15 HOUSTONIANS WHO MAKE OUR HOMES A BETTER PLACE TO LIVE n honor of Houston House & Home’s 15th anniversary this month, we salute 15 Houstonians who make our homes a better place to live. Since 1994, we’ve covered architects, designers, historic preservationists, contractors, painters, carpenters, stonemasons, upholsterers—people who work with their minds and hands, know exactly what they’re doing and excel in their profession or craft. Not only are they good at what they do, they’re “into” it. They love their work, and it shows in the level of service they provide and in the final product. They’re exactly the kind of people you want to work on the most important investment you have—your home. Often their businesses are small, family-owned concerns. Many are unsung heroes.
Some have won national and international awards. Famous or not, they’re there for us, helping us make our homes and neighborhoods places we love to be. They realize that the concept of “home” isn’t just four walls, but our neighborhoods and public spaces in Houston where we live. At House & Home, they make our jobs easier because they inspire us with their new ideas, energy and expertise. While we’ve chosen to honor these 15 Houstonians on our 15th anniversary, we know the list is much too short. We could easily have listed hundreds of folks, so stay with us for the next 15 years. For now, let’s applaud these 15 we’re fortunate to have living and working in Houston.
John Puffer, a.k.a. “Big John” at Montalbano Lumber 1309 Houston Avenue
them the latest, most dazzling offerings from American and European designers.
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This big, tall Montana native began his career as a museum preparator painting old stagecoaches at a Western museum in Montana. After 35 years as a geologist, he returned to his passion for paint and for the last nine years has managed the paint department at Montalbano’s on Houston Ave. Awkward do-it-yourselfers and master contractors alike get the same level of respect and attention from John, who favors Pratt & Lambert brand paints. He can mix and match colors like nobody’s business, has a cult following, and is the Rembrandt of house paint in Houston.
comes into our store, we want them to choose floors they love. And five years from now, we want them to still really love it.” With wife Valerie as his partner in the business, the company has grown to eight locations. No longer on the sales floor, Sam closely manages the company hands-on to make sure service and installation of his flooring are first rate. Former president of the National Flooring Alliance, a group of the top 36 flooring retailers in the U.S., he’s a national expert in his field. He’s maintained a wicked sense of humor through it all and plays a mean ‘60s rock guitar.
Anne Breux, architecte d’interieur Every time we see a gorgeous modern house in Houston that someone doesn’t quite know how to furnish, we think, “Where’s Anne Breux when you need her?” Her cool, cerebral interiors enhance modern architecture, rather than compromise it or apologize for it. This Paris native turned Houstonian is the ultimate modernist, crossing the Atlantic at the drop of a beret to visit the latest Paris ateliers and Milan salons and bring fresh ideas back from astonishing designers like Zaha Hadid, the Bouroullec brothers or Piero Lissoni. Her clients range from rap stars to industry titans to ordinary Joes and Janes who love her cool, clean aesthetic. With her infectious joie de vivre, Anne leads them like a pied piper toward her optimistic vision for the future. Yesterday’s gone, Anne is now, and she’s always thinking about tomorrow.
Don’t let that intimidate you. His shop is warm and welcoming, his manners are impeccable, and if you’re lucky enough to find him in the shop and ask him about a particular piece of furniture, you’re in for a treat. His passion for the romance, history and mystery of antiques will keep you spellbound. And suddenly you’ll understand why those Cabriole legs on that mid-18th-century French chair are more lyrical and preferable to those of the early 18th century. When you buy from Carl Moore Antiques, you are buying a fine piece of furniture more thoroughly researched than you can possibly imagine, thanks to Geoffrey’s intellectual rigor and love for antiques and their history.
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Sam Roberts Roberts Carpet & Fine Floors 8 locations
When Sam started a small one-man storefront carpet business on Fondren in Houston in 1984, he discovered he had a knack for selling. As business grew and he added staff, he always had the highest sales figures, and no wonder. His high-energy enthusiasm coupled with in-depth knowledge of his product meant you couldn’t not buy a carpet from him. What keeps him fired up? “The creative process,” he says. “Flooring makes an enormous difference in the way your house looks and feels. When someone 16
Pam Kuhl-Linscomb Kuhl-Linscomb 2424 W. Alabama
Since 1984 Pam has worked as an interior designer in Houston, winning countless awards and accolades. In 2001, she started a retail shop, then merged her Dec Center design showroom with the shop in 2003. The resulting store on W. Alabama, with 70,000 square feet of retail space cozily nestled amid four 1930s duplexes is a tour de force of American retailing. She carries both modern and traditional furnishings for the home, and while every piece is carefully curated, nothing feels precious. Pam’s warm Texas personality pervades the store. Snobbery is not condoned, and you can always find cool stuff there for under $10. This is where design-savvy Houstonians bring out-of-town guests to show
Geoffrey Westergaard, Carl Moore Antiques 1610 Bissonnet
With a background in art history and years of travel to Europe and Asia in search of rare finds, Geoffrey Westergaard of Carl Moore Antiques is one of the most knowledgeable sources in America about antiques.
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Carrie Glassman Shoemake, architect A native of Houston, Carrie captures sense of place in the homes she designs for Houstonians. She “gets” Houston—its humidity, its lush greenness, the subtle change of seasons and the quality of light here. The houses she designs with architectpartner Ernest Maldonado are nothing if not local, and they are beautiful and touching in their acknowledgment of our terroir. Windows embrace exterior views and bring in natural light. Views of landscape are essential, and oak trees are celebrated. She even thinks about winter and summer solstice in Houston and how sunlight strikes houses during the