This Dramatic Houston Home Makes the Most of Its Picturesque Setting

Lake|Flato Architects teams up with designer Lauren Rottet to craft a meticulously composed residence that artfully melds into the landscape

Modern house exterior with a wooden walkway surrounded by lush green trees and a manicured lawn.
Bridge House in Houston, Texas designed by Lake|Flato Architects with interiors by Lauren Rottet. Photo: Casey Dunn

Most architects will attest that the site dictates the structure, conceiving buildings that maximize the natural light and breathtaking vistas while elegantly navigating the land’s more challenging hurdles. Working with a client who had purchased a nondescript 9,000-foot-home on a bucolic two-acre plot in Houston, the team at Lake|Flato Architects took the landscape’s most difficult attribute—a deep ravine that leads into the city’s Buffalo Bayou—and turned it into one of the residence’s most striking features.

Modern house surrounded by lush greenery with trees, a pathway, and large windows.
A runway-like steel bridge that traverses an arroyo creates a dramatic entryway into the aptly named Bridge House, a modern Houston, Texas residence crafted by Lake|Flato Architects and Lauren Rottet of Rottet Studio. Photo: Casey Dunn

After deconstructing the current house and donating its pieces to Habitat to Humanity, Lake|Flato set out to build an airy, modern “New York meets Houston” residence on the original footprint, preserving the towering trees and lush greenery that first attracted the homebuyers. A dramatic car bridge that traversed the arroyo was replaced with a “similar in spirit” steel pedestrian bridge. “They really wanted a house that leveraged this special landscape, so the only way to do that was to do something new and fresh,” says Lake|Flato founder and partner Ted Flato, who included the project, named the Bridge House, in the firm’s newly released monograph Lake|Flato Houses: Respecting the Land (Rizzoli). “The whole experience begins on this bridge. The land is the forecourt and the house starts unfolding.”

Modern living room with floor-to-ceiling windows, white sofa, glass coffee table, piano, and forest view outside.
A large Minotti sofa upholstered in a Holly Hunt fabric is paired with a custom glass cocktail table in the living room. The bench is by Minotti and a Bulb dining table by Eric Schmitt and Patrick Naggar Bubble lamp from Ralph Pucci create a pleasing seating area by the double-height windows. Photo: Casey Dunn

In planning the actual house, the clients wanted a primary residence that had the tranquility of a year-round retreat, with voluminous light-filled spaces such as the soaring double-height living room with a floor-to-ceiling glass bump-out that protrudes out into the landscape. “If you were to describe the most important thing in this house, it’s really this one grand space that reaches out into nature physically and becomes this wonderful glass window to the landscape,” says Lake|Flato associate Vicki Yuan.

“The structure and the choices of materials, all of those thing are part of the joy of making a house”

Ted Flato

Up above, a skybridge nods to the notable exterior feature as well as the materials that define the building itself, including blackened steel and wood. While offering a striking route to the children’s upstairs bedrooms, the interior bridge also creates a breathtaking aerie for viewing the large scale works of art, including canvases by Katharina Grosse, Alyson Shotz, and Cleve Gray. “Much like some of the great museum spaces, you’re walking by art at a lower ­level and then also at an upper level and then encountering the art and the land all at the same time and from different angles,” Flato says. “That is part of the delight of the house.”

Modern open-concept living area with high ceilings, artwork on the wall, and a staircase leading to the upper floor.
Tall blank panels that allowed room for large-scale canvases, including this colorful canvas by Katharina Grosse, that can be appreciated from below as well as up high as the clients traverse the interior skybridge. Photo: Casey Dunn

Feature walls made using oiled walnut wood repeat throughout the home, both in the dining room and in the main bedroom, continuing the connection between indoors and out. Rottet Studio’s Lauren Rottet picked up the same detail in several custom pieces including a bespoke kitchen island. “Our work was about bringing the outside even further in, so it truly felt inseparable,” says Rottet, who filled the spaces with pieces that have a reflective surface or are translucent, like a custom cocktail table.

Modern dining room with sleek table, cream chairs, artistic wall decor, and a contemporary light fixture against a wood accent wall.
A series of works on paper by Anish Kapoor is visible through the custom wood panel, created to echo the vertical slats on the home’s exterior. The large-scale sculptural canvas work is by Houston artist Eduardo Portillo. Photo: Casey Dunn

Furniture also helped define various zones in the open main floor, most notably between the living and breakfast rooms, where a custom bar serves as a work station during the day but transforms into a spacious serving area when the family entertains. A large Minotti sofa and chairs help frame the sitting area. Adhering to the client’s meticulous and minimalist aesthetic, Rottet selected other pieces such as an Eric Schmitt Bulb table, Yabu Pushelberg stools, and Holly Hunt Absinthe side table to complement the exposed black steel beams. Dazzling lighting fixtures inspired by nature, including a Lindsey Adelman Cherry Bomb chandelier, also tap into the home’s indoor-outdoor style. “We intentionally brought that in so that it felt like the furnishings and the light fixtures in the home were part of the compilation of the architecture,” says Rottet.

Modern dining room with a long table, contemporary chairs, abstract art, and decorative lighting fixtures hanging from the ceiling.
In the dining room, a Christopher Stuart Glitch chair from the Future Perfect adds a whimsical touch. A Lindsey Adelman chandelier surmounts a custom dining table while the Grand Buffet by Acerbis is topped by one of Alyson Shotz’s “Topographical Iterations” works on paper. Photo: Casey Dunn

Other elements were selected to push against the rigidity of the space, including Christopher Stuart’s Glitch chair from Future Perfect and an Ombré glass chair by Germans Ermičs. “The two of them sit there with almost no purpose at all except to reflect the sun in a beautiful way, but the client has remarked those two are everyone’s favorite chairs and people sit in them all the time,” says the designer.

Before this home, the client had not collected art, so Rottet introduced them to an array of galleries and artists. “Everything that she liked was very lyrical, which I found perfect because that’s what the house needed,” says Rottet. “It did not need any more stiff forms.”

Modern interior with a sleek staircase, contemporary artwork on white walls, and a sculptural piece on the floor.
Works by Alyson Shotz (left) and Joseph Havel enliven an area under the stairs. Photo: Casey Dunn

The acquisitions balanced recognized artists, such as Anish Kapoor, Damien Hirst, Robert Longo, and Agnes Martin, with pieces by emerging talents, including many who are working in and around Houston. Among that group was  Eduardo Portillo, who created a three-dimensional canvas sculpture in the dining room, a massive cast resin installation by Paul Fleming that envelops the screened-in porch, and a large-scale wall hanging by Troy Stanley in the main bath.

“This house sings,” says Flato. “The structure and the choices of materials, all of those thing are part of the joy of making a house.”

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This Dramatic Houston Home Makes the Most of Its Picturesque Setting

A runway-like steel bridge that traverses an arroyo creates a dramatic entryway into the aptly named Bridge House, a modern Houston, Texas residence crafted by Lake|Flato Architects and Lauren Rottet of Rottet Studio.

Photograph by Casey Dunn

A Damien Hirst u201cButterflyu201d adds a pop of color to carefully orchestrated design of the open floor plan. Next to the Minotti sofa is an Absinthe side table from Holly Hunt while a pair ofu00a0 Minotti swivel chairs, upholstered in a Knoll fabric, join a side table from Rottet Collection. Park Place stools by Yabu Pushelberg provide seating at the expansive kitchen island.

Photograph by Casey Dunn

In the breakfast room, Minotti dining chairs surround a custom peninsula surmounted by a Dot pendant from Circa Lighting. Just beyond, an installation by Houston artist Paul Fleming from Barbara Davis Gallery enhances a sunny screened-in porch.

Photograph by Casey Dunn

A large Minotti sofa upholstered in a Holly Hunt fabric is paired with a custom glass cocktail table in the living room. The bench is by Minotti and a Bulb dining table by Eric Schmitt and Patrick Naggar Bubble lamp from Ralph Pucci create a pleasing seating area by the double-height windows.

Photograph by Casey Dunn

The architects conceived this glass bump out to enhance the feeling of being immersed in nature. The exterior’s steel skin, chosen in color to match the tree bark, runs vertically to mirror the towering woods. u201cWe thought a lot about how nature is informing the materials,u201d says Lake|Flatou2019s Vicki Yuan.

Photograph by Casey Dunn

In the dining room, a Christopher Stuart Glitch chair from the Future Perfect adds a whimsical touch. A Lindsey Adelman chandelier surmounts a custom dining table while the Grand Buffet by Acerbis is topped by one of Alyson Shotzu2019s u201cTopographical Iterationsu201d works on paper.

Photograph by Casey Dunn

Tall blank panels that allowed room for large-scale canvases, including this colorful canvas by Katharina Grosse, that can be appreciated from below as well as up high as the clients traverse the interior skybridge.

Photograph by Casey Dunn

In the entry, a bronze U bench by Christopher Stuart from the Future Perfect is joined by a striking work by American Abstract Expressionist Cleve Gray.

Photograph by Casey Dunn

A series of works on paper by Anish Kapoor is visible through the custom wood panel, created to echo the vertical slats on the home’s exterior. The large-scale sculptural canvas work is by Houston artist Eduardo Portillo.

Photograph by Casey Dunn

Works by Alyson Shotz (left) and Joseph Havel enliven an area under the stairs.

Photograph by Casey Dunn

In the main bedroom, a pair of Gio Ponti lounge chairs from Molteni&C flank a prismatic Dichroic table from Rottet Collection. The bench is by Gabriel Scott and the rug is by Tuva.

Photograph by Casey Dunn

A lounge chair by Rottet Studio and side table from Design Within Reach sit in front of a large work by Houston artist Joe Mancuso in the main bedroom. Just beyond, a piece by another local artist, Troy Stanley, is reflected in a mirror outside the main bath.

Photograph by Casey Dunn

A custom desk and Tour stools from Bernhardt Design in the office.

Photograph by Casey Dunn

Lake|Flato designed this pivoting gate that provides an alternative entry into the property, ferrying guests from the pedestrian bridge to a covered walkway where the outdoor area is enlivened with Janus et Cie furniture, a custom dining table surrounded by Gandu00eda Blasco chairs and a Herman Miller Spun chair.

Photograph by Casey Dunn
Modern house surrounded by lush greenery with trees, a pathway, and large windows.
Modern open-concept living area with sleek furniture, large windows, and overhead walkway.
Modern dining area with wooden table, green chairs, large glass windows, and minimalist decor in a contemporary home.
Modern living room with floor-to-ceiling windows, white sofa, glass coffee table, piano, and forest view outside.
Modern house exterior with large windows surrounded by lush trees and a narrow stone pathway in a serene forest setting.
Modern dining room with a long table, contemporary chairs, abstract art, and decorative lighting fixtures hanging from the ceiling.
Modern open-concept living area with high ceilings, artwork on the wall, and a staircase leading to the upper floor.
Modern interior with a large abstract painting, wooden slat walls, and unique lighting near a window overlooking greenery.
Modern dining room with sleek table, cream chairs, artistic wall decor, and a contemporary light fixture against a wood accent wall.
Modern interior with a sleek staircase, contemporary artwork on white walls, and a sculptural piece on the floor.
Modern bedroom with large windows, cozy bed, plush chairs, wooden accent wall, and view of lush greenery outside.
Minimalist bedroom with modern wooden paneling, large circular wall art, and sleek furniture in neutral tones.
Modern interior with wooden desk, round stools, folded book sculpture, and large abstract artwork on the wall.
Modern house exterior with wooden deck, overhanging roof, and lush green garden. Stylish outdoor seating area visible.
Modern house surrounded by lush greenery with trees, a pathway, and large windows.
Modern open-concept living area with sleek furniture, large windows, and overhead walkway.
Modern dining area with wooden table, green chairs, large glass windows, and minimalist decor in a contemporary home.
Modern living room with floor-to-ceiling windows, white sofa, glass coffee table, piano, and forest view outside.
Modern house exterior with large windows surrounded by lush trees and a narrow stone pathway in a serene forest setting.
Modern dining room with a long table, contemporary chairs, abstract art, and decorative lighting fixtures hanging from the ceiling.
Modern open-concept living area with high ceilings, artwork on the wall, and a staircase leading to the upper floor.
Modern interior with a large abstract painting, wooden slat walls, and unique lighting near a window overlooking greenery.
Modern dining room with sleek table, cream chairs, artistic wall decor, and a contemporary light fixture against a wood accent wall.
Modern interior with a sleek staircase, contemporary artwork on white walls, and a sculptural piece on the floor.
Modern bedroom with large windows, cozy bed, plush chairs, wooden accent wall, and view of lush greenery outside.
Minimalist bedroom with modern wooden paneling, large circular wall art, and sleek furniture in neutral tones.
Modern interior with wooden desk, round stools, folded book sculpture, and large abstract artwork on the wall.
Modern house exterior with wooden deck, overhanging roof, and lush green garden. Stylish outdoor seating area visible.