New York City design architect Stephen Alastair Wanta, AIA, principal of Wanta-Architect PLLC, has always “been interested in architecture as language, including the whole realm of styles from quite historical to quite modern.” The quintessential Victorian house represented the historical, and “the client wanted the new parts to be modern.” Wanta worked on the project with consulting architectural firm French & Michigan, and Calvetti & Associates Professional Engineers Inc., both of San Antonio.
Starting with a “really run down existing house,” new additions were built on the footprints of some razed ill-fitting additions in the 1980s, along with a new foundation, rewiring and replumbing. The original 1,760 square feet (“not including the attic or the demolished additions”) was enlarged by 1,285 square feet, which included a new dining room and den plus a floor above in a two-story addition that was dubbed “the tower.” They kept the original pine floors and installed gas inserts by Exotic Flames for the fireplaces. The exterior siding is painted in Sherwin-Williams® Shark Blue with trim in Techno Gray. Wanta describes the house as “Janus-like, with a face to the street and a face to the San Antonio River.”
As for the rest of the compound, the “new parts” — also known as “everything else” — were never going to be in the style of the original Victorian, says Wanta. “That choice was deliberate. People can look at something new that’s trying to look old and know that it’s new.” Wanta sidestepped all of that by going straight to modern for the industrial buildings that complete the property.
Inside the two-story loft-like 1,580-square-foot guest house are gorgeous floors of wide plank walnut from Oregon, bleached to a lighter color. The second-floor dining room table is lit overhead by a Restoration Hardware “Kinetic” fixture. Across from that is the kitchen with appliances by Samsung® and countertops by Delta Granite & Marble in San Antonio. The stone backsplash in Zabrano vein cut marble is by Artistic Tile. Wall paint is Sherwin-Williams® Mink, and all trim is Gray Matters.
One of the most dazzling areas on the property is the bright and spacious glass studio on the second floor of the 1,390-square-foot garage/studio building, where one of the homeowners works as a professional glass artist. The floor is 12 x 24 porcelain tiles to withstand the heat of the glass from the on-site kilns. Expanses of Andersen® Windows from Allen and Allen Co. in San Antonio let in endless natural light. Skylights from Skylights over Texas in San Antonio are organized to wash light down the walls to show off finished pieces in a row of natural spotlights.
Downstairs, the pool house doubles as a home office, with flooring of Lueders stone pavers from Continental Quarries Inc. in Lueders, Texas. The outdoor kitchen and bar features a custom barbecue by French & Michigan. Exterior lighting is by Kichler® Lighting. The pool is by Keith Zars Pools of San Antonio.
Interesting twist: “Originally the new buildings were going to be vertical corrugated metal with a dark grey finish. But in the text of the submission to the King William Association, they noticed the words ‘metal siding.’” Wanta changed to board and batten, but reversed the order: “We applied a batten to the house and then applied a wider vertical panel to the back. Then I did a random-width pattern of exterior hardwood which actually repeats about every six feet or so.” Paint colors were selected to complement the main house: Exterior siding and trim of the guest house and the garage/studio are painted in Sherwin-Williams® Web Gray; undersides are Sherwin-Williams® Porch Ceiling.
The sleek, multi-unit dwelling has become something of a family compound, says Wanta, with members enjoying peace, privacy and convenience while still having plenty of space to live, work and play together. Sidewalks and pavers flow naturally to connect the buildings, while outside staircases provide easy entry without having to go indoors. The homeowners, their family and visitors love it, says Wanta. “As the project evolved, more and more the program became clearer in the homeowners’ minds that this was a great setup.”
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