Memorial Close In, Houston, Texas

Little John Ln, Memorial Close In – Houston, Texas

In the Sherwood Forest subdivision of Memorial Close In, a neighborhood of Houston, a showplace house on Little John Lane commands attention with its traditional architecture that includes aspects of Mediterranean and Neo-Classical architectural styles.

The interior of the house is just as impressive as the exterior. Entrance to the home is through a tall, metal and glass double front door which sits at the bottom of a two-story arch. The top of the arch contains a large window with a geometric muntin design featuring a large diamond, a grid, and two half-arches.

The foyer is light and airy with white marble flooring, white walls with white baseboards, and a white ceiling with white crown molding and recessed lighting. The polished marble floor features a black marble floor medallion with an intricate geometric design surrounded by two circles. The outer edges of the foyer are marked with smooth marble Corinthian columns, each with an acanthus leaf capital. A recessed dome in the center of the double-height ceiling is painted gold and has a twelve-arm, candelabra chandelier suspended from it.  The focal point of the foyer is the gracefully curved double grand staircase. The risers and treads are covered with plush, textured, white carpet with a wide black stripe on each end, and the bullnose step is black marble. Wrought iron railings feature spiral ornamentation with gold tinted leaf and floral embellishments. An interior designer may suggest a round statement table placed on the foyer's floor medallion, with a decorative urn or large vase of flowers placed on it.

After entering the house, a right turn takes one from the foyer to the formal dining room, which has travertine tile flooring, white walls with white baseboards, and a custom painted tray ceiling with white crown molding and recessed lighting. A floor to ceiling window overlooks the front lawn and allows natural light to flood the room. A buffet niche in one wall has a mirrored wall behind the built-in buffet that reflects the beautiful, curved staircase in the foyer. Palette color palette, natural light, and classic materials used in the dining room make it compatible with many interior design styles.

The formal living room is reached by walking straight ahead from the foyer. This room has white marble tile flooring, white walls with white baseboards, and a two story, white tray ceiling with white double crown molding. A gas log fireplace is located on a plastered accent wall in a warm golden tan shade. The fireplace is white marble with square, black granite pilasters in a stacked design, stepped with white marble. The mantel is black granite stacked atop white marble. The mix of colors and materials gives the fireplace surround a sculptural appearance. The exterior wall of the living room forms a wide, curved bay filled with windows extending from the floor to the high ceiling. The five lower windows are long and narrow. The upper windows include two rectangular windows flanking a large round window with muntin’s forming a diamond in the center with straight muntin’s radiating from the points of the diamond to the edges of the circle. The windows overlook the verdant backyard with its sparkling swimming pool. The curve of the window echoes the curve of the balustrade of the wrought iron balustrade at the open edge of the upstairs landing on the opposite end of the room. The balustrade matches the staircase railing and gives the impression of a balcony high above the formal living room. An interior designer might choose a design style that highlights the drama and elegance of the balustrade, the fireplace, and the bay window.

There are two adjoining home offices in the downstairs portion of the house. The primary office has neutral colored carpet covering the floor, peacock blue painted walls with polished wood baseboards, and a white ceiling with polished wood crown molding, recessed lighting, and a white, five-blade ceiling fan mounted over the center of the room. A floor-to-ceiling window floods the room with natural light. A large built-in desk takes up one wall. The desk is made of polished wood in a warm golden hue. Open shelving above the desk provides storage and display space.  An interior designer only needs to add some artwork and potted plants as finishing touches to this room.

The second office is adjacent to the first home office. This room has textured white carpet on the floor, pale gray walls with white baseboards, and a white ceiling with white crown molding, recessed lights, and a five-blade white ceiling fan. A tall, white built-in cupboard resides in a corner of the room. Two large picture windows overlook a lush green space.  The neutral color palette, abundance of natural light, and airy ambience of this room make it compatible with a variety of interior design styles.

The kitchen, breakfast room, and family room are part of a large, airy, open floor area on the first floor of the house. The kitchen has engineered wood flooring, white walls with white baseboards, and a white ceiling with white crown molding and recessed lights. The cabinetry is white with champagne bronze hardware. The lower cabinets have a combination of shallow drawers, deep storage drawers, and cupboards. The countertops are white marble with gray veining.  A rectangular, metal, undermount sink is installed in a countertop below a large, arched window with a pool view. The faucet is a champagne bronze, high arc with a pull-down sprayer. A smaller, champagne bronze, medium arc faucet provides filtered water. A work island sits in the center of the kitchen area and features a dark slate gray cabinet with shallow drawers, cupboards, and a customized niche holding a drawer-style microwave oven. The island countertop is white marble with gray veining and overhangs the cabinet on one end to form a breakfast counter with space for three tall stools. Two pendant lights with milk glass shades are suspended above the island. The appliances are stainless steel and include the microwave oven, a six-burner gas range, and a dishwasher and refrigerator that are hidden behind cupboard doors. The upper cabinets consist of two tiers of cupboards that rise to the ceiling. A modern, white, boxy, stainless steel exhaust hood with bronze decorative trim is mounted above the gas range. The backsplash between upper and lower cabinets is white marble with gray veining. An interior designer may personalize the kitchen with layered textiles, artwork on the walls, and plants or bowls of fruit on the countertop.

There is an open space behind the kitchen that provides access to the three-car garage, a pantry, and a laundry room. Against the back wall is a wet bar with slate gray cabinets and a white marble countertop. The backsplash is white and gray hexagonal tile. The lower cabinet contains three cupboards and three shallow drawers. The cabinet curves outward as it wraps around a corner of the wall. The upper cabinet features glass-front cupboards with backlit glass shelves. The upper cabinet also curves around the corner of the wall. The sink is located at one end of the countertop and has a thick brass, high arc faucet.

The kitchen flows smoothly into the breakfast room. The breakfast room is bathed in light from the large bay window that provides an alcove large enough for a small table and four chairs. The window overlooks the lush backyard and sparkling swimming pool. The flooring is engineered wood, the walls are white with white baseboards, and the ceiling is white with white crown molding. A spectacular gold starburst Sputnik chandelier is suspended over the center of the space, where the table would be located.

The breakfast room flows unimpeded to the family room. The family room has engineered wood plank flooring, white walls with white baseboards, and a white ceiling with white crown molding and recessed lighting. A brass, five-light linear Sputnik chandelier with clear glass globes over the LED lightbulbs is suspended over the center of the room. A gas log fireplace on one wall features a tan-colored textured tile surround, and small built-in storage cupboards in the alcoves on either side of the fireplace. There is neither a mantel nor a hearth, but an expansive area on the textured tile wall on which a large-screen television or a large work of art can be mounted. Three arched picture windows on the adjoining wall overlook the backyard swimming pool and allow natural light to flood the room. A white framed glass door to the left of the windows provides access to the covered patio and swimming pool. An interior designer may choose from many design styles that are compatible with the neutral color palette, natural light, and connection to the outdoors in this room.

The entrance to the primary suite is located in the foyer, through an arched doorway between the back of the double staircase and the formal living room. The master bedroom has textured white carpet covering the floor, custom texture painted walls in a tan shade with white baseboards, and a custom texture painted tray ceiling with white crown molding and recessed lighting. A white, five-blade ceiling fan is suspended from the center of the ceiling.  Two smooth, white Corinthian columns with white acanthus leaf capitals mark the entrance to an alcove in front of a bow window consisting of three tall arched windows in the center, between two rectangular windows, one on each side wall. An interior designer may place a couple of armchairs or a small sofa in the alcove to make a seating area filled with natural light and a view of the lush greenery and sparkling swimming pool in the backyard. A white-framed glass door provides easy access to a backyard patio. A built-in armoire stands near the door to the patio. It's been custom painted to coordinate with the bedroom walls, with the addition of two strips of gold trim placed horizontally across the top. The armoire features two large cupboards, one on the top half and one on the bottom half of the front. They are separated by a shallow jewelry drawer. The sides of the armoire are curved and open, with glass shelves separated by a small storage drawer. Both the upper and lower sections are lit by round recessed lights. The master bedroom is large and airy, filled with light, and connected to the outdoors. These features make it compatible with many interior design styles.

An arched, cased doorway leads from the master bedroom to a hallway that connects the bedroom to the ensuite bathroom. The master bathroom has white marble tile flooring accented with inset black diamonds. Some walls are pale gray, and other walls are custom textures painted in neutral tan tones. All walls have white baseboards. The ceiling is white with pale gray crown molding and recessed lights. Twin vanities are separated by a modern oval whirlpool bathtub encased in a stone tile surrounding. The medium arc faucet is gold tone metal, and the backsplash is stone tile with a black granite tile accent across the top. A gold-framed square mirror hangs above each sink. Four sconces with frosted, half-moon glass shades are placed at even intervals, one above each outer window, and one above each mirror. Two smooth, black granite Corinthian columns with gold acanthus leaf capitals rise from the top of the bathtub surrounding the ceiling. Five fixed clerestory windows are placed on the walls, spanning from above one vanity, across the wall above the bathtub, and ending above the other vanity. The two vanities are painted light gray with glass knobs. The countertops are black granite, with a narrow black granite backsplash. A large walk-in shower takes up much of the wall opposite the bathtub. The shower floor is small, square, with white stone tiles, and the walls are 12-inch white stone tiles. The enclosure is clear glass with gold-colored trim. Two gold-colored shower heads are mounted on adjoining walls of the shower. The toilet is located behind a door in the bathroom, in a private water closet. An interior designer will have many traditional and contemporary design styles to choose from to enhance the elegance of the master bathroom.

The second story of the house contains four guest suites, a game room, and a media room. The game room has white, textured carpet covering the floor, dark peacock blue painted walls with white baseboards, and a tray ceiling custom painted in shades of gray with white crown molding. A black-painted built-in cabinet on one wall surrounds a large-screen television and has shelves, cubbies, and cupboards that can store game systems, games, and electronic devices. Two large windows on the exterior wall flank a set of double French doors that open to a covered balcony overlooking the backyard swimming pool. Almost any interior design style will work in this room.

The media room is located at the top of a staircase.  The balustrade at the top of the stairs is custom made with film reels and traditional comedy and tragedy masks incorporated into the ironwork. The floor is covered with white textured carpet, the walls are painted firebrick red and the baseboards are white. The ceiling is also white. Fan-shaped, Art Deco inspired sconces in shades of deep red with blue and white accents, are mounted throughout the room. A fixed-frame projector screen at one end of the room allows for immersive viewing. An interior designer might furnish the room with reclining chairs, and place framed classic movie posters on the walls.

The first guest suite features a bedroom with neutral colored carpet on the floor, light gray walls with white baseboards, and a white ceiling with white crown molding and recessed lights. A white, five-blade ceiling fan is suspended over the center of the room. A large, arched window provides a lush, green vista. A Roman shade covers the lower part of the window, leaving the arched area, with a geometric design created by muntin’s, clear to allow natural light into the room. The ensuite bathroom has white marble tile flooring, light gray walls with white baseboards, and a white ceiling with white crown molding and recessed lights installed. The vanity is white with contemporary square pulls, a quartz countertop with an oval scalloped vanity sink. A large frameless mirror fills the wall behind the vanity, and a three-light vanity light with fluted, half-moon, frosted glass shades is mounted above the mirror. The bathtub/shower combination has white marble tile walls with a black marble tile decorative motif across the top. The neutral color palette in both the bedroom and the bathroom allows an interior designer to choose any accent colors and makes both rooms compatible with many design styles.

Guest suite number two has textured carpet in a neutral shade covering the floor, white walls with white baseboards, and a white tray ceiling with white crown molding and recessed lighting. A white five-blade ceiling fan is suspended over the center of the room. An accent wall is painted in the shade of eggplant purple. A built-in desk and shelving cabinet is in a corner of the room, and a tall built-in bookcase is in the opposite corner, with a large arched window between the two. A window seat with storage drawers is built-in beneath the window. The ensuite bathroom has white marble tile flooring, white walls with white baseboards, and a white ceiling with white crown molding and recessed lights. The vanity is white with shiny chrome hardware and a quartz countertop with an oval, scalloped vanity sink. The faucet is a medium arc waterfall style in chrome, with shiny, threaded metal knob handles. A large, unframed mirror fills the wall behind the vanity. Affixed to the top of the mirror is a three-light vanity light with fluted, frosted glass, half-moon shaped shades. The bathtub sits in a white stone tile surround with a step up to reach it. The outer edge of the bathtub has a decorative strip of white tile with an embossed vine motif running along the length of the tub. The walls of the bathtub are white stone tiles with the same embossed vine decorative motif running around them at head height. The stainless-steel faucet is extra-long, and the showerhead is a handheld that can be mounted for hands-free use. An interior designer might add a vase of flowers on the vanity, place candles of varying heights on the bathtub surround, and a white rug with a geometric design on the floor.

Guest suite number three features a bedroom with designer neutral carpet covering the floor, pale gray walls with white baseboards, and a white sloped ceiling with two large skylights carved into the lowest end of the ceiling, above a small carpeted, raised platform. A white, five-blade ceiling fan with a light kit attachment is suspended over the center of the room. The ensuite bathroom has white stone tile flooring, pale gray walls with white baseboards, and a white ceiling with white crown molding. A small white vanity has a quartz countertop with a scalloped round vanity sink. The faucet is stainless steel with clear acrylic knob handles. A mirror hangs above the vanity, and a three light vanity light with fluted, half-moon, frosted glass shades is mounted above the mirror. The bathtub/shower combination has white porcelain tile walls with a narrow decorative strip of black marble tile near the top of the walls. A large, pale gray built-in cabinet has upper and lower cupboards separated by a wide, shallow drawer. The drawer and the four cupboard doors have round white glass knobs. On the narrow bit of wall between the bathtub and the cabinet, a vintage elka leaf drapery holder is installed to hold back a shower curtain. The neutral color palette and natural materials in the bathroom make it compatible with many interior design styles.

Guest suite number four has white textured carpet covering the floor, white walls with white baseboards, and a white ceiling with an oval tray custom painted in swirling shades of purple and white that resembles a nebula. There are recessed lights installed inside the tray like stars shining through the colorful nebula. A bow window in the corner consists of three windows overlooking the covered balcony on the back of the house. A white-framed, fixed half-round window high on a wall adds a beautiful decorative detail to the room. The four windows allow natural light to flood the room. The ensuite bathroom has tan stone tile flooring, white walls with white baseboards, and a white ceiling with white crown molding and recessed lights. The vanity is white with bronze knobs on the drawers and cupboard doors. The countertop is black quartz and has an oval vanity sink. The faucet is chrome, a flat waterfall style with a medium arc and threaded metal knob handles. A large mirror fills the wall behind the vanity, and a three-light vanity light with fluted, frosted glass, half-moon shades is mounted above the mirror. The walk-in shower has a floor of small, square stone tiles in shades of tan, large tan stone tile walls with a decorative tile trim across the top in a 3-D tile pattern. The curved shower curb is white stone tile topped with black marble tile. A curved wall of glass blocks is built atop part of the shower curb and partially encloses the shower. A tall white cabinet stands in the corner next to the bathroom door. The cabinet has a tall upper cupboard, and a smaller lower cupboard with a drawer between them. The cupboards and drawer have bronze knobs. There is a small window in the bathroom that allows natural light into the room, adding to the airy ambience. An interior designer might suggest adding a potted plant on the vanity countertop, framed art on one of the walls, and a white rug with a geometric pattern on the floor.

This house in the Nottingham Forest subdivision of the affluent Houston neighborhood of Memorial Close In offers spacious, airy rooms, large entertainment spaces both inside and outside, elegant decor, and beautiful views of the verdant lawns and sparkling swimming pool.

Memorial Close In is an affluent neighborhood in Houston located in the area bounded by Interstate 10, Interstate 610, Buffalo Bayou and Hunters Creek Village. It is comprised of five subdivisions: Bayou Woods, Longwood, Pinewood Estates, Saddlebrook and Sherwood Forest. According to the most recent census data, the population of Memorial Close In is 7,261 with a median age of 45 and average individual income of $102,730. Homes sold in the neighborhood have an average price of $1.2 million. A recent listing had a price of $19.5 million. Memorial Close In is part of the Memorial Super Neighborhood.

Spring Branch Independent School District serves the Memorial Close In neighborhood. Students are zoned to Hunters Creek Elementary School, Spring Branch Middle School and Memorial High School. In addition, there are three private schools in or near the neighborhood: First Baptist Academy which provides schooling for Pre-K to 8th grade, Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart serving grades Pre-K to 12, and The Fay School with students in grades Pre-K through 5.

There are three public libraries near the Memorial Close In neighborhood: Spring Branch Memorial Library is a branch of Harris County Public Library and is located in Hedwig Village, west of Memorial Close In. Jungman Neighborhood Library is a branch of Houston Public Library and is located on Westheimer Rd. south of Memorial Close In. Looscan Neighborhood Library is a branch of Houston Public Library and is located in the River Oaks area, southeast of Memorial Close In.

Memorial Hermann health services has facilities near Memorial Close In offering emergency services, urgent care and health and wellness services.

Memorial Park is adjacent to Memorial Close In and has something for everyone. It offers a variety of fitness activities such as golf, cycling, skating, tennis, hiking, volleyball and croquet. Birdwatchers can spy native birds in the woodlands along Buffalo Bayou or at the Hogg Bird Sanctuary in the park. There are walking/running trails, picnic areas, green spaces and a fitness center.

Houston Arboretum and Nature Center on the western side of the park educates people of all ages about the natural environment.