Name: Sameera & Ashish
Location: Historic Houston Heights — Houston, Texas
My husband and I have a strong connection to India and have enjoyed seeing unique spaces on our travels — especially in Bali. We tried to recreate such a space in Houston, 3 miles from the City Center in our century old home. We have enjoyed doing it, despite the mosquitos and 100 degree afternoons! (Our two young boys and yellow lab seem unaffected by weather or mosquitos.)
The home is a hundred year old stucco structure based on a Sears home plan. The house is 2,200 square feet plus a basement, but the real beauty is the numerous balconies and porches overlooking what we think of as our Asian oasis in a hot steamy city. We think the house is timeless and it reminded us of the concrete structures in India. The flow of the house conformed with a lot of the principles outlined in the Vastu Shastra, an ancient Indian treatise that prescribes architectural and design elements for a positive result. We have lived here a year, but in this cool neighborhood for almost a decade.
The pictures are of the swinging bed on our back porch that we imported from India. Note the cool brass links which were forged in Rajasthan. We hung mosquito curtains — not particularly effective but they look lovely!
We redid the tin ceilings, added cabinetry and storage space, and removed columns and walls to open up the home. A lot of the artwork and the laquered furnishings are from India and have been in our family.
We have also placed various items found on our journeys throughout the garden: a brass temple bell, elephants figurines from our collection and a large marble Shiva statue. We also love IKEA — the furniture and lanterns on our four porches are mostly from IKEA.
Thanks Sameera & Ashish!
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Beautiful! Lovely to see a bit of India in Texas. I like that patchwork table runner, is it from India? Also like your library...
Its great to see so many Indian homes on AT!
Curious about the region of India you're using as an inspiration. Is the weather there significantly different from Houston? During what seasons have you visited?
I (heart) your library ladder. I need one for a project I'm doing in my Portland condo, but the prices I'm finding are wacky. I'm thinking I can build one from a venerable garage sale wooden ladder, some old rollerblades and chainlink top rail. I'd appreciate it if you'd send me a card when I wind up in the hospital.
This is beautiful! Love how open & colorful it is, and your porch is great. I lived in the Heights a number of years ago and I can just imagine sitting on your porch relaxing on a summer day.
I'm drooling over that amazing library (plus ladder!). Pure heaven. The rest of the house is lovely too, but I can't stop going back to the library picture. I just wish there were some pictures of the outside as well-- I'd love to see the other porches.
Is that a window I see under your kitchen cabinets?
I love that swinging bed on the porch, oh my! I'm sure if the mosquito curtains are cloth pinned together and then sprayed with bug repellent and put one of those clip-on anti-mosquito fan next to the bed it would be heavenly bug free.
Wow, so beautiful. Great mix of cultures.
Yay, so happy to see a post from H-town (my hometown and where a lot of my family still lives). The Heights is a beautiful neighborhood, I always ooh and ahh anytime I'm lucky enough to visit someone who lives there!
I have to say, though, these pictures don't really show enough of the Indian influence. Love the bits of it in the dining room and the swing on the porch, but I'd love to see more! It seems to fit perfectly with the bones of the house!
The library pic made my heart go pitter-pat, and then that beautiful hanging bed bowled me over.
I love the heights, but how do yall have a basement? I didn't think anyone in Houston did! (since we're ~4ft above sea level)
I think I am confused... is this a mix of Indian and Indonesian cultures (because Bali is in Indonesia not India)? Or is it not necessary to know where a place is to be inspired by it?
There is also a Bali in India.