Designer Laura Umansky prepares to show off her “dream” house.
A photographer had just finished taking Laura Umansky’s picture in front of her Boulevard Oaks home when the dynamic founder of Laura U Interior Design quickly shed her chic black jacket.
She hurried inside, where workers were scurrying from room to room with occasional bursts of drills and hammers. She kicked off her shoes and spun around to survey the progress.
The countdown is on to her Boulevard Show House project, the renovation of a 5,700square-foot 1925 Tudor Revival home that she and her husband, Michael Umansky, and their twin daughters will live in. For the next two weekends it will hold her home furnishings and special pieces from vendors, things used to stage the house to be over the top for the tour.
Proceeds will benefit Preservation Houston, a nonprofit that advocates for the protection and restoration of architecturally significant buildings.
When the tour is over, the Umanskys move into their home in the historic district known for its spacious boulevards and canopy of live oaks.
“This is my personal dream house,” Laura Umansky said. “I feel like the home is a study in mixing time periods.”
There’s brilliant cerulean blue and white wallpaper in the dining room, whimsical polka dots in the mud room, and a variety of other bold designs in bathrooms throughout. (Pay special attention to the bathroom with cheetah wallpaper; it might just drive you to buy something in an animal print.)
The Umanskys brought in Newberry Architects and Blue River Custom Builders for the design and construction. Moss Landscaping completely redid the grounds – front and back yards.
In the front yard, a privacy wall that created a courtyard and obscured the view of the home from the street was removed to take it back to its original design. In back, the swimming pool installed in the 1950s was restored as well. Its pool house got a complete update inside and out.
Inside, there’s plenty of takeaway for tourgoers looking for design inspiration. A variety of vendors will be on hand to answer questions about everything from appliances to floor tile and counters.
Umansky’s own staff will be in the home to meet visitors as well.
If you’ve ever wondered how to successfully mix metals, you’ll get examples throughout the home, and you’ll see great combinations of floor and counter tiles in the kitchen, bathrooms, utility room and foyer.