A Mix of Old and New in Houston
Name: Christ Robart and Kate Bracksieck
Location: Houston, Texas
Size: 2,650 square feet
Years lived in: 6 months; Own
Kate and Chris recently traveled to Copenhagen where they picked out a full shipping container’s worth of mid century furniture, having recently begun importing amazing pieces for the launch of their online shop, Indre by Design. Last time I was in Houston, I stopped by and saw her beautiful pieces being unpacked in her downtown Houston warehouse. I thought I fell into ‘interior design heaven’ and couldn’t help but leave with a piece for my bedroom (part of Apartment Therapy’s Style Cure Makeover going on now!)
I met Chris over 7 years ago while a student at the University of Michigan; I met Kate a few years ago when she was selling Danish furniture on eBay as a passion project. She always lit up when we talked about refurbishing vintage finds. Over the years, I’ve painted commissions for their homes and offices and have always loved being involved with their interior design projects!
I’m so proud of both Kate and Chris for making their new home absolutely stunning in only 6 months. It’s a great combination of their eclectic and modern styles and a perfect showroom for Kate’s new business! Make sure to check it out and let us know what you think.
(…and their rooftop is to die for.)
Apartment Therapy Survey:
My Style: Our style is a mix of Danish and American mid-century modern. We love the way that the old design and new still work together and complement one another.
Inspiration: We have travelled to Copenhagen many times and always take pictures of design that we find attractive. It is a very inspirational place for us. We were particularly impressed by the Finn Juhl House in Copenhagen; we were both in awe of how he combined color with natural elements in breathtaking ways.
Favorite Element: The rooftop terrace is definitely our favorite spot in the house. The first time we walked through the house, we knew we wanted to make an offer as soon as we got up to the roof. It is actually 1 story higher than all of the houses in our neighborhood so we have unobstructed views of 3 different Houston skylines!
Biggest Challenge: The biggest challenge in our house is filling the open wall space. We both really love art, but have a hard time committing to a piece. We want to keep buying things that we find while traveling and make each piece meaningful.
What Friends Say: “Glass of wine on the roof tonight?”
Biggest Embarrassment: Our puppy, Finn, taught herself to take the doorstops out of the wall at a very young age and now we find them all over the house and have to run around trying to figure out which wall she pulled it from!
Proudest DIY: Carrying all of the IKEA furniture up to the 4th floor rooftop terrace and setting it up in the middle of the Texas summer.
Biggest Indulgence: Our custom made “farmhouse style” dining room table.
Best Advice: The thing that helped us out the most was deciding a color palette from the start. We knew we wanted to incorporate grays, blues and yellows in our house and it helped us when looking for furniture that we liked.
Dream Sources: Our house is filled with pieces from our furniture business, Indre By Design. We import vintage Danish furniture and lighting directly from Copenhagen and have an online shop, but we really enjoy putting our favorite pieces in our house until it sells!
Resources of Note:
PAINT & COLORS
• French Gray –• Songbird – Behr (dining room accent wall)
ENTRY
• Vintage Danish Wall Rack –• Welcome Mats – Chilewich
LIVING ROOM
• Eames Lounge – Won at auction • Finn Juhl “The Diplomat” Chair –• Pillows – bunglo by shay spaniola
• Painting by Shay Spaniola
KITCHEN
• Knoll Bertoia Barstools Cushion Color: Vibe – Sunset Settings (Houston, Texas) • Dishes – Heath Ceramics (San Francisco, CA)• Silverware – Georg Jensen
BEDROOM
• Teakwood Danish Platform Bed –• Pillows – Bunglo
ROOFDECK
• Sectional Sofa – Ikea• Table and Chairs – Ikea
Thanks, Kate and Chris!
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