessica, back in Colorado. He told her to trust him: anything she didn’t like in the house, she’d know how to fix. Jessica, who owns JDuce Design and co-founded Vacation Rental Designers, redid virtually all of the first floor – including a guest house – to completely reinvent the kitchen, bathrooms and a bar and updated all of the furnishings, all while on a budget. Just as renovations were finishing, the home and its outdoor spaces were the site of their daughter’s picture-perfect wedding.

Renting a home in Galveston during the summer prompted Jacinda and Ledon Green to buy a vacation home there. Part of the time they can rent it out so it pays for itself, and the rest of the time they can use it to enjoy the beach and the laid-back lifestyle of the island. Talena Gulash of Interior Design by Talena, helped fill the home with great tile and a blue-green color palette for a subtle coastal vibe. It was designed by architect Sam Gianukos of Creole Designs and built by Fichera Builders.