Inviting by design
Piney Point home reimagined for relaxing and entertaining
The oversized white iris on a background of deep greens looms large in the Piney Point family room of Martha and Walter “Buzz” White. The commissioned painting — by artist Joseph Adolph — sets the tone for this finely edited space: textured, layered, refined and luxurious. The Houston couple bought this 8,000-square-foot home in 2013 because it was time to find a place that suited the new chapter in their lives. Their three children — Matthew, Stewart and Claire Day — are grown and married, and grandchildren have entered the world. Until now, their homes revolved around raising children and accommodating their needs. Now, though, their home’s grand rooms and comfortable furniture are meant for relaxing or entertaining. In addition to new furnishings and art throughout the home, the couple added an outdoor pavilion to accompany the summer kitchen already there, and they’re sprucing up landscaping, too. “Our kids said, ‘Why? Why are you doing all of this?’ ” Martha said, laughing at her children’s reaction. “We said, ‘Because we want to.’ ” “It’s nice. We don’t use it all of the time, but the other night we were in the pool and watching the baseball game. People sit out there at parties, and it’s another area to go and chat and have a conversation,” said Martha, who’s been a Realtor at Texas Heritage Properties for 18 years.
An evolution
Martha and Walter were high school sweethearts. She’s a second-generation Houstonian, and he grew up in Greenville, S.C., and his family moved here when he was a teen. They were married as seniors at the University of Texas and have now been married 41 years. Their starter home in Briarwood was a three-bedroom, two-bathroom place with just enough backyard for a garden and a swing set. “That was back when you did your own landscaping and your husband built the fence,” White said with a chuckle. “Back behind us was a cow pasture.”