Description

Some homes are built around a kitchen or a view. This Oak Lawn townhome was built around a single mature tree, and two stories of windows make sure you never lose sight of it. This is 1970s design at its most livable, and the recent renovation treated it that way, repairing and refreshing the house while keeping the period details that give it identity. The entry opens onto warm Saltillo tile and a stair of open wood treads. In the living room, the windows frame the courtyard’s trunk and canopy, so the room moves from green morning shade to a softer gold by evening. A Saltillo tile fireplace and built-in shelving anchor the space, while the dining area sits steps up, close enough for conversation to carry. Louvered doors conceal a wet bar. The galley kitchen is clean and well organized, with subway tile, lit glass shelving, and stainless appliances. At the far end, three tall windows set the breakfast nook in daylight, with direct access to the attached two-car garage. Upstairs, the primary bedroom stretches 20 feet beneath a towering vaulted ceiling, with two closets and sliding doors to a balcony finished with a new wood and metal rail. Its bath pairs a newly built shower, soft blue vertical tile behind a custom glass panel, with an onyx-toned vanity kept on purpose. The second bedroom is the surprise: bifold panels open to a Juliet balcony above the living room, and it has an exterior balcony of its own. Guest room, office, reading loft. It adapts. A retiled hall bath and a true laundry room complete the level. That restraint runs through the house. The avocado powder room sink and the cobalt laundry counter stayed, while fresh paint, new carpet, and newly tiled baths brought everything around them current. The result feels restored rather than remodeled. Beyond the courtyard wall, Oak Lawn fills in the rest. Cedar Springs dining, the Katy Trail, and the downtown skyline are minutes away, close enough to join, easy to leave behind once the tree is back in view.