Ep. 429: Building on Tradition with Bill Curtis and Russell Windham

How to Decorate

Caroline McDonald

Arts, Business, Design

4.4 • 838 Ratings

🗓️ 2 September 2025

⏱️ 71 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Join hosts Caroline and Taryn in an engaging conversation with renowned architects William Curtis and Russell Windham of Curtis & Windham Architects as they share stories from their illustrious careers and insights from their new book, "Building on Tradition." Discover the launch of Curtis & Windham's new book and the inspiring stories behind their architectural journey. Learn how they returned to Texas to specialize in classical architecture, bringing their unique style to Houston's River Oaks. Explore their philosophy of blending traditional craftsmanship with modern challenges, evident in projects like Homewood House and a whimsical pub. Gain insights into their team development, the importance of hand drawings, and how they fuse traditional techniques with contemporary design solutions. What You'll Hear in This Episode: 00:00 Introduction to How to Decorate Podcast from Ballard Designs00:40 Meet Esteemed Architects William Curtis and Russell Windham01:52 The Architects' Journey: Inspiration and Education03:16 Establishing a Legacy in Texas07:22 Embracing Classical Architecture: Philosophy and Influences08:57 Essence and Charm of River Oaks Community16:05 Modern Architectural Challenges and Solutions25:27 Cultivating Client Relationships and Repeat Projects28:11 Emblematic Project: The Homewood House37:22 Exploring Fun and Unique Projects40:29 Addressing Zoning and Setbacks in Design41:26 The Historic Ville Farm Project44:25 Navigating Client Needs and Project Development47:00 Tackling Architectural Challenges and Personal Projects51:52 Conservation of Trees and Site Planning55:42 Team Development and Architectural Training01:01:14 The Role of Hand Drawings in Architectural Design01:07:52 Writing the Book: Insights and Reflections Decorating Dilemma: Hi! Thanks for all of your work on the podcast and for all of the amazing advice every week! I would like to make a change in our bedroom, but could use advice on paint colors and specifically what to do about our tray ceiling. I don't love the tray ceiling, but it would be expensive to remove so we are keeping it. I also don't love our current paint color (SW Pussywillow - it sometimes looks purple-ish to me) or the way the tray ceiling is currently painted. The other element that is at play is the small hallway/ vestibule leading into our bedroom, which we are planning to wallpaper and paint. We've selected a moody, green wallpaper and plan to paint the trim and ceiling a dark green. I would like the hallway and our bedroom to compliment one another (see attached for the wallpaper and paint colors we are considering for the hall). Given the hallway colors, would you recommend going dark or light in the bedroom? Should we paint the trim, walls and ceiling the same color to make the tray ceiling less noticeable? Or have contrasting trim? How would you treat the tray ceiling? Or will painting the strip of gray around the tray ceiling white to match the ceiling solve all of my problems? The room is Northwest facing, if that helps. A few other things I'm looking for for this room are an attractive ceiling fan and a throw for the bed. If you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear! I've attached photos of my room (the windows you see are the only windows in the room) and the hallway/ vestibule (no windows). Also, I'm planning to get a wood and/or cane headboard at some point so feel free to ignore the current one. Thanks for your help! - Allison Also Mentioned: Building on Tradition (Book) | Order Your Copy Here! curtisandwindham.com | Bill & Russell's Official Website Shop Ballard Designs⁠⁠⁠ | Website Please send in your questions so we can answer them on our next episode! And of course, subscribe to the podcast in Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode. You can always check back here to see new episodes, but if you subscribe, it’ll automatically download to your phone. Happy Decorating! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to How to Decorate from Ballard Designs, a weekly podcast all about the trials and triumphs of decorating and redecorating your home.
0:09.1	I'm Caroline. I'm on the marketing team. And I'm Taryn and I'm a product designer.
0:12.8	I'm Liz. I head of the creative team. We're your host. Join the expert team at Ballard Designs for tips, tricks, and tales from interior designers, stylists, and other talents in the design world.
0:22.5	Plus, we'll answer your decorating dilemmas at the end of each episode.
0:25.4	We love answering your questions, so don't forget to email us at podcast at balauredesigns.net.
0:30.5	Now on with the show.
0:34.1	Okay. We are thrilled to welcome to the show Celebrated Architects William Curtis and Russell Windham.
0:39.9	Their esteemed firm, Curtis and Wyndham Architects, is one of the country's leading design firms,
0:44.4	known for their celebration of classical architecture, but tailored to contemporary living.
0:49.7	Based in Houston, their work has been featured in Architectural Digest, Veranda, House Beautiful,
0:55.3	Eldicor and Moore. In addition to countless awards, they've just published their second book,
0:59.9	Building on Tradition with Rosalie. Bill and Russell, welcome to the show.
1:04.5	Our pleasure to be you. It was such a treat to get a first peek at the book. You mentioned off
1:10.3	mic that you haven't gotten to show it to many people,
1:14.3	so we are honored to get to read it and just pour over all the pages.
1:20.5	It was really a delight.
1:22.7	Yeah, this will really be the first conversation around it for us other than internal. So I'm looking forward to it.
1:29.3	We'll try to be positive, I promise. Yes. Yes. I'm kidding. It has, I mean, it is just a beautiful book. And we are really looking forward to talking about how it also differs from your first book.
1:44.6	But before we talk about that, why don't we go a little bit into just kind of how you guys started
1:49.3	and your history, just because that's always the best, funnest way to start.
1:53.9	Well, if I probably have two different stories.
1:55.7	I'll let Bill tell his first and now I'll tell you the truth.
	...

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