Saturday, March 25, 2017 • Page 1B
Capturing the charm
Art supplied Top left, the Hammonds’ pre-renovation home.; Middle, the turquoise house that Rihani admired so much; Bottom left, the Hammonds renovated home.
Designer’s stylistic approach to Homes of the Heights finds growing audience By Christina Martinez Christina@theleadernews.com While previously working as a graphic designer and illustrator at a tech company, Heights resident Dalia Rihani found her creative side not being challenged. Taking matters into her own hands, she set out on a personal design project that captured the neighborhood she so dearly loves – Homes of the Heights. The project was originally planned to be a 52 week series, drawing a home once per week for a year, but like with most things the plan was changed and Rihani ended up drawing three houses a week - roughly 100 Heights homes in total. “When it comes to why I did it, there’s a few reasons why,â€? Rihani said. “There’s this thing that designers do – it’s a repetitive project that you do for one hundred days; for one hundred days you pick something to do, maybe a skill that you want to be better at design wise, and you do that skill for one hundred days at different variations. Two of my other designer friends did it – one drew celebrity faces and the other did hand lettering. I decided I wanted to do something like that and I wanted to draw Heights homes.â€? Rihani and her fiancĂŠe live in the neighborhood. Her creative process usually starts with she and her fiancĂŠe pedaling the neighborhood, searching for unique homes that met her criteria: “If that house could be placed in another neighborhood and blend in, we wouldn’t draw that one,â€? Rihani said. “You can put another home from another neighborhood into the Heights and it looks fine, but you can’t put a home in the Heights in another neighborhood and it not stand out.â€? Next, she’d snap a few photos of the home and
Photo by Christina Martinez From the left, Homes of the Heights project designer Dalia Rihani; Heights residents Jason and Robin Hammonds, and their daughter Marin, 11, who attends Harvard Elementary school.
cross reference the home with Google maps images. The photos would then get plugged into a program called Sketch. Then, she started drawing over the photo, next to it and started manipulating things around.
“I usually start with the windows and the doors, and then start building the frame around it,� she said. After the creative process was completed, Rihani printed post cards of the final product and mailed them to the home owners with a special note that let them know she admired their home, and also dropping a couple of lines of how to get in touch with her if interested in prints. When it comes to a favorite house, Rihani said she has several, but one that sticks out is off of Morrison Street. ““It’s that bright turquoise-blue house. I don’t know what it is about this house, but it is so different. When I dropped off the print, I was telling her how much I loved the house and the color and she told me, ‘yeah, my husband painted that. He just wants everything turquoise and I just don’t understand.’ I told her it works.� Even after the series was completed, Rihani found many taking interest. After reading an article about Rihani’s project online, Heights resident Jason Hammonds sent an email to Rihani to start the process for a commission on his family’s newly renovated Heights home – a December birthday or Christmas present he planned for his wife Robin. “As usual, Robin enhanced my idea,� Jason Hammonds playfully attested. “I was completing the questionnaire for the
upcoming Heights home tour, and going through old pictures, and I ran across one right at the same time that we were finalizing the [renovated home] sketch, and thought it would be neat to have one of each,� Robin Hammonds said. The Hammonds note that Rihani’s drawing captures the “charm� of their pre-renovation 1920 Heights home with a little more polish than it had, but it did capture original elements like the window unit and even a wheel chair ramp leading up onto the porch. Adding the two drawings onto the walls of their home is one of many touches the Hammonds are proud to share on the upcoming Heights home tour – something they said they didn’t ever see themselves doing, but said it’s a nice excuse to finish all the small projects around the home they always envisioned. Dalia Rihani said she never expected for anyone to care about her Homes of the Heights project. Today, she’s working for herself and excited to see where her creative ventures can take her. Find Rihani on Instagram @drihani12 or daliarihani.com.
Garage with home attached the
By Cynthia Lescalleet For The Leader Which wish came first, the whopping garage or the adjacent bungalow? Bruce and Carole Boatner sought and found both in a previously remodeled ‘20s property in Norhill. A to-the-studs renovation and restoration has netted a cozy home (and expansive workshop) for the couple, who retired recently, downsized and relocated from Shepherd Park Plaza. At 1,100 sq. ft., the commercial-grade garage is only slightly smaller than the house itself, a former parsonage. The gargantuan garage proved to be a deal clincher, Bruce says, and its new roof a big budget item on the work scope. As a craftsman, tinkerer, classic car enthusiast -- and serial remodeler, however, Bruce needed generous work space for projects, including the home’s transformation. He handled a lot of the redo, particularly the extensive woodwork, detailed tile
mosaics and window restoration. He toiled on the latter “out of respect for the integrity of the house� as well as a budget consideration when wanting them “done properly.� “It would have been far easier just to replace them,� he says, given the weeks it took him to strip the windows, frames and trim to bare wood, replace the historic “wavy� glass, re-glaze, replace ropes and restore or replace the hardware. He even made new window frames and trim with salvaged wood in several places. (He also got very skilled at hanging doors salvaged from elsewhere.) Using vintage wood and salvaged elements, when possible, was a priority, he says. Other examples include the five panel doors and mortis locks. Meanwhile, Carole located period-correct lighting and plumbing fixtures from area and online resources. FLIPPING A FLOOR PLAN The project bucked a few trends, Carole says. For example, previous remodeling had opened up the floor plan, repurposed rooms and replaced original finishes with ‘90s design choices. The Boatners chose to put some punctuation back between rooms and bring back vintage visuals. A dramatic example, craft-
ed by Bruce, is the snazzy pair of half-height bookcases. Capped by columns, the sturdy units frame the transition from living to dining room. The wall between the latter and kitchen had been previously removed -- and remains open. In flipping the kitchen layout, meanwhile, the old window over the sink became a handy door to a new deck in the side yard, with secure access to a new side door into the garage. The kitchen now plays up its Craftsman style but has modern amenities, such as an island for prep and a nifty corner pantry to maximize storage. Initially, the work scope just followed the floor plan that came with the updatedbut-dated home. The extensive interior demo, however, uncovered the front door’s original location (and hinges). That discovery prompted a design change by project architect Richard Grothues that made the flow more efficient, aesthetic, and traditional between rooms: bedroom, bath, bedroom suite on one side, living room, dining area and kitchen on the other. Demolition also revealed old-growth wood, complete with workers’ chalk marks and signatures, and the original kitchen’s chimney connec-
H-E-B developing a presence By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com The groundwork for H-E-B’s move into the Heights area has been laid in speech for months, and it appears as though development is about to go full speed ahead on multiple fronts. H-E-B’s ever-growing presence in The Leader community is moving right along as spring begins, as evidenced by a currently leveled parcel of land at the corner of Washington Avenue and South Heights Boulevard. In May, the land will begin undergoing its transformation as Houston-based Midway Companies will break ground on a new H-E-B, which will serve as the anchor for an integrated, mixed-use property termed Buffalo Heights. Offering proximity to the Washington Avenue corridor as well as Buffalo Bayou Park, hiking and biking trails, Memorial Park, Downtown, and Houston’s most walkable neighborhoods, the H-E-B launches the first phase of a redeveloping district that Midway says is attracting upscale apartments and gourmet eateries. “We are looking forward to creating a unique shopping destination for our neighbors along
Photo supplied Two new H-E-B stores will open up in The Leader area in the next two years. First up will be one on Shepherd Drive, followed by Washington Avenue.
the Washington corridor,� H-EB Houston President Scott McClelland said in a release. “Our new store will be reminiscent of the community it serves and add to the longevity of this distinctive development.� The approximately 96,000square-foot store will be part of the first phase of development for Buffalo Heights set on approximately four acres of land at the intersection of Washington Avenue and Heights Boulevard, offering proximity to the Heights and surrounding neighborhoods. “Buffalo Heights affords the rare opportunity to reinvent a community by delivering a healthy lifestyle built around local fresh food, outdoor activity and signature green spaces,� said Jonathan Brinsden, CEO of Midway in a release. “This first phase will be a catalyst for more innovative and trans-
formational developments to come. According to Midway Vice President Ann Taylor, the HE-B is set to open its doors in the Spring of 2019 barring any setbacks. For more information on the new H-E-B or the Buffalo Heights District, visit buffaloheightsdistrict.com. Shepherd location still on track While there may have been a few setbacks, it appears the San-Antonio based grocer’s plans for 23rd Street and Shepherd Drive have not changed, as the development is set to begin construction this coming summer, according H-E-B spokesperson Lacey Dalcour, and McClelland told The Leader earlier this year that all appears to point towards a March 2018 grand opening.
tion. Given interim updates, there was little else to find, Carole says. One wrinkle in the project was her insistence on having a fireplace in the living room, which had no chimney. Since adding a gas fireplace was “a permitting nightmare,� they went with an electric one. Flipping the floor plan and gutting the interior meant updating outdated wiring, plumbing and HVAC. “It’s exciting to have outlets, lots and lots of outlets,� Carole says.
Photo supplied One of the big changes the Boatners made was to add a bit of definition between rooms. Left - before. Above - after
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