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    Top Homes

    Houston's 10 most expensive homes sold in 2016 include two $10 million stunners

    Clifford Pugh
    Jan 30, 2017 | 5:50 am

    Despite falling oil prices and energy industry layoffs in 2016, the Houston housing market held steady and set a new record for home sales. While homes over $500,000 and up experienced declining sales through October, they ticked up with double-digit sales increases in the final two months of the year, the Houston Association of Realtors reports. Two mansions sold for more than $10 million and the cheapest home in the Top 10 sold for more than $5 million.

    The Top 10 most expensive homes sold over the year were located, not surprisingly, in the exclusive areas of River Oaks, The Woodlands and Memorial. They include the following (with descriptions from the HAR listings for each):

    1) 527 Buckingham Drive, Houston, 77024

    Sold for: $10,000,001 or greater

    Sold by: Timothy Shanahan, Martha Turner Sotheby's International Realty

    Description: This impressive Norman French-style estate, clad in Leuders Shasta-Blend stone, offers exceptional style, gorgeous rare finishes, and comprehensive cutting-edge Crestron whole-house technology that makes living in this 17,500-plus sq/ft home exceptionally luxurious. Separate 1,123 sq/ft full guest quarters located above garage. Designed by Ed Eubanks and constructed by Texana Builders on 1.3 acres, the residence was built to exacting requirements and required four years to reach completion in 2014.

    2) 3688 Willowick Road, Houston, 77019

    Sold for: $10,000,001 or greater

    Sold by: Pene Moore, Martha Turner Sotheby's International Realty

    Description: Bayou Breeze, an exceptional River Oaks estate on a 3.7 acre bayou lot. This magnificent English country home designed by Curtis & Windham must be seen to be believed. The interiors were superbly appointed by New York interior designer Bunny Williams. This home has it all — antique wood floors, elevator to all three floors, wine cellar with dining area, media room, separate guest house, 2-bedroom apartment over garage, pool and pool cabana, putting green, and stunning garden views from every window.

    3) 88 Grand Regency Circle, The Woodlands, 77382

    Sold for: $6,767,001 - $7,805,000

    Sold by:Debbie Coleman Ratcliff, Coleman Realty

    Description: Designed for Grand Scale entertaining and family living, 21/bedroom, full kitchen apartments, pool house, 3 elevators, 12 fireplaces, 18 baths, catering kitchen w/walk in cooler & much more. Carlton Woods is an exclusive gated golf course community.

    4) 15 Grand Regency Circle, The Woodlands, 77382

    Price: $6,767,001 - $7,805,000

    Sold by: Beth Ferester, Beth Ferester & Company, Coldwell Banker United, Realtors- The Woodlands

    Description: One of the most revered signature estates in Carlton Woods is on the ninth hole of the Nicklaus Course at 15 Grand Regency. This spectacular home features the amenities of a fine resort. It has full views of the 9th and 18th holes, the lake and the CW Clubhouse. Other amenities include a two story guest house, a golf house, and over 17,000 square feet of amazing spaces and over 3000 square feet of outdoor spaces. Surrounded by a stone wall and gated.

    5) 3311 Del Monte, Houston, 77019

    Sold for: $6,767,001 - $7,805,000

    Sold by: Cathy Blum, Greenwood King Properties - Kirby office

    Description: Understated elegance best describes this magnificent Country French home on beautifully landscaped grounds. Sitting pretty on 1+ acres (HCAD) on the corner of River Oaks Blvd., this home was designed by Joseph Finger in 1937 (HCAD) and has been lovingly restored* by the current owners. High ceilings/limestone and wood flooring, metal windows and doors, crown molding/terraces/gardens/guest house/pool. A warm family home that entertains beautifully. *=Per Seller

    6) 5442 Tupper Lake Drive, Houston, 77056

    Price: $5,864,001 - $6,767,000

    Sold by: Ruth Porterfield, Martha Turner Sotheby's International Realty

    Description: Refined Santa Barbara-style home custom-built with Segreto plaster and hand-scraped mahogany floors, moldings, doors, beams throughout; hand- chiseled, honed limestone floors; soaring ceilings; trompe l oeil; professionally-equipped open kitchen; 5 fireplaces; 1st-floor master with library, bedroom with fireplace, bathroom with zero-edge sinks, Jason tub, steam shower, custom closets; guest/staff apt.; pool + large yard. En suite bedrooms, gameroom, finished 3rd floor, Crestron/Lutron systems.

    7)  59 Tiel Way, Houston, 77019

    Sold for: $5,864,001 - $6,767,000

    Sold by:Clayton Katz, John Daugherty Realtors

    Description: Robert Dame-designed French traditional on a Tiel Way ravine lot. Soaring ceilings and beautiful wooded views from towering iron windows. This private estate features 5 bedrooms, separate traditional and catering kitchens, lofty master retreat with a vaulted beamed ceiling, wine room, elegant library and dining spaces, loggia, elevator capable, and theatre amongst other amenities. The home is designed with the outdoors in mind and offers some of the most private and breathtaking views.

    8) 3744 Willowick Road, Houston, 77019

    Sold for: $5,081,001 - $5,864,000

    Sold by: Maxine Davis, Maxine Davis Properties

    Description: This very remarkable River Oaks home that features fabulous room sizes and a family room with a beautiful view of the outside that makes you feel you are in the woods. The master bedroom has a fireplace and a large walk-in closet. There are five more bedrooms and a beautiful backyard. This home also features a gated motor-court with three car garage and quarters. Truly a very special home in a unique location that is great for entertaining!

    9) 2 East Rivercrest Drive, Houston, 77042

    Sold for: $5,081,001 - $5,864,000

    Sold by: Diane Kingshill, ​Martha Turner ​Sotheby's International Realty

    Description: Secluded within 3.5+ acres in exclusive Rivercrest Estates,this ultra-luxurious Mediterranean-style estate offers living on a palatial scale. The walled compound includes a 7 bedroom main house, 4 bedroom guest house, and a professional sports complex with indoor basketball court, pro-equipped gym, and hydrotherapy immersion tanks. Outdoor amenities include a putting/chipping green, water well, motor court, resort pool. Interiors by Reihl Designs, Palm Beach.

    10) 3725 Del Monte Drive, Houston, 77019

    Sold for: $5,081,001 - $5,864,000

    Sold by: Jay Monroe, Martha Turner Sotheby's International Realty

    Description:Mirador Builders' Jennifer Hamelet brings you her finest River Oaks work yet. This light filled, idyllic home, set just off Del Monte Park, artfully weds American vernacular architecture with clean simple lines to produce striking and inspirational spaces. The timeless quality of her finishes include walnut floors, iron and glass doors and windows, reclaimed brick fireplaces, antique and modern iron chandeliers and mirrors, Calacatta and leathered soapstone counters. Walnut elevator. Beautifully landscaped.

    This home at 527 Buckingham Drive sold for more than $10 million.

    527 Buckingham Drive Houston
      
    Photo courtesy of HAR
    This home at 527 Buckingham Drive sold for more than $10 million.
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    news/home-design
    news/real-estate

    Design oasis in River Oaks

    2 Austin design darlings team up for new Houston showrooms

    Emily Cotton
    Jun 13, 2025 | 1:22 pm
    Canvas Showroom
    Photo by Lindsey Brown
    Browse exclusive sustainable products curated by the team at Canvas.

    As Houston continues to see its star rise in the world of design, the onetime cliched notion that creatives simply must flock to Austin to obtain any street cred is beginning to shift. While some still consider the capital of Texas to be the epitome of cool, the pendulum swing to the east represents a well-deserved acknowledgment of the award-winning work being done in the Bayou City. And what better proof of this than two Austin design staples, Canvas Showroom and J&L Hardware, opening locations in River Oaks.

    The newly-refurbished shared space is a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it trade-only building nestled amongst a nest of warehouse spaces and a scuba shop, and yet, it is truly a design oasis. Houston favorite Thompson + Hanson created the landscaping, which includes a variety of pollinator-attracting plants on the exterior and an impressively-sized olive tree in the enclosed, European-style courtyard dividing the Canvas and J&L Hardware showrooms. Dramatic, yet understated, the courtyard sets the tone for the artisanal magic found inside.

    Interior designer and Houston native Christina Cole first opened her trade-only Austin stalwart, Canvas Showroom, in 2019. Since that time, the showroom has become a must-stop-and-shop for her meticulously-curated artisanal textiles, furnishings, and more. The new River Oaks showroom is shared with Austin neighbor and fellow trade-only showroom J&L Hardware, and both promise personalized service, expert consultations, and access to exclusive products that embody artistry and functionality.

    Husband-and-wife team Josh and Naleah Rygs founded Austin-based J&L Hardware in 2015 and have since introduced an abundance of exclusive European plumbing and hardware lines to Texas. The J&L space is a remarkable reflection of Naleah Rygs: elegant, sophisticated, timeless, and warmly approachable. Garishly-branded placards are absent here, replaced by a gallery of nondescript fixtures in every finish imaginable. Guests of Miraval Resort & Spa, The Hotel Albert, The Commodore Perry Estate, and more will be familiar with their work.

    Representing a curated selection of the world’s finest artisanal brands, J&L Hardware offers trade professionals access to collections from Volevatch, Nanz, Studio Ore, The Water Monopoly, Fantini, Armac Martin, Sun Valley Bronze, Samuel Heath, THG, Cocoon, Cea, Pruskin Hardware, Studio Bookmark, Toni Copenhagen, Watermark, Merit Metals, and more. That’s not to say that J&L overlook the mainstream, everyday brands as well.

    “We look at ourselves as a big box in a little box,” Naleah tells CultureMap. “Our heart is to allow for those [mainstream brands] to be foundational, then be able to layer in or customize big pieces here and there — I never want to tell someone ‘no.’”

    Prior to moving to Texas, Naleah had only lived in Los Angeles and NYC, and her taste reflects that: “I’m feeling highly influenced by the [Houston design] community,” she says. “I love their viewpoint on things. I love the things that they are focused on that are different. Houston might be a little more traditional, or have moments of it, and then it has moments of gorgeous modern. We are such a melting pot in this landscape, and I love international influences.”

    J&L Hardware is appointment only, allowing for design professionals to come in for personalized service and work without distractions. “This is just beautiful because we want for you to enjoy your time. We want you to feel comfortable and inspired — it’s just a different way to work. You want to feel like you really have a team supporting you, because our clients are the trade: your builder, your designer, or your architect. We are an extension of a team versus a shop to shop in; the trade is the synergy of our work,” she says.

    Just across the courtyard is where you’ll find Canvas. Fans of organic, sustainable living will be found flocking to this showroom, as it’s the core identity of Canvas. This jewel box showroom features a thoughtfully-curated mix of globally-sourced materials and objects, from innovative artisanal textiles by Anne Kirk, Inata Alpaca, Chapas, Designs of the Time, JG Switzer, and Karin Sajo; to textural rugs from Awanay, La Manufacture Cogolin, Miksi, and Van Ghent; as well as distinctive lighting, furniture, and decorative objects from Kaia Editions, Alinea Design Objects, Danny Kaplan, Fern, and more.

    “Houston felt like a natural choice for Canvas Showroom’s second location, not only because I grew up here, but because of the energy, creativity, and cultural depth that define the city,” Cole tells CultureMap. “Canvas was founded on the belief that luxury should feel inviting. We offer refined, exclusive furnishings with an approachable spirit, and that philosophy resonates with the most compelling aspects of Houston’s design culture. It’s a place where warmth and elegance go hand in hand.”

    Canvas distinguishes itself by offering small-batch, artisanal, handcrafted lines, making it especially appealing to a health-conscious clientele who prefer organic materials like cotton, wool, cactus, and nettle fiber materials.

    “If you have the appetite for it, we have the product for it,” says Canvas sales director Nick Lanni. “A lot of what we carry is sustainable, it’s natural, it’s organic. We don’t want off-gassing and terrible chemicals in your house.”

    Noting that the organic movement began with food and has slowly crept into the home industry, Lanni makes a compelling argument for sourcing from Canvas: “For centuries people have been using these very products to make things — it’s not brand new — but it’s brand new to modern times, where plastic is king.”

    Very big on “vibes,” Canvas curates lines that bring soul and a human touch to the market. Family sheep farms that hand craft felted wools, husband and wife ceramicists who make lighting fixtures, woodworkers’ hand hewn furnishings — these items carry on centuries of traditional crafts.

    “Someone’s soul is in it. They are putting their blood, sweat, and tears into it,” says Lanni. “All the product from here, someone has touched it to make it, and that’s really important when you’re putting together your home. You want the good energy, and when things are created with love, it’s just better.”

    Canvas Showroom
      

    Photo by Lindsey Brown

    Browse exclusive sustainable products curated by the team at Canvas.

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