Christine Spin appreciates the comforts of home. She has plenty of fond
childhood memories of her parents
’ home in Maine. “I think that house will be 160 years old this year, a big old colonial house
with a great farmhouse barn next to it,
” she says. “It’s just wonderful.”
So it’s little surprise that Christine and husband, Jan, were intent on finding the
perfect home of their own, a house where memories would be created; a place to,
perhaps, one day start a family.
“We put a lot of heart and soul into looking for the right house,” says Christine, who looked at more than 200 houses within a year. “I kept a notebook and took notes. There was always some little thing that I
really liked, but none of the homes were just right. Eventually we decided that
maybe we should look into building.
”
The Spins were attracted to Allegro Builder’s homes. “Everything was just the highest quality. And some of the designs we loved just
happened to be those of Creole Design. They were working together to build
these custom homes. We just loved what they were doing.
”
The architect behind Creole Design, Sam Gianukos, draws inspiration from the
Crescent City, building new period-style dwellings in Houston
’s inner-loop neighborhoods that have the unique facades of New Orleanian homes.
He had a certain house in mind for the Spins, thanks to the perfect lot
acquired by Allegro Builders.
“There was this particular house in the Garden District, on Third Street—the Walter G. Robinson house,” Gianukos explains. “I’ve always loved that house but I never really had a lot that was ideal for it
before. So I proposed it to Christine and Jan and they really liked it.
”
The exterior façade duplicates the Robinson house, but the interior has a “bit of a contemporary twist,” says Gianukos.
Christine managed the building of the home, finding cost-cutting ways to achieve
the couple
’s dream. Armed with voluminous notes, pictures and magazine clippings, she had
definite ideas. Above all else, the house had to be spacious enough to
accommodate guests and family. But the cozy factor was important too.
“Our last residence was kind of like contemporary meets Mexican art, so this is a
complete change,
” says Christine of their former Galleria area high-rise. “While this house is definitely different with its New Orleanian exterior, it has
clean lines and a contemporary feel inside. It
’s just what we were looking for.”
Now settled into their three-story, 4,200-square-foot Heights home, the couple
couldn
’t be happier.
“We fell in love with The Heights and its old bungalows, old craftsman styles and
Victorian and Greek Revival homes,
” she explains. “We didn’t want to migrate away from that character here in this area. I think our home
fits in just great.
”
The house is visually striking with a two-story gallery across the front,
supported on slender fluted columns. Curves at each end meet the fa
çade. In the actual Robinson house, an arch-shaped parapet tablet at the center
of the roofline emphasizes the central entrance.
“The only thing that we didn’t mimic on the outside was that piece,” says Christine. “We didn’t want it to look too stuffy.”
This house looks anything but stuffy. Brazilian cherry floors and Benjamin Moore
historic colors add warmth throughout. Immediately to the right of a long domed
gallery hallway is the formal living that also cleverly incorporates a study.
“Everyone seems to have a formal living room and some people have a study. But we
figured no one really uses either all that much. So we kind of put it all
together,
” Christine explains.
The result is a functional, yet stunning space that easily disguises office
necessities such as a computer, printer and fax machine. A beautiful mahogany
grand piano
—Jan’s gift to Christine on her 30th birthday—shares space with a gently curved sofa and drapery sheers with toppers that
accentuate the room
’s elegance. Pocket doors incorporate a design chosen by Christine and fabricated
by Art Glass by Wells.
The couple loves to collect original art, many from Houston talents. A warm
painting of pears from one of their favorite local artists, Sylvia Angeli, is
prominently displayed in the dining room. A sweet rendering of Christine
’s childhood home in Maine is a wonderful conversation piece on an adjacent wall.
The dining room table is most striking, both for its size and origin. Houston
carpentry artisan Roely Henao constructed the
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