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98 By Rebecca Sherman Masters of the Classical Vernacular Curtis & Windham's classically inspired architecture is rooted in history, style, and permanence. A new book from Rizzoli captures some of the Houston firm's most beautiful recent work — from River Oaks estates to charming rural retreats. beautiful one would come into view. "That's another Curtis & Windham house," his friend would say, nodding knowingly. That drive was one of Redd's earliest encounters with the celebrated Houston architecture firm — and a moment he recalls in the foreword to Building on Tradition, a new monograph on the firm's work, out this month from Rizzoli ($65). Redd would go on to collaborate with Curtis & Windham on the interiors for Good Thyme Farm, a family farmhouse in Bellville, about an hour west of Houston. His interest in the firm had been sparked when he was introduced to their work by fellow architect Gil Schafer, a mutual friend whose unusually effusive praise caught the New York–based designer's attention. In the book, he recalls how his admiration grew as he came to recognize the firm's fluency across architectural styles. Founded by William Curtis and Russell Windham in 1992, the firm is celebrated for its ability to work across classical vernaculars, designing homes that are tailored to both their clients and their environs. "The thing about Bill and Russell," he writes, "which is so clearly evidenced by this book, is that they are up for anything as long as it is done with style." Building on Tradition showcases the breadth of Curtis & Windham's most recent work, from grand estates to pastoral retreats and inventive outbuildings. Written by Bill Curtis' daughter, Lucy McEacharn Curtis, with an introduction by architect and historian Mark Alan Hewitt, the book offers a sweeping look at their portfolio. Highlights include the richly detailed Piping Rock House, a classical white- brick-and-stucco residence designed for entertaining, where guests enter on the upper floor for cocktails and descend to the main level for dinner; a Mediterranean-style villa with plaster walls, stone floors, and weathered wood that evoke warmth and old-world charm; and the restoration of Homewood House, a modernist landmark Y ears ago, while designer Miles Redd was designing a project in Houston, he found himself driving through River Oaks with a friend, admiring the houses. He recalls an evocative scene, with streets draped in Spanish moss and lined with architectural jewels — black-and-white Hollywood Regency, limestone Louis XVI, mid-century minimalist — all just a stone's throw from one another. Every so often, a particularly Wallisville Farm's orangerie-like pavilion was designed by Curtis & Windham to blend with the property's existing Victorian-era house. SHADE DEGGES