above: Chester Pitts, Houston Texan, stands beside his Hardman grand piano, the central
piece in the formal living space of his Fort Bend County home.
• A windowed wall 22 feet in height provides lots of natural sunlight in the
living space. The neutral colors backsplashed with accessories in print and art
in color bring a tropical feel to the area. The custom painting hanging here is
by local artist Debi Pople.
left: The stairway is a gallery of custom-framed family photos. Right now, there are
about 50 pictures, but they plan to add more as their family
’s history continues to unfold. Chester says these pictures are even more
important to him than his framed jerseys, which indicates the importance of
family in his life.
• The beautiful chest and mirror in the entry of the Pitts home provide a setting
to display pictures of Chester with the two most important people in his life,
LaToya and their son, Champ
.
When Houston Texan Chester Pitts and LaToya Hutchins, his fiancée, met in 1997, their vision of each other and their futures were nowhere near
Houston, Texas. Both native Californians and students at San Diego State
University, the two grew up modestly and worked their way through college:
LaToya was a campus telephone operator, earning a degree in psychology; Chester
was a grocery sacker at Ralph
’s who played football for the San Diego State University Aztecs (#70) and earned
his degree in public administration
—a pretty traditional, conventional existence for two twenty-somethings just
getting started.
Fast forward to 2002. Things began to shift. These two hard working,
all-American kids, fresh out of college, fully armed with degrees and
determination, learned that Chester was drafted to the newly formed Houston
Texans
—a real dream come true, considering that his college football career at San
Diego State began only through a happenstance encounter with a couple of the
team
’s players who invited Pitts to walk-on. He did, and at tryouts he easily
dominated
and was awarded a scholarship.
Who would’ve dreamed that a grocery sacker at Ralph’s would be drafted by the Texans in their first year as their third pick? Pitts’ story was publicized through an NFL ad (Ephraim Salaam takes credit for
discovering Pitts) for Super Bowl XLII, and the commercial
’s musical track (an oboe performance of Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 2) actually was performed by Pitts, who learned to play the instrument in high
school.
Upon arrival in Houston, Chester and LaToya’s first home was an apartment near Reliant Stadium where they meshed their lives
in a little over 1,000 square feet of living space
—amazing for a man who stands 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighs in at 310 pounds.
That didn
’t last long, however, and they soon moved into a 3,200-square-foot starter home
in Pearland. Even then, LaToya admits,
“I was smart enough to hire a decorator.”
Of their taste in home décor, they agree that less is more. However, when it comes to family, that
philosophy doesn
’t necessarily apply. Not only were Chester and LaToya ready to share their new
lives with family and friends, they were ready to begin a family of their own.
In 2006, they welcomed Chester Morise Pitts III, aka Champ, to the world.
Of their new home, LaToya says, “Chester was ready for elbow room, so we knew we wanted a place outside the city
where we could find large home sites.
” A few of Chester’s fellow Texan teammates live nearby, and they recommended the Fort Bend County
location. Now residing in a gorgeous, 6,500-square-foot custom home, Chester
and LaToya have exactly what they
’ve worked so hard for: space, solitude and serenity.
The big front door of this stone and stucco custom home opens to a wide,
welcoming entry where an open floor plan invites guests at once into an
expansive living space. Central is the formal living area where a love of music
is evident. Pitts
’ classical music training is evident upon sight of the 6-foot 1-inch Hardman
grand piano standing proudly beneath a ceiling 22 feet high. Grand, indeed. The
instrument connects to Chester and LaToya
’s personal music devices so they can easily plug in and play selections through
the piano. It also apparently speaks to Chester
’s involvement in the home design process. “Chester did so much research before buying that piano,” says LaToya. “He loves the beauty and craftsmanship of quality work, and wants to make sure
there is a high value in what he spends his money on.
”
According to the interior decorator of the home, Jana Rizzuto, owner of
Decorative Dreams, Chester
’s involvement in the entire decorating process was extraordinary. According to
her,
“Chester contributed as much, if not more, to the design and decorating process
of their home as LaToya did.
” She relates that Chester knew exactly what he liked and didn’t like and actually enjoyed the furniture selection process.
Minimalist and transitional in style, there is not too much of anything
anywhere. Each element
continued pg 2
