A. GRUPPO Architects transformed the Laman Residence into dual towers for an art studio and gallery. Dror Baldinger
In addition to being husband and wife of 46 years, Jene and Jean Laman are creative collaborators. They spent almost 40 years teaching together at Texas State University, he in the interior design department, and she in fiber arts. Their first retirement project? Transforming the modest 1970s-era ranch-style home they inhabited in San Marcos for three decades into a modern marvel, complete with an ever-changing gallery and shared studio.
They enlisted the help of architects Andrew Nance and Thad Reeves of A. Gruppo Architects for a radical transformation set among a canopy of live oak and cedar elm trees on a one-acre lot. The architects brought the couple’s keen design point of view to life from magazine clippings, museum pamphlets, and inspiration photographs the Lamans collected for years, waiting for the right time to remodel and add on to their compact, 1,800-square-foot home.
“We were looking forward to retirement, but we knew that we weren’t going to sit around and that we needed a challenge,” Jene says. “Ordinarily they say it’s a test on a marriage whenever you build a house together, but we just love working together.” Take a tour of the stunning result of their dream home that was decades in the making.
Jean and Jene Laman in the courtyard of their home. During their 30 years of living on the property, they created "outdoor rooms" with sculpture courts and gardens all around. Jean, who just celebrated her 89th birthday, continues to work in the garden daily.
Photography by Dror Baldinger
After working in banking for eighteen years in Dallas, Jene took the money he had saved up and decided to study his true passion, interior design. It was in art school at North Texas University in Denton where he met Jean. "I figured if I didn't quit banking then, I would never do it," he says. "I never looked back on that decision."
Photography by Dror Baldinger
The couple work together in the studio. Both are regular exhibiting artists in galleries across the state, with Jean painting and Jene making collages and sculptures.
Photography by Dror Baldinger
The studio doubles as an extra bedroom when their children and grandchildren visit.
Photography by Dror Baldinger
The two towers feature gambrel roofs and house the addition of a gallery, painting studio, library, and new master suite.
Photography by Dror Baldinger
Jean found this secretary that's now in the foyer in Houston. "I love the contrast between antique and contemporary pieces. Our taste leans eclectic, and the design is ever-changing," Jene says.
Photography by Dror Baldinger
Black slate tiles on the floor contrast with the white walls in the living room, which features pieces from around the world, including an apothecary armoire from China, a carved duck from Australia, and a painting by the couple's Dallas artist friend Zanne Hochberg.
Photography by Dror Baldinger
The entire project included a renovation of the 1,800-square-foot home as well as 2,100-square-foot addition.
Photography by Dror Baldinger
Jene is what architect Andrew Nance calls the "master curator" of the house, as he is constantly rearranging and reimagining areas of the home, like this installation of books along the staircase.
Photography by Dror Baldinger
The library houses the couple's extensive collection of architecture and art books. The new library is on the second floor and looks out onto the trees. It's one of the couple's favorite rooms in the home.
Photography by Dror Baldinger
The Lamans thought of everything, including specific lighting strategies to showcase their art. In the gallery, skylights project pools of light that change how their art in the gallery looks throughout the day.
Photography by Dror Baldinger
The white flat-front cabinets set under the stairs are used for storage and a bathroom in the gallery. Jean found plans for stained glass windows sketched with black marker drawings on craft paper in an antiques store, and he tacked them to the wall as wallpaper that hangs in the bathroom (seen through the open door).
Photography by Dror Baldinger
A bridge between the two structures connects the towers.
Photography by Dror Baldinger
The painting that hangs in the master bedroom is part of Jean's series on chairs. The master bed and bath open directly into a secluded Zen garden.
Photography by Dror Baldinger
The master suite of the home was reconfigured with the addition of a new bathing and dressing room. Framed views showcase the outdoor rooms.
Photography by Dror Baldinger
"I love tongue-in-cheek moments in design," Jene says. Here, doors cut off from an antique armoire serve as doors for their shared walk-in closet in a nod to "Chronicles of Narnia."
Photography by Dror Baldinger
Architect Andrew Nance met Jene while teaching at Texas State University. On collaborating with the couple, he says: "Anyone who knows Mrs. Laman (Jean) would laugh if I said anything beyond, 'She told us what to do ... and we did it.' In all seriousness, it was a welcome challenge to work with the Lamans. Their keen eye toward design meant that every element was discussed at length as to its role in the overall composition throughout the project."
