Condo without walls highlights midcentury-modern simplicity
One of Shane Cook’s recent projects proved that some of a designer’s biggest challenges come in the smallest of packages.
His client, Sasha Babb, was a neighbor who approached him with the idea of a drastic update to his 768-square-foot condo.
Cook approached the rectangular space — a collection of claustrophobic little rooms — as something to be cleaned out. He removed interior walls and doors, flooring and ceiling. The only thing that stayed the same was the bathroom, another project for another time.
Babb and Cook lived down the hall from each other in the Parc IV on Montrose. In fact, their units were mirror images.
The 44-year-old Babb had been a renter in the 12-story, midcentury-modern building before he became a buyer, and after several years started noticing that his neighbors were renovating and modernizing their spaces.
“I thought, ‘Hmmm, let’s explore this,’ ” said Babb, whose family owns the Creme de la Creme preschools. By then, Cook, an interior designer trained in architecture, had moved in and was working on his place. Babb liked what he saw down the hall.
After six months of redesign small talk, the real work began.
“My condo was a series of little boxes,” said Babb, who was born in Chicago but has lived in Houston since he was 10. “I had my little bedroom box and my little bathroom box, the kitchen-area box and dining-area box.”
Plus, there was a skinny hallway that led from the public areas to the bathroom.
“It was a maze of doors,” Babb said.
In its day, Parc IV (built in 1964) and its neighbor, Parc V (built in 1965), were novelties, Cook said.
Stephen Fox, an architectural historian who is an adjunct lecturer at Rice University and the University of Houston, described the buildings’ architect — William R. Jenkins, who later became the dean of UH’s School of Architecture — as respected and gifted.
The midcentury buildings are part of New Brutalism architecture, noted for its straightforward design without flashy or extravagant details, Fox said.
Fox arrived in Houston in 1969 and was impressed with the buildings’ beauty and simplicity. “When I drive by now, I still have the same ‘wow’ reaction,” he said.
Babb had the same revelation.
He said he used to dine at what was the River Cafe nearby, and the building slowly grew on him. Then he moved in. In time, though, he knew the condo wasn’t living up to its potential.
“Walls and doors were everywhere,” Cook said. “So we took all of them out except for the enclosure on the bathroom.”
During the yearlong construction phase, electrical and plumbing were completely redone, drywall was removed to expose original brick, and the entire unit’s floor was leveled to accommodate new porcelain tile so soft it almost feels like walking on leather. Classic midcentury finishes and furniture were added to match the building’s architectural style.
Living spaces moved around. The bedroom shifted backward so that its outside wall is all public space. The kitchen, near the condo’s entry, is now elevated several inches, giving it a Manhattan loft-like feel when stepping down to the rest of the home. And its Silestone blanco maple counters and backsplash are in line with the place’s midcentury vibe.
Since a bedroom does occasionally demand some privacy, Cook designed a divider that delineates space without reaching the ceiling. This not-quite-wall with a walnut veneer does some heavy lifting: Shelving on one side serves as a bar off the dining room and a closet off the bedroom. It also creates a backdrop for the living area, which has an eastern view to downtown.
Another Cook design, a floating ceiling, drops down over the bedroom and dining area — which Babb actually uses for extra kitchen space with a stainless-steel island — giving each a feeling of intimacy, organizing light fixtures and hiding the main air duct.
And what looks like a tiny foyer actually provides a grand entrance to the rest of the space.
“What I like to do is use the old Frank Lloyd Wright trick, where you walk into a narrow space and the ceiling is low, and as you walk through, the space opens up,” Cook said. “So you need a lower counterpoint to appreciate the higher ceiling.”
As you pass the kitchen area, you realize there’s so much more — that incredible view of downtown.
Although the living-room area is long and slender, it comes in two parts. There’s the more refined area with Saarinen Womb chairs and ottomans, followed by a librarylike feel with exposed brick and a towering bookcase.
Babb’s excited about his condo now, even if he was always in love with its location.
“It’s fantastic,” he said. “I can walk to the museum in 15 or 20 minutes, and you have restaurants and coffee shops, all in walking distance.”