Rottet Studio Redefines Multifamily Design In River Oaks, Texas

Interior Design Hall of Fame member Lauren Rottet—founding principal of Rottet Studio, which ranks 86th on our 100 Giants list—is best known for ultra-high-end residential projects, such as the recently completed 98-story Central Park Tower in New York. But when she was approached to work her magic on the interiors of Rone Residences—a 12-story rental-apartment building by Ziegler Cooper Architects with a much tighter budget that also happens to be close to her home in the Houston enclave of River Oaks—Rottet gladly accepted the opportunity because she firmly believes that “design is for everyone.”

Comprising 209 one- to three-bedroom units, the Trammell Crow Company development targets two key demographics: older River Oaks residents wishing to downsize without leaving the neighborhood, and younger upandcomers who want to live in the affluent area but aren’t quite ready for a mansion. The building is located on Westheimer Road, a historic thoroughfare that runs from downtown through some of the city’s liveliest districts. “It’s the most walkable urban street in Houston,” reports Rottet Studio principal Chris Evans, who grew up in the area. To all involved, it was imperative that whatever rose on the prominent corner site fit within its context. “White and black brick were chosen for the exterior finishes to match the neighborhood’s vernacular, integrating the residences into the fabric of River Oaks,” notes ZCA founder and principal Scott Ziegler.

Rottet Studio Creates An Amenity-Rich Rental Apartment Building

The vitality of Westheimer informed the building in other ways as well. While most residential developments in Houston “turn their back to the street,” Evans observes, “this one was a really unique opportunity to focus toward it.” Floor-to-ceiling glass wraps the first two stories of the major corner, connecting the interior to the property’s landscaping and the neighborhood scene beyond—“providing an intriguing and inviting space for the community to gather,” Ziegler explains. Ditto the double-height lobby, where a series of arched openings forms a grand enfilade of communal spaces parallel to the avenue. A double-sided fireplace bifurcates a lounge area furnished with comfortable seating from which tenants can watch the street life through enormous windows. “We created a lot of nooks and crannies,” Evans says, “so residents can enjoy the public sphere but also have their own space within it.”

In an unexpected but surprisingly compelling move, Rottet merges the lounge area with the mail room—an adjacent space defined by two freestanding cruciform structures sheathed in oak veneer that house the mailboxes. If these volumes have architectural heft, it’s because the team took cues from Houston’s Byzantine Fresco Chapel—a purpose-built gallery at the nearby Menil Collection that once housed 13th-century church frescoes—to create scaled-down interpretations of its vaulted forms. The striking repositories lend an ecclesiastical flourish to a utilitarian space that, Evans acknowledges, “is usually so boring,” even if it often serves as a meet-cute location in rom-coms. “We love the notion of these being somewhat like a set design,” he concurs.

Artful Accents And A Neutral Palette Create An Inviting Atmosphere

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The proximity of the Menil campus—along with memories of the oncefamed Westheimer Road Street Festival, “a great, vibrant, outofcontrol street party,” Evans recalls from his childhood—prompted the curation of bold artworks throughout the communal spaces. These include Joe Davidson’s constellation of gilded cast-metal rosettes bespangling the wall behind the reception desk and David Hardaker’s painting of rainbow-hued concentric circles hanging above the fireplace—all of them adding bursts of color and shimmer to the otherwise understated palette.

On the floor above, additional common spaces cater to a variety of needs. The central area of the coworking lounge accommodates informal gatherings, while the room’s glasswalled perimeter is lined with study alcoves reminiscent of library carrels. Screened by oak partitions and acoustic separators, the daylight flooded desks allow residents to work in a public setting while still enjoying a sense of privacy. A broad corridor—flanked by a pair of small conference rooms on one side and barheight work counters overlooking an atrium on the other—leads to multifunctional areas where residents can mingle, whether they choose to interact or not. “There’s a saying we use a lot in hotels: alone, together,” says Rottet, “and I think these spaces do that so well.”

Expanding on Rottet’s point, Evans suggests that the way the volumes on both levels unfold one after another is cinematic—specifically evoking the lateral tracking sequences that define the movies of fellow Houston native Wes Anderson. He sees the layout as “a diorama of various spaces,” capable of hosting multiple activities simultaneously. That vision is epitomized by a suite of amenity spaces on the fourth floor, where a group can watch the playoffs in the media room while a couple takes a turn at the nearby billiards table, neighbors catch up over coffee in the selfservice café, and a committee meets by the lounge fireplace overlooking the outdoor pool deck. “It gave us an opportunity to create spaces for different activities, but to have them all together,” Evans reiterates.

Rottet Studio also selected the finishes for the apartment interiors, continuing the neutral palette so renters can layer in their own furniture—whether new contemporary pieces or antiques from their former River Oaks homes. Model apartments feature sculptural yet comfortable furniture with statement brass lighting to add touches of drama. ZCA took great care with the building’s bones, ensuring that natural light, pleasing proportions, and smooth connections were all considered. “If you took every finish out, the spaces would still be beautiful,” Rottet acknowledges. Working to a stricter budget than usual for her studio meant that “everything becomes thoughtful.” Though aimed at democratizing design for the rental market, the “Lamborghini and Ferrari convention” she recalls parked out front suggests that Rone Residences fit right into the tony neighborhood.

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PROJECT TEAM
JEFF HORNING; MARQUEZ COLBY; KEERTHANAASREE PARANTHAMAN; SHAOFANG XUE; ALLISON GRIEB; TAYLOR MOCK; HANNAH RAE; MARIAH BURAS; ANNA HOLICK; STEPHEN DAHMANN: ROTTET STUDIO. JIM ZEMSKI; DONALD HICKEY; BAILEY WACHOWSKI: ZIEGLER COOPER ARCHITECTS. LUM LIGHTING DESIGN: LIGHTING CONSULTANT. KW LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS: LANDSCAPE CONSULTANT. VSM2: STRUCTURAL ENGINEER. KIMLEY-HORN: CIVIL ENGINEER. JORDAN & SKALA ENGINEERS: MEP. HOAR CONSTRUCTION: GENERAL CONTRACTOR.

PRODUCT SOURCES FROM FRONT
PROSTORIA: SOFA (COWORKING). &TRADITION: TASK CHAIR. ROTTET COLLECTION: SIDE TABLE (COWORKING), CLUB CHAIR (LOBBY LOUNGE), TRAY (SKY LOUNGE). FOUR HANDS: ARMCHAIR, COFFEE TABLES, OTTOMANS (COWORKING), SIDE CHAIRS (STUDY), ARMCHAIRS (MEDIA ROOM), COFFEE TABLE (LIVING ROOM), DINING CHAIRS (DINING ROOM). BLU DOT: WALNUT SIDE TABLE (COWORKING), GLASS SIDE TABLE (MEDIA ROOM). EGE CARPETS: CARPET (COWORKING, CORRIDOR). GUBI: COFFEE TABLE (LOBBY LOUNGE). MADE GOODS: CONSOLE. ART + LOOM: RUG. HEINE’S CUSTOM DRAPERIES: CURTAINS. HTXMADE: CUSTOM SECTIONAL (LOBBY LOUNGE), CUSTOM TABLE (DINING ROOM). BERNHARDT HOSPITALITY: SIDE TABLE (LOBBY LOUNGE), ROUND TABLE (ROTUNDA), COCKTAIL TABLE (LIVING ROOM). CARNEGIE FABRICS: WALLCOVERING (RECEPTION). VISUAL COMFORT & CO.: SCONCE. WEST ELM: TABLES (STUDY), CONSOLE, ROUND CHANDELIER (LIVING ROOM), BENCHES (LIVING ROOM, BEDROOM), NIGHTSTAND (BEDROOM). ARHAUS: COFFEE TABLE (MEDIA ROOM). VERELLEN: SECTIONALS (MEDIA ROOM, AMENITY LOUNGE). SIENA: CARPET. DOC & HOLLIDAY: POOL TABLE (BILLIARD ROOM). CERNO: PENDANT FIXTURE. CB2: SIDE TABLES (ROTUNDA), SOFA (LIVING ROOM), FLOOR LAMPS (LIVING ROOM, BEDROOM), BED (BEDROOM). GLOBAL VIEWS: FLOOR LAMP (AMENITY LOUNGE). TOV FURNITURE: MARBLE SIDE TABLE. MAIDEN HOME: STOOLS (AMENITY LOUNGE), COFFEE TABLE (SKY LOUNGE). PENTA: PENDANT FIXTURES (CAFÉ). NUEVO: ARMCHAIR (LIVING ROOM). POTTERY BARN: SIDE TABLE. LOLOI RUGS: RUGS (LIVING ROOM, BEDROOM). SHOP: CUSTOM RUG (SKY LOUNGE). INTERLUDE HOME: BARSTOOLS (DINING ROOM). KATY SKELTON: PENDANT FIXTURE. REJUVENATION: TABLE LAMP (BEDROOM). THROUGHOUT KNOWN COLLECTION: WOOD FLOORING. THORNTREE SLATE: FLOOR TILE. BENJAMIN MOORE & CO.: PAINT.