We’re revisiting a gloriously meditative Houston home today. You may recognize the stunning 1923 William Ward Watkin stucco manse in Broadacres from a Veranda cover a few years ago. Or perhaps you glimpsed it on Pinterest. This home appeared on my radar when its guesthouse graced a cover of MILIEU. I fell hopelessly in love with the architecture (Reagan Andre) and interior design (Pamela Pierce). The founding editor of MILIEU magazine’s work is a favorite for obvious reasons. This gallery is not unlike a treasured piece of classical music…timeless, tranquil, and ever blurring the line between earth and heaven.
Pamela Pierce Interiors
Who is Pamela Pierce?
Founder and editor-in-chief of MILIEU magazine, Pierce is a well-respected Houston-based interior designer known for French style. When Pamela Pierce’s French-style house first graced VERANDA in 2006, readers were treated to European antiques, flouncy skirted slipcovers, and tranquil neutrals. That livable luxurious look embraced an airy, ethereal mood and palette.
What is MILIEU Magazine?
My favorite publication! It’s named for a French word meaning the people, physical, and social conditions and events that provide the environment in which someone acts or lives. More than a shelter magazine, stories in MILIEU capture the look, feel, mood, character, and style of a place. For example, the milieu defining a beautiful home or garden, the fashions and jewelry we wear, the places to which we travel, the art and culture we experience, the creative people who inspire us. What sets it apart? Only unique projects never published before appear in this exclusive quarterly.
The kitchen in her own 1926 stucco home is such a find study and a favorite!
Authenticity, purity of design, texture, and rustic elegance.
Beautiful Inspiration from Montrose House
Photography: Mark Scheyer, Peter Vitale, & Miller Dahlstrand Architects. Interior Design: Pamela Pierce. Owner: Annette Schatte. Architect: Reagan Andre. Contractor: Southampton Homes.
Modern lines and a restrained color palette let you know this timeless home will be something beyond the ordinary!
And how is this for an entrance to the grand manse:
Such an exquisite landscape design to admire.
Yet my favorite part of the property is not even the main house! It’s this straight out of the South of France structure!
Guest House by Reagan Andre Architecture
Look at the roof and stone at entrance! This is my all time favorite architecture and house exterior EVER. I have always wanted to live inside this photo:
And I need not be invited inside…I’m quite happy to simply admire the reclaimed materials fashioned into a new masterpiece. It’s hard to believe the magazine has been delivering beautiful inspiration and encouragement to us for a decade!
On the backside of the guest house is a lovely pool.
Rear Side of Guest House
Just look at outdoor entertaining area!
Can you imagine hosting friends and family here?
Pamela Pierce Designed Kitchen
Timeless design involves so much thoughtfulness and curation. You’ll instantly recognize the quality and craftsmanship in this kitchen with its plaster work, stone floors, and minimal aesthetic.
Aren’t the old doors concealing storage incredible?
All the reclaimed stone gathered from Europe and pieces of furniture from Chateau Domingue are hard to beat.
You truly get the sense that texture can live as color in such calm neutral spaces.
There is just something irresistible about scrubbed wood and letting age and patina show off!
I have never lived with a pot rack, but if I owned the collection above, that would change.
Timeless Pale & Lovely Living Room
When Francophiles dream of heaven, maybe it resembles this:
Isn’t it sumptuous with its paneled walls, herringbone floors, and stone fireplace?
Redecorated Living Room
I admire this version too, and the French stone fireplace (Chateau Domingue) is breathtaking!
What do you think about the playful scale of objects on the mantel?
Modern French Morning Room
I can imagine reading, working, and enjoying the light in this room!
Hall & Family Room
There is a monastic feel and a sense of gentle grandeur in these spaces.
Front Door
Real working shutters add such authenticity and fine detail to this home.
Exquisite Staircase in Architecturally Magnificent Texas Home
Plaster steps feel so refined and palatial with a delicate iron handrail! I could stare all day.
The lantern and trim around door also contribute to the purity of design.
The wood flooring has developed such incredible patina after possibly hundreds of years.
Bedrooms by the Designer
There’s a romance and femininity that creates a lovely tension with so many other rustic design elements.
For longtime fans of MILIEU, this image may feel familiar from an early issue.
Monochromatic Magnifique Moment
White roses are a signature for Pierce, and they show up in collected antique jars, earthenware and pots.
Such a memorable and pretty French moment with its refinement, curves, and collection of old.
Powder Room
Unlacquered brass and touches of gilt also frequently appear in the designs that age so gracefully.
Who could say what year or decade or century a space such as the one above was created?
Family Room in Reagan Andre Montrose Home
I suppose there’s lofty, and then there’s…
oh la la, lofty!
Framed Botanicals in Hall
With so much restraint in the color stories, it’s exciting to see color appear. Nature is always the best artist of all since no color mistakes are ever made.
And isn’t the stone floor warm and sunny like the South of France? Here’s another glimpse of the trees in autumn:
Pamela Pierce’s own Houston kitchen is also a work of art.
More stone floors (Chateau Domingue) create such an identity that grounds this modern French and European luxe feel. See this story which tours Chateau Domingue’s proprietor Ruth Gay’s stunning home too!
Cozy Opulence & Warm European Luxury
It’s such a rare treat to see her design work published so I never take a single peek for granted.
What I have learned about the evolution of her personal home is how natural the changes look and feel since the palette remains essentially true and consistent. Over the years, she has grown more fond of modern twists and edgier looks.
She explained to Veranda:
“I got tired of gathered skirts and gray paint. I wanted to show my clients that you can mix good contemporary pieces with antiques. I certainly still love my antiques, and for me an entire house with contemporary is too cold. I love the mix.”
I love the modernity and fresh, gallery-like mood, but I also appreciate her earlier romantic and pretty yet not too precious allure.
When objects, art, furnishings, and decorations can be moved around for a freshened look and still work beautifully together, you know you’re on to something.
And it’s less about a signature style than a singular confidence and self-knowledge.
It is about wanting what you have more than having what you want.
That distinction changes the game!
Even if what we HAVE is little…
…it becomes much!
Don’t miss this renovation of a French chateau!
If you are in the mood for more timeless design – make sure you don’t miss THIS!
p.s. Ever imagine the little fairy behind this blog leading a glamorous life resembling images above? Because when I posted this a year ago, the day’s agenda included power-washing the white exterior of a neglected tiny house we had just purchased and schlepping FB Marketplace finds for the interiors. A year later, here I am painting a console table I may use in the entry of our next project house and stalking FB Marketplace again! It is never boring here!
I independently selected products in this post—if you buy from one of my links, I may earn a commission.
Peace to you right where you are.
-michele
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Thanks for the treat today Michele! Pamela’s rooms are so perfectly edited and put together in such a way that it seems effortless! I love the exteriors of these homes also with unfussy landscaping and gravel walkways. Hope you have a beautiful weekend!
xo
Holly
Author
Thanks so much for reading, Holly. Her work inspires me so much. 🙂
You beat old furniture pieces with authentic patina to add that just right touch to a home like in the above pictures! I scored @ an estate sale …finding a small chippy brown painted handmade desk with lots of little cubby holes and a rustic green handmade cupboard with old screened doors that have holes in the screen! The seller knew the man who had made both pieces! I love these two treasures and the green cupboard in the kitchen gets THE most compliments. The desk fits perfectly between the fridge & the door out to the covered porch. I had been wanting a couple pieces like this…Only paid $87.50 for each! I was just running errands and passed the estate sale sign & decided to turn around & go back to follow the sign …so thankful I did!
Author
Those are incredible finds! How incredible that it works in a place that makes sense for your lifestyle. It’s so gratifying to live with quality made things. I am bargain hunting daily now as I try to pull the new place together. Wait until you see the chandelier which may go in the breakfast nook. It’s a piece of art. Definitely one of my best finds ever. The hard part is when you love a rustic look as I do, yet your home’s architecture demands more refined, classic lines. This biz is definitely not for the timid! What I am trying to do is simply stay true to myself and Frenchy sensibilities. The house tells me what it wants, and I listen, but I am also interested in a mix even if it is a bit provocative and quirky. There are so many snarky bloggers out there who rattle off a laundry list of rules, and I’d rather be a rule breaker. Like Leanne Ford, I really am a believer in imperfect beauty so nicks and age and distress and wobbly are okay with me because they make all things more approachable and usable and alive. Wish we could go treasure hunting together, Amy! 🙂
I’m excited to see your chandelier find!! I’m all about things that are works of art🤗I’m with you (& Leanne) all the way on breaking the rules & having a mix of decor & definitely some quirky mixed in for good measure!! That makes for such a more inviting, interesting, non cookie-cutter environment! Who wants the same look you see EVERYWHERE…not me! I hope we can go treasure hunting together one day!! There’s lots of great places for that down here🤗Looking forward to seeing the progress y’all are making on the new house. But don’t feel pressured…I know it all takes so much time. Enjoy the creative process and teamwork with the hubs!
Author
I am seeing another road trip to the South in my future – so wouldn’t that be lovely to meet!?! I am eager to see the progress we’re making on the house too. Hahahaha. So many headaches and sore backs and even frequent ‘what the h did we even do, honey?’. It’s hard work, but I remember feeling these same things in 2015 in the throes of that fixer project. So I’m sure we will work out the kinks. You try to bring experience and confidence to each new project, but houses are quirky and there are always curveballs. A vacation will do us good, and there’s a chance his schedule will open up in a few weeks so there may be hope!
YES!!
*can’t beat
Author
🙂 *sometimes you do need to beat old furniture pieces to help their patina along
Hahaha! Yes…that’s exactly what I meant! That’s funny! 😆😂
Author
🙂
Hello! What a beautiful space! I’m currently working on my powder room and wanted to know if the faucet they have is hot/cold and where they got it? Thank you!
Author
Hi Jan. It looks like a Lefroy Brooks single classic cloakroom basin tap – see this: https://uk.lefroybrooks.com/classic-basin-taps/lbx-1135. From there, you may be able to establish the specs on it. Let me know if this helps. 🙂
Does anyone know if the four floor lamps in the living room are battery powered? I don’t see any cords going to the walls.
Author
Could the outlets be in the floor? I have also been seeing battery operated light bulbs (so no electricity required), but not sure if you can get warm light: https://rstyle.me/+k5N_eZyt09nuKg_boes6Eg