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Zengen Studio

House in Westlake Hills

A family home among old oaks, finished in earth-toned plaster and wood that will only get better with use.

Type
Residential
Location
Westlake Hills, Texas
Scope
Full interior renovation of a family home
Living room with terracotta plaster walls, a curved green velvet sofa, a travertine coffee table and wide oak floorboards, with oak trees beyond floor-to-ceiling windows

Plaster walls, reclaimed oak floors, solid timber, linen and wool

The house sits in a stand of mature oaks, and the brief was to bring that warmth inside without filling the rooms. We started with the walls: every main room is finished in tinted plaster, troweled by hand, so the colour has depth rather than sitting on the surface like paint.

The floors are wide reclaimed oak boards, oiled rather than lacquered. The dining table and joinery are solid timber, and the upholstery is chosen in greens that echo the trees outside the glass.

The palette is short on purpose: plaster, timber, stone, linen and wool. Each one can be cleaned, repaired or refinished, so the house can age with the family rather than needing to be redone.

Dining room. Plaster walls, a solid timber table and a paper lantern.

Tinted lime plaster, reclaimed timber, linen.

Kitchen with deep green cabinetry, a stone island and splashback, oak open shelves and fluted timber panelling

The main bedroom faces straight into the trees.

The house at dusk, under the oaks.

Built to last

Most of the house is plaster, oiled timber and stone: surfaces that can be patched, re-oiled or re-honed in place. The rooms are maintained over the years rather than refitted.

Materials and sourcing

What this project is made of, where it came from and why we chose it. Certifications are listed only where a product carries one.

  • Tinted plaster

    Why we chose it
    Hand-troweled walls where the colour has depth and movement. Plaster can be patched in place rather than stripped and repainted.

  • Reclaimed oak flooring

    Why we chose it
    Reuses timber that already exists, and an oiled finish can be renewed board by board.

  • Solid timber dining table and joinery

    Why we chose it
    Solid wood can be sanded and re-oiled for decades instead of replaced.

  • Natural stone

    Why we chose it
    A durable surface that lasts the life of the house and can be re-honed rather than replaced.

  • Linen bedding and wool rug

    Why we chose it
    Linen softens with washing and wool wears slowly, so both last for years.