Fresh Perspective: An Enlightening Home

The fireplace in the chic study

Last July, I did a post on the home of Andy Singer, founder of Visual Comfort and his wife, Gayle, which was featured in the August 2008 issue of House Beautiful. My husband happens to work for Visual Comfort, the big brother company to Circa Lighting , (owned by Andy Singer's sister, Gale Singer) and we had the pleasure of seeing the Singer's home in person over the weekend. To say that it is even more beautiful in person would be a total understatement! The gorgeous, classic interiors were designed by Houston's premier interior designer, J.Randall Powers.

The expansive, 7,500 square foot home was modeled after an Italian Villa and exudes just as much warmth as it does elegance. I know that House Beautiful had to edit what it could show of the house within the confines of the magazine, but I was still so surprised by so many gorgeous elements of the home that were left out of the article. Since I do not have specific requirements for the articles I publish on La Dolce Vita, I wanted to share some elements that were not the main focus of the magazine article, as well as some rooms that may look familiar to you. The home is incredibly tasteful and features all of the finest finishes you can imagine.

The chic study

This powder bathroom is so striking in person. The walls are covered in chocolate linen and the sink is carrara marble.

Another shot of the downstairs powder bath
Framed antique intaglios by Liz Spralding available at Memorial Antiques and Interiors

This little alcove with an antique bench is directly across from the powder room.

A lovely vignette outside of the master bedroom

The use of textures is present throughout the home and adds quite a bit of warmth. In the master bedroom alone you have several textures: custom seagrass rug, linen wallcovering, a leather setee at the foot of the bed with a cashmere throw, a wool rug, and the fine bed linens. I also love the symmetry of the framed Roman sketches throughout the master bedroom.

The sitting area in the master bedroom is the portrait of perfect symmetry.

This is part of Mrs. Singer's dressing room. The chair is Michael S. Smith and the chandelier is a Parisian antique from the late 1800's. Don't mind my reflection in the mirror!

The beautiful master bathroom features all of the finest finishes.

The formal dining room was designed using neutral tones. The chandelier is an antique from Paris and it inspired the Paris Flea Market Chandelier that Visual Comfort produces for Circa Lighting.

Another exercise in perfect symmetry, the bistro mirror is also an antique from Paris, the Rock Crystal Lamps are Visual Comfort.

The bar/wine cellar was one of my favorite rooms in the house! No, I'm not a lush. I just love the rich colors of the gorgeous brown cabinetry, the chocolate linen wallcovering with nailhead trim, carrara marble countertops, and the incredible assortment of antique French bottles. Notice the lamp in the background was fashioned from an antique seltzer bottle like the one in the foreground.

The opposite side of the bar area

This hallway is next to the kitchen, in the most casual part of the house.

The huge, beautiful butler's pantry

Another view of the butler's pantry

Andy affectionately calls this "the cat's bathroom". The fixtures in this room are slightly more modern.

The beautiful breakfast room features an upholstered banquette and chairs along with some spectacular sconces.

The gorgeous kitchen is a dream! The white cabinetry, carrara marble counters, and lighting are perfection. Notice the lovely turquoise color that was used to paint the inside of the upper cabinets and the lovely contrast they add to Gayle's beautiful collection of vintage ironware. The Plymouth Primitive Stools are from Richard Mulligan.

A nook in the kitchen

This is the landing at the top of the stairs. The abstract art found throughout the house adds an unexpected, but welcomed twist to the otherwise traditional interiors.