McCulloch Circle, Uptown/Galleria District – Houston, Texas

A house on McCulloch Circle in Houston's Uptown/Galleria District offers all the regular amenities plus flexible rooms that can be customized for a variety of uses.

Entering the house through the frosted glass, double front door brings one to a light filled foyer with dark stained hardwood floors, white walls with white baseboards, and a white ceiling with recessed lighting. The foyer extends to a wall with a window overlooking a covered patio in the backyard. A few simple touches by an interior designer, such as a console table holding a vase of fresh flowers, and a colorful painting or print on the wall, can easily give a warm and welcoming ambience to the foyer. The door on the left provides access from the foyer to the garage.

Just past the door to the garage, an open entry on the left leads to the kitchen which is in an open floorplan area at the back of the first floor. The kitchen is large and airy, with white walls with white baseboards, a white ceiling with recessed lighting, and flooring of dark stained hardwood that anchors the room. The Shaker-style cabinetry is white with soft close drawers and cupboards. The tall upper cabinets are topped by small, glass-fronted cupboards near the ceiling. Lower cabinets provide an abundance of storage in drawers and cupboards. Countertops are white granite with gray veining and black flecks. The backsplash that covers two walls is white Carrara marble mosaic tile in a long octave rhomboid pattern with gray marble dots at the points of each rhombus.  Appliances are stainless steel and include an eight-burner gas range with two ovens, a modern stainless steel ventilation hood, and a pot filler mounted on the backsplash, a dishwasher, and a microwave oven. There is an alcove for a large refrigerator. The undermount sink is a single basin, stainless steel model with a semi-professional single lever faucet with a pull-down sprayer and a matching soap dispenser. The black matte finish on the faucet and soap dispenser provides a pleasing contrast to the white cabinetry and white granite countertops. A large cottage-style window behind the sink allows Houston's bright sunshine to fill the room. A work island across from the stove features a white cabinet with drawers and cupboards, a dedicated space for the microwave oven, seating space large enough for three tall stools, and a white granite waterfall countertop. Above the island, a 12-light, linear, Sputnik-style chandelier with smoked glass globe shades adds a touch of mid-century modern charm to the kitchen. The combination of traditional and modern elements, along with the neutral color palette and natural materials, allows the kitchen to be adapted to many different interior design styles with the addition of textiles, artwork, and plants.

The open floor plan allows a seamless flow from the kitchen to the dining room. The dark-stained hardwood floor continues into the kitchen. The walls are white with white baseboards, and the ceiling is white with recessed lighting. The flooring, complemented by a spacious cottage-style window on one wall, enhances the smooth transition between the kitchen and dining room.   Another connection to the kitchen is the 16-light, linear, mid-century modern, Sputnik-style chandelier with smoked glass globe shades. A wall of oversized windows and glass doors provides a connection to the outdoors and allows an abundance of natural light to flood the room, features that are central to several interior design styles.

The dark stained hardwood floor, white walls, and white ceiling with recessed lighting flows unimpeded from the dining room to the living room. A large cottage-style window on one wall and, on the opposite wall, oversized windows and glass doors leading to the covered patio continue the similarities. Completing the connection is a 21-light Sputnik-style chandelier with smoked glass globe shades. The back wall of the living room holds a gas log fireplace in a floor to ceiling, white and gray brick surround. Like the dining room, the living room can be adapted to several interior design styles that place importance on natural light and a connection to the outdoors.

Going back to the front door, facing the window at the end of the foyer, a hall to the right leads past a half-bathroom to a room that can be used as a bedroom, a study, a library, or a home office. The floor is dark stained wood, the walls are white with white baseboards, and the ceiling is white with recessed lighting. The room features a walk-in closet and windows on three walls which, due to the stacked and cantilevered architecture of the house, all overlook the front lawn. Whatever the use of space, an interior designer can choose from virtually any design style to enhance the natural light, neutral palette and classic wood flooring.

 The next door on the right side of the foyer hides the elevator. Beyond that is a staircase to the upper floors of the house. Just past the staircase is a hall to the right with plenty of natural light from a window overlooking the backyard. At the end of the hall, a door opens to secondary bedroom #1 which has dark wood flooring, white walls with white baseboards, and a white ceiling with recessed lighting as well as a ceiling fan with an attached light fixture. Two large windows on one wall overlook the backyard, while a window on another wall overlooks the side yard.

The ensuite bathroom has white walls, a white ceiling, and white marble tile flooring with vivid gray veining. The walk-in shower has the same white marble tile as the floor. A niche is recessed in the shower wall beneath a clerestory window high on the wall. The doors enclosing the shower are clear glass. The vanity is white with a white granite countertop. A rectangular undermount sink has a black metal faucet with black handles. A large, rectangular, black-framed mirror with rounded corners is mounted above the vanity. A door on the back wall of the bathroom allows access to a walk-in closet.

The primary suite is located on the second floor. The master bedroom is a large, light-filled room that has white walls with white baseboards, a white tray ceiling with recessed lighting and a ceiling fan installed, and a dark-stained hardwood floor. Two windows on one wall and clear glass doors flanked by door-sized windows on another wall allow an abundance of sparkling Houston sunshine to flood the room. The glass doors open onto a large, covered balcony. There is plenty of space in the bedroom for a king-sized bed, bedside tables, dressers, and a seating area.

A hall leads from the master bedroom to double doors that open to the ensuite bathroom. This is another light-filled room with a white marble tile floor, white walls with white baseboards, and a white ceiling with recessed lighting. White vanities are located on each side of the double doors. Both vanities have white granite countertops with rectangular, undermount sinks and black metal faucets with black handles. A large rectangular mirror with a thin black frame is mounted horizontally above each vanity, and a black metal, three-light vanity light with clear glass cylindrical shades is mounted above each mirror. Directly across from the entry doors, a contemporary, oval, free-standing soaking tub sits in front of a large open shower. The tub is white with a free-standing, black tub filler that features a small shelf and a hand-held shower.  The shower is walled with white marble tile and has a round, black shower head on each end. A clerestory window in the center of the shower allows plenty of natural light into the bathroom. A square niche built into the wall on each end of the window can hold soap and shampoo. An interior designer would probably choose one of the contemporary design styles for the bathroom to highlight the beautiful marble tiled shower. There are two doors in the wall to the left of the shower. One door opens to the water closet. The other door provides access to the walk-in closet.

The closet has dark hardwood flooring, white walls with white baseboards, and a white ceiling with recessed lighting. A clerestory window on one wall allows natural light into space. There are built-in shelves on each wall, as well as hanger rods hung at varying heights. The closet is spacious enough to hold a couple of chairs and dressers.

Across the hall from the bathroom is a bonus room that an interior designer could easily convert to a home office, a library, a sitting room, or whatever room best suits the needs of the homeowner. The floor of this room is dark stained hardwood, the walls are white with white baseboards, and the ceiling is white. A clerestory window on one wall overlooks the backyard.

A hallway near the primary suite leads to secondary bedroom #2, located behind the staircase. This room has dark-stained hardwood flooring, white walls with white baseboards, and a white ceiling with recessed lighting. A ceiling fan is mounted over the center of the room. Two large windows in one wall overlook the backyard, and one window on another wall overlooks the side yard. There is an ensuite bathroom, as well as a walk-in closet adjoining this room. The classic hardwood floor, abundant natural light, and neutral color palette make this bedroom compatible with most interior design styles.

Secondary bedroom #3 is located on the opposite end of the second floor from the primary suite. The floor is dark hardwood, the walls are white with white baseboards, and the ceiling is white with recessed lighting and a ceiling fan installed. There are windows next to each other in a corner, on separate walls. Due to the stacked and cantilevered architecture of the house, these windows both overlook the front lawn. This room features a walk-in closet and an ensuite bathroom. The bathroom has white marble tiled flooring, white walls with white baseboards, and a white ceiling with recessed lighting. Double vanity has plenty of drawers and cupboards for storage. A white granite countertop holds two rectangular undermount sinks with black faucets and handles. Two large, square mirrors with black frames are mounted above each sink. Above each mirror is a black metal, three-light vanity light with clear glass, cylindrical shades. A walk-in shower across from the vanity is walled with white marble tiles. It's enclosed with clear glass doors with a black metal handle. An interior designer will use decorative accessories, layered textiles, and artwork to create a personalized room in one of many compatible design styles.

The laundry room is located on the second floor. It's a bright, clean room with white marble tile flooring, white walls with white baseboards, and a white ceiling with recessed lighting. White cabinets fill the length of one wall. The upper cabinet is all cupboards while the L-shaped lower cabinet has both cupboards and drawers. The countertop is white granite with gray veining and flecks. A rectangular, undermount sink has a black matte, high arc faucet with one lever and a pull-down spray attachment. There is a space for a full-size washer and dryer with both gas and electric hookups. A small white lower cabinet sits beside the washer and dryer. It has one cupboard and one drawer and a white granite countertop with an attached granite, L-shaped backsplash. This room has ample counter space for treating and folding laundry and storing laundry supplies.

The final room on the second floor is a flex room. The floor is dark-stained hardwood, the walls are white with white baseboards, and the ceiling is white with recessed lighting and a ceiling fan installed. A window overlooks the front lawn and allows built-in floor to ceiling cabinet is in a corner. A low cabinet with a white granite countertop is nestled against the corner cabinet. An undermount sink is installed in the countertop along with a matte black, high arc, single lever faucet. This low cabinet could serve as a wet bar depending on the use of the room. An interior designer could convert this room into a game room, a library, a family room, a study, or whatever type of room best suits the homeowner's needs.

The third floor of the house has a bedroom with ensuite bathroom and walk-in closet. The bedroom has two large windows overlooking the backyard and one large window overlooking a side yard. The bathroom has two small windows overlooking the side yard. Upstairs follows the themes in the rest of the house, with dark-stained hardwood floors, white walls with white baseboards, and white ceilings with recessed lighting and ceiling fans. There is a flex room upstairs with built-in storage closets and a long, low cabinet with a granite countertop and an undermount sink with a matte black, high arc, single lever faucet. Two wide windows on one wall overlook the front lawn. This room, with the help of an interior designer, could serve as a media room, a game room, the room where Christmas goes to wait out spring and summer, or any other room that suits the needs of the homeowner.

This three-story house on McCulloch Circle in Houston's Uptown/Galleria District has unique architecture, an elevator for easy access to the upper floors, and flexible rooms that can be customized to suit any needs.