WRITTEN BY: MEGAN ANN OSWALD PHOTOGRAPHED BY: BUTCH IRELAND After working for many clients in the area, Designer Kristina Wiggins knew exactly in which part of town she wanted to build her forever home. Located in an exclusive neighborhood in Midland, Kristina and her husband built their five-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bathroom home so they could take advantage of the beautiful west Texas sunrise and sunset from anywhere on the property. Because Kristina is an interior designer, she designed the layout and styling of her house to efficiently utilize every inch of space. Kristina wanted to create a home that wowed visitors when they walked up to the house, but also made them feel comfortable enough to explore inside and around the property. Combined into one large space, the kitchen, dining, and family rooms are brought together under a two-story ceiling with warehouse-style windows that allow natural light to come in from both sides of the room. Ornate wooden doors flank both ends of the area and stand out against the light cream walls. Black strapping holds each of the doors in place and adds a bit of contrast. In between the family room and the kitchen is the dining area, complete with a pair of matching dining tables. With the need to entertain large groups of people, Kristina divided the table space so that her family could still come together in a more intimate way around just one of the tables as needed. Each of the circular tables holds six place settings and complements the chandelier that hangs in the center of the room. The rich, wood tones of the chairs invite guests to sit down and stay for a meal.
Wanting a large gathering space, the living room leads straight into the galley-style kitchen featuring a large island. Natural wood elements are combined with soft linen fabrics. INTERIOR DESIGNER: KRISTINA LEIGH WIGGINS AUGUST 2018 29
Instead of a large banquet table, Kristina decided to split the space in the dining room and selected two large round tables.
The headboard in the master bedroom was constructed out of reclaimed wood found in Llano, Texas. Two industrial sidelights hang above the nightstands, perfect for reading before bed. A custom, rolled steel vent hood stands against the back wall of the kitchen and was one of the first design decisions that Kristina made for the home. Commissioned from Sarabi Studio out of Austin, the vent hood dominates the back wall of the kitchen and brings an edgy, industrial style to the rest of the space. The metal strappings stand in contrast to the brick, breaking up the visual line of sight from the living room. An oversized, bar-height island stands in the front of the kitchen providing plenty of seating space. The master bedroom is a calm retreat full of reclaimed barn wood and industrial details. Its clean and simple design complements the main areas of the home, drawing attention to the dark headboard and wooden accents on the ceiling. The bathroom suite is a neutral canvas of greys that provides a backdrop for the pristinely white, pedestal soaker tub. Sitting in the middle of the room, the soaker tub is backed by a glass-surround floorto-ceiling shower. Dark grey countertops pull the sophisticated look together, making this room more than just a place to get ready in the mornings. SEPTEMBER 2018 31
Located at the top of the stairwell, the home office is framed by two custom steel barn doors made by Sarabi Studio. A favorite feature of Kristina s, the steel shelving that lines the top of the office walls was also created by Sarabi Studio. I knew that I wanted to work with them from the start of the project. And she loves that their designs are found throughout the house. The ceiling in the office was a creative way for Kristina to put her collection of wood samples to good use. Sorting and piling, she came up with a layout that shows off each different piece within the entire work. Beautiful and classic, the children s room is a mixture of sweet golden tones and pastels. The hand-painted trim running along the top of the walls creates visual texture and draws from the patterns found in the custom bedding. Matching foot lockers in a peachy gold bring some of the industrial motifs into the room without seeming too harsh. Along with their bedrooms is an upstairs playroom where a kid can get lost for hours. Two wooden playhouses add to the setting and allow the children to move furniture and toys around to suit their needs. The floor is lined with extra-thick memory foam padding to prevent bumps and bruises.
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A highlight of the guest bathroom is the rock shower and timber sink base. Handpicked from their ranch, the boulder sitting in the shower stall was a chore to grab, but well worth the effort for the unique seating that it offers. The base of the sink was also hand-harvested by the homeowners when a 100-year-storm hit a family property and felled huge trees in its pathway. Being resourceful and far-thinking, Kristina decided to put the broken trees to use and create a unique centerpiece for her bathroom. Kristina was just as resourceful in the guest bedroom where she put pieces of old church pews to good use on the wall behind the bed. Keeping with the theme of the house, the reclaimed wood adds texture and depth to the cream walls and bedding while giving character that cannot be found in traditional stores. I was kind of hoping to find old gum stains on the bottom of the seats. Now that the house is complete, Kristina says the family can focus on taking care of their land and the chickens that her kids hope to start raising. A garden and some chickens would complete the vision she had at the very beginning of this project. The wood wall in the guest bedroom is constructed out of reclaimed church pews. Its dark background is broken up by the exposed, lighter seams where the pews used to connect. Blackened nail holes can be seen throughout the wood and offer a contrast to the long beams running lengthwise. 34 SEPTEMBER 2018