Carol Barden’s newest home design, 3320 West University, named House of Many Gardens
About Carol Barden
A Houston Transplant, Carol Isaak Barden was born in Seattle and that Pacific Northwest influence has translated into her design belief that nature is healing and that trees should be saved whenever possible. Her love of nature has had a profound impact on the homes that she builds.
For over two decades, Carol worked as a journalist, covering travel, architecture, and design before embarking on her current career as a real estate developer. A contributing editor at Conde’ Nast Traveler for 10 years, Travel + Leisure for 6 years, and Southern Accents for 20 years, she criss-crossed the globe, writing features for dozens of publications including Metropolitan Home, Elle, Elle Décor, Harper’s Bazaar, Town & Country, PaperCity, and The Los Angeles Times. After 20 years in Manhattan, where many of her assignments took her to 5-star hotels, (a tough job but someone had to do it!), she returned to Houston. Carol used many of those ideas and beautiful details that she has taken from her trips to these fabulous hotels, globally, and launched Carol Isaak Barden + Company, that builds high-end spec houses. Carol has currently completed the building of her 17th home at 3320 University Boulevard, and is also working as a construction concierge on two large residential projects (Memorial and River Oaks). She helps clients select property and put together their team: architect, contractor, engineer, landscaper, interior designer. She is involved from the beginning to the end. Part of her greatest contributions, I feel, after seeing her latest home, is her great eye for finding craftsmen that are unique, specialized artisans that add a sense of quality and high taste level to her designs.
Her Approach to Design
Carol begins each home as a unique and special project. She finds the lot, which usually offers a beautiful natural scape, as she loves trees and ensures that if there aren’t plenty around, she will add them. She lets the lot and nature drive the design of the home, each of which she names appropriately to fit the concept as she is developing it. She then coordinates her team, which includes architects, designers (interior and exterior) and the finest craftsmen she can find. They collaborate for hours on some of the smallest details with the end result being a fabulously high quality, special design that has her finely thought-out details and design touches in every room.
Her Newest Completion…The House of Many Gardens
In this house, Carol adheres to the philosophy of concealment, creating very interior architecture. “From the street you see very little, but as you step through the front gate, the house reveals itself, bit by bit,” says Barden.
The building site of this 5,000 square foot home, largely dictated this current Pacific Northwest home, a look that has definitely become her own. (she says it stems from her Seattle roots!). It was a barren lot, with only one tree, which was of course unacceptable to this tree lover who brought in thirteen 100 gal. trees. Her goal was to integrate the interior with the exterior, typical of the many houses she viewed as she traveled the Far East. This home in which she collaborated with architect, Scott Strasser, has a very hand-crafted appeal through the use of George Sacaris’ metal designs and the use of many exotic woods throughout.
Another goal of Carol’s was to ensure that each room of the house had a garden view where future owners could relax, dine and entertain. The beauty of a Carol Barden home that makes it so unique is that in most cases, based on her past history as a magazine travel writer who has visited the world and stayed in only the finest hotels, many of the most interesting details of her homes are inspired by these fine hotels. The fireplace in the open-aired living/dining space, which is designed to be seen in every direction, she first saw at the Bel-Air Hotel, the bronze light fixtures from the Setai in Miami and many more. During her 20 years on the road, she stayed in many Four Seasons hotels but also took a great liking and appreciation for the quiet luxury designs of the Aman hotels in the Far East and uses much of that in her homes.
What’s Next for Carol Isaak Barden?
Well, Carol may love nature but she doesn’t let any grass grow between her toes, as we all like to say. Her House of Many Gardens is on the market as of just a week ago for $2.2 Million and has had lots of activity. She has already purchased a lot two doors down on University that she is beginning the concept plans on as we speak. The key to this project will be the large, mature tree that is in the center of the lot that she is planning right now. Exactly how she will handle it is the primary design element of her next venture. I can hardly wait to see what this “single, tree-driven” home will look like, but one thing you can be sure of…if it’s a Carol Barden home, it will be divine, quiet luxury, a term she has taught me to love…it says it all!
Carol can be reached at (713) 520-5145. www.carolisaakbarden.com
Image of Carol Barden c/o Julie Soefer
Home images c/o Carol Barden