‘The texture of older things’

Michael Morrow’s Sixth Ward home changed his approach to architecture

When Michael Morrow was a student at the Rice School of Architecture, he envisioned designing “shiny contemporary things” after he set up shop. He had no interest in older houses until 12 years ago, when he and his wife, Taryn Kinney, also an architect, bought a dilapidated 19th-century house in the Sixth Ward.

Renovating the house, Morrow saw the beauty in patterns that form over time, and when peeling back the house, he came to value “the texture of older things.” The home renovation would greatly influence the work he would do at his and Kinney’s firm, Kinney-morrow Architecture, instilling in him a philosophy that “the greatest attribute for an architect is restraint,” whether it is a new residence or renovation.

Kinney and Morrow’s residential designs have won numerous awards, including three Gold Brick Awards from Preservation Houston.

Their 1,500-square-foot home is actually two houses from two other lots that were stuck together in the 1890s, Morrow said. The couple spent about five years on the renovation.

The house doesn’t feel old on the inside — it is warm, open and stylish. It has an abundance of light from the windows and skylights.

The interior highlights the building’s history, featuring, for example, nail holes and specks of ancient white paint, “to show all that it’s been through,” Morrow said. Their hallway wall is a stunning patchwork of the home’s original exterior and interior boards.

Most of the furnishings are modern, but even vintage objects feel contemporary by way of their

Kinney and Morrow’s amazing collection of old signs and outsider art complements the home’s age and creates a sense of playfulness and wonder.

surroundings. Reclaimed work stools line the kitchen counter.

The couple’s two daughters are creative types who frequently make their own art in their bedroom, which has opens closets with neatly hung clothes. The chandelier in their room belonged to their great-grandmother.

Kinney and Morrow’s amazing collection of old signs and outsider art complements the home’s age and creates a sense of playfulness and wonder.

They found some of the signs in antiques stores and have also purchased a few at their original retail locations.

When Morrow approached the men at an old tire shop and offered to pay for their hand-painted “Used Tire/Fix Flats” sign, “they thought I was crazy,” he recalled.

Kinneymorrow Architecture photos Bookshelves frame French doors in the kitchen of the home that architects Taryn Kinney and Michael Morrow renovated.

The home features some eclectic design finds.

The couple’s daughters have room to be creative.

Kinneymorrow Architecture photos Taryn Kinney and Michael Morrow spent about five years renovating their 19th-century house.

Kinney and Morrow have collected old signs from retail shops, barbershops and antiques stores.

The couple’s daughters frequently make their own art.

Reclaimed work stools are at home at the kitchen counter.