Architect, designer and founding principal/president of Rottet Studio, Lauren Rottet, has closed on two adjacent properties totaling 1.72 acres located in the Briar Hollow neighborhood, including a house by iconic Houston architect Howard Barnstone built in 1960. Noted for his modernist style, Barnstone’s clients included Houstonians John and Dominique de Menil, who funded the Rothko Chapel, which was also designed by Barnstone with Eugene Aubry and Philip Johnson.
During the pandemic Rottet decided to take steps in the development of her own property and purchased these unique lots with plans to restore the Barnstone structure as well as build an adjacent office.
“We don’t want our new building to look like we’re trying to match a midcentury modernist style,” says Rottet about her concept for the new build. “We want it to be constructed of glass because the site is so beautiful.”
The remodeling of the Barnstone-designed, three-story house, which was modeled on Mies Van Der Rohe’s Farnsworth House, will include a space that will serve as a showroom and accommodate furniture and accessories from the Rottet Collection. The new building is being envisioned as a new iteration of a hybrid office and will also include space for Rottet Studio’s design team and administrative staff.
Photo: Courtesy of Rottet Studio
