Classical Architecture Goes Glam on AIA Home Tour: Go Inside One of Its Most Intriguing Projects

Julie Soefer
Classical Architecture Goes Glam on AIA Home Tour: Go Inside One of Its Most Intriguing Projects

THE UPCOMING AIA Houston Home Tour is always an anticipated fall event, a style showcase from some of the city’s best architects, designers and tastemakers. The two-day, self-guided tour includes several custom homes in the area that exhibit design excellence, innovative design solutions, and sustainable features.


One of the most unique projects on this year’s home tour, which takes place Nov. 2-3, is from Benjamin Johnston. The two-story Woodlands Heights home, dubbed Heights Regency, has a neoclassical elegance that reads timeless from the outside — but colorfully contemporary on the inside.

Greeting visitors is a Greek-columned atrium with a 16-foot-long skylight. The first floor is an entertainer’s paradise, while upstairs is a haven with several bedrooms. Classic, architectural details like herringbone floors, marble casings and paneling are countered by the boldly colorful and glamorously edgy furnishings; the pairing is deliberate and intriguing.

Outside, a lush courtyard garden and 55-foot lap pool lend a day-spa vibe to the urban manse. There’s also a fab outdoor kitchen — which is in addition to the property’s gorgeous main kitchen and catering kitchen.

"Heights Regency is a true jewel box," says Johnston of the project, . "Every element has been carefully considered to create a luxurious and inviting living experience. We are thrilled to share this project with the world."

Home + Real Estate

Lady Stephanie Kimbrell, Cory McGee, and Butler Studio artists, Ani Kushyan, Alissa Goretsky and Elizabeth Hanje (photo by Michelle Watson)

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Photo by Lynn Lane

HOUSTON GRAND OPERA’S second fall repertoire production is Gioachino Rossini’s Cinderella. The colorful, commedia dell'arte-inspired production opens Friday, Oct. 25, and stars Grammy Award-winning mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard — a breathtaking brunette beauty, even when doused in soot — in bel canto role of Angelina, known to her mean step-sisters as “Cenerentola.”

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