Photos by Shoot2Sell, courtesy of Patrick Banks

A mix of Gulf Coast and Victorian styles create an adorable Houston home Some homes offer a clear historic pedigree?like this Sarasota midcentury modern?while others are a blend of styles and renovations added over the decades. Take this adorable three-bedroom, three-and-a-half bath home in Houston, Texas, which has its roots in vernacular and Victorian architecture.

The house was originally constructed in 1883 as a one-story, three-room Gulf Coast Cottage made from Louisiana cypress with a tin shingle roof. It was the home of a successful coffee merchant, Mr. Stephen A. Kuhn, who took advantage of the Texas and New Orleans railroad to expand his mercantile business from Louisiana to Houston. Using his skills as a carpenter, Mr. Kuhn?s son, Andrew, eventually remodeled the cottage?adding three more rooms and a myriad of upgrades that were in the Queen Anne Victorian style popular at the time. The interiors were enhanced with wainscoting, faux-bois detailing, stenciled ceilings, and piped-in gas, but the most stunning upgrade was the new Steamboat Gothic front porch. Because of the porch, the house became known as the Steamboat House, a nickname that lasts to this day.
A recent multi-year restoration sought to return the 2,071-square-foot home to its former glory. The porch includes a fleur de lis motif to honor the Kuhn family?s New Orleans heritage, while the foyer boasts stained glass and original floors and wains...