Step inside our Showhouse and take a room-by-room tour of English-style elegance.
Entry Hall
With an arrangement of antique Chinese and Japanese porcelain and English-style furniture, the entry hall is an inviting ode to eclectic English design and designer Joe Minton’s classic aesthetic. “I love old blue-and-white porcelain,” says Minton of Joseph Minton Interior Design. “It goes with a completely neutral scene, as in the entry, but it also mixes so well with any colors you might use.”
Library
For the first-floor rooms, Minton let his choice of Persian rugs drive the warm color palette of reds, golds, and greens. Here, the blend of patterns and wood-paneled walls create an environment that seems destined for relaxing with a scotch.
Living Room
From the Siamese figures flanking the center archway to the tomato-colored French chairs, the living room reflects the layered look typical of English design. “The British brought back many different cultural influences from their colonies, so we didn’t just stick to one type of furniture or style,” says Minton. “We created a look that made it possible to easily move a piece of furniture from one room to another.”
Dining Room
A custom-colored, silk chinoiserie wallpaper provides a beautifully bold backdrop for English antiques. A matching green glaze blends the woodwork with the papered walls, and the silver leaf ceiling reflects the colors in both. Striped silk slipcovers balance the room’s formality. “I like the casualness of slipcovers,” says Minton. “You could have silk coverings for the summer and a red wool underneath for the winter.”
Exposed wooden ceiling beams, slatelike granite countertops, and industrial-style stools with butcher-block seats create charm in the English country–style kitchen. The expansive island provides plenty of space to cook and gather.
Breakfast Room
Chairs and benches of differing styles gather around the English refectory table, giving a casual, collected feel that invites intimacy and relaxation. Minton united the camelback sofa, upholstered chairs, and draperies with a cheery crewel fabric. “The effect is much softer than if we had used a pattern for some and a solid color for others,” he says.
Master Bedroom
With a nod to 1930s Art Deco glamour, Minton used a cool palette of pastels in the master bedroom. The simplicity of the canopy-style bed frame and its dressing lends a modern feel, and the pearlized woodwork reflects additional light throughout the room. “It just glows,” says Minton.
Master Bathroom
White walls pair with sleek, intricately patterned marble and cabinetry to create the “epitome of elegant English bathroom design,” says builder Trey Laird of Period Homes, Inc. Mirrors mimicking windows on either side of the bathtub infuse the space with extra light.
The Southern Accents Showhouse at Riverhills brings a taste of the English countryside to Texas.
