BY DIANE COWEN PHOTOGRAPHY BY RAME HRUSKA
LEFT: A MOROSO LOWLAND SOFA BY PATRICIA URQUIOLA RESTS OPPOSITE A PAIR OF RONAN & ERWAN BOUROULLEC CHAIRS AND OTTOMANS, ALL ATOP A HANDMADE WOOL SHAG NEST RUG BY DESIGN WITHIN REACH IN THE HRUSKAS’ HOME.
TOP: INTEXURE ARCHITECTS RAME AND RUSSELL HRUSKA’S HOUSE IS PART OF A CLUSTER OF MODERN HOMES IN MUSEUM PARK.
Rame and Russell Hruska stand on a concrete slab over a koi pond in their front yard, explaining the details of their surroundings. An elaborate system collects rainwater — there’s an underground storage tank with 1,500 gallons of it — and a bog, filled with philodendrons and other plants, keeps the water filtered and crystal clear. Near the front door are foxtail ferns and society garlic, and across the way is a line of narrow sweetgum trees they hope will soon be in full fall color. The orange-and-white goldfish dart back and forth in the water, but, as the Hruskas tell it, their two sons aren’t interested. “They say they want pets with lungs,” Russell Hruska said.
THE KITCHEN HAS SLEEK POGGENPOHL CABINETRY IN NATURAL ASH VENEER THAT OPENS WITH A SIMPLE TOUCH.
Back inside, the Hruskas — together they own Intexure Architects, located next door — talk about the home they have dubbed the Tripartite House.
“The first floor looks outward, to the community and the street,” Rame Hruska explained. “The second floor looks inward, focusing on privacy; and the third floor focuses upward, to the sky.”
Like other homes of modern design, their Tripartite House is a combination of boxes and planes, inside and out. Their palette of materials reflects nature, and thoughtfully placed windows bring in natural light and beautiful views.
Set in Museum Park, within walking distance of Hermann Park, the house is part of a double block of modern homes the Hruskas designed and built.
“This area of town is truly the heart of where to be,” Russell Hruska said.
Theirs was one of the later homes to go up, and the couple and their two young sons lived in space above their studio and offices that they built in 2006.
As their business took up more space there, the Hruskas downsized, until the four of them were living in just 650 square feet, or as Russell Hruska called it: “Tokyo style.”
The couple, whose sons are 4 and 8 years old, has been married 17 years. The University of Houston grads met at a “Blueprint Ball” held by its School of Architecture. He was there as an alumnus and was dateless. She was volunteering at the dance and was at UH earning a master’s degree in architecture.
He noticed her but knew she was a student and thought she’d be too young. When he learned she was a graduate student, his shyness faded away.
Russell Hruska is a fourth-generation Houstonian and is fully invested in UH. He’s on the alumnae board now and is past president of the School of Architecture alumnae board. Living just five minutes from campus, the couple attends most sporting events there.
‘Highly curated’ space
Early in their marriage, each move to a new home somehow ended up with the couple having less space rather than more.
When they were in what little living space was left at Intexure, they called it a “highly curated” environment, buying only what they needed and keeping it organized and tidy.
“We experienced what it meant to live in a small space and having every detail planned. We edited what we had to fit in that space,” Rame Hruska said. “We have an amazing amount of storage now, but we took that lesson forward in a way that’s effective for what we need, not just accumulating stuff. It’s about having the right amount of space in the right place.”
A year ago, they moved into their current 4,400-square-foot modern design home, in a neighborhood that’s a mix of new and old — some homes there date to the 1920s.
ONE WALL OF THE LIVING ROOM WAS GIVEN TEXTURE BY POURING CONCRETE INTO A FORM MADE OF WOOD PLANKS. THE CUSTOM FIREPLACE EMITS A LINEAR FLAME.
THE BREAKFAST NOOK, FRAMED BY A BESPOKE STEEL WINDOW CASE THAT DOUBLES AS A BENCH, OFFERS A WIDE VIEW OF THE OUTDOORS. THE TABLE AND CHAIRS ARE MAGIS.
Their Tripartite House is a culmination of the best of both of their skills. They designed it together, but Russell was in charge of construction and Rame took control of interior design.
Its palette is neutral, a mix of steel, concrete, wood and natural stone tile. There are more elegant parts, such as Poggenpohl cabinetry that opens upward with a light touch and Hansgrohe plumbing fixtures that sparkle like bathroom jewelry.
In various parts of the house, including a prominent place in the living room, wood was used as forms for pouring a concrete wall. So its faux bois look is actually a natural impression, or memory, of the wood.
Raw steel surrounds a modern design fireplace, and a steel support beam was left bare as a reminder of the authenticity of building materials in modern homes.
RIGHT: A THIRD-FLOOR ROOM WITH AN ALBERTA SOFA AND POUFS LOOKS OUT ONTO A PATIO AND SERVES AS SPACE FOR ENTERTAINING.
BELOW: BRIGHT, PLAYFUL COLORS ADD ENERGY TO THE SONS’ ROOMS.
RIGHT: BATS THAT MIGRATE NIGHTLY FROM UNDER THE WAUGH DRIVE BRIDGE OFTEN FLY OVER THE HRUSKA’S THIRD-FLOOR PATIO, OUTFITTED WITH MAGIS PUPPIES AND FURNITURE BY KARTEL AND QUINZE & MILAN.
MIDDLE RIGHT: BAMBOO ON THE BALCONY ADDS PRIVACY TO THE MASTER BATHROOM, WHICH FEATURES A DURAVIT TUB AND HANSGROHE AXOR FAUCETRY.
FAR RIGHT: SOMEDAY, THIS ROOM WILL BE A LIBRARY, BUT FOR NOW THEIR SONS CLAIM IT AS THEIR PLAYROOM. TOYS ARE STORED IN A GRAY CABINET THAT ALSO SERVES AS A ROOM DIVIDER; THE STOOLS ARE MOOOI BY MARCEL WANDERS, WITH VITRA PANTON CHAIRS.
Their living room blends into the dining area and kitchen in one fell swoop, with lighting, rugs and a partition wall as visual identification that they’ve moved from one space to another. Future needs in mind
More personal space is on the second floor, with bedrooms and bathrooms as well as a media room and play space in between.
A toy table in the center is flanked by a tall bookcase with sliding doors. For their older son, the space also has become a place to do homework. Someday this room will be a library, and that cabinet, currently filled with crates of toys, will be lined with books for grown-ups.
The media room is filled with scrunchy Michel Ducaroy seating, but the Hruskas imagine that, as their boys get older, it will become a game room.
Though bedroom spaces are simple and pared down, the accompanying bathroom spaces are more luxurious.
The boys’ bedrooms are mirrors of each other: One is blue with a little green, the other is green with a little blue. And each has his own full bathroom. (They won’t be little boys forever.)
A bamboo-lined balcony looks into the master bathroom, where modern faucets and sloped sinks are their own work of art. A curvy tub sits in front of a gleaming glass-tile wall.
The fun stuff
Their home’s third story comes in two parts, both meant for fun. A secret staircase — tap a second-floor wall and it opens right up — leads to a room filled with light from a skylight. Initially it was a room where Rame Hruska made jewelry, but as her sons’ needs changed, they took it over. This is where they keep their vast Lego collection, and no one minds if they’re less than tidy.
The other section is accessible from another, visible, staircase that leads to a media room that can transition to a bedroom if needed. For now, it’s a place where they hold parties, as it opens to a rooftop patio where they’ve hosted 90 people or more for a dinner party.
From this space, they can watch Fourth of July fireworks or the evening swarm of bats that fly out from under the Waugh Drive bridge.
There’s patio space on the ground floor, too, and a concrete fire pit they use when the weather cools down.
Their older son recently celebrated a birthday, and the backyard was filled with his pals, their parents and a few others who just wanted to join the fun.
The Hruskas had rented a projector to show “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” on the side of their home, 30 feet tall and 40 feet wide.
“It was really like being at a drive-in,” Rame Hruska said.
RIGHT: THE HRUSKAS’ MODERN HOME FITS NICELY INTO A NEIGHBORHOOD WITH A MIX OF OLDER HOMES AND NEW CONSTRUCTION.