Master of Shingle and Stone Turns a Top Houston Real Estate Firm’s Lobby Into a Scene — Thomas Kligerman Shares His Secrets at Greenwood King
Using All Five Senses to Make Houses Special
BY Caitlin Hsu // 01.25.23Alejandra Peterman, Caroline Billipp at Greenwood King's Thomas Kligerman lecture and book signing (Photo by Miroma Photography)
Against the backdrop of glittering trimmings and clinking cocktail glasses, 165 lucky design lovers gathered in top Houston real estate firm Greenwood King’s lobby for a talk from architect Thomas Kligerman and a signing of his new book titled Shingle and Stone: Thomas Kligerman Houses, which was co-written with design scribe Mitchell Owens.
The book is a monograph of Kligerman’s career, featuring single-family houses he has built around the country over the past 20 years. Kligerman’s style is inspired by the two states in which he grew up — Rhode Island and New Mexico. It draws upon the dark color palettes, shingled exteriors and gables of New England and fuses them with the adobe forms and Puebloan style of New Mexico.
From New Mexico, Kligerman learned to work with the sun in mind, designing recessed windows and entryways to create dramatic light in interiors.
Kligerman works with more than just the visual. He uses all five senses to turn a home into an experience. He talks to his clients about their fondest memories, then draws from the sounds, scents and emotions to create a home that is truly custom tailored. The sounds of a spa for a luxury feel. A signature scent inspired by lakes for a house by the water. The smell of woodlands for a client who loves camping. His unique approach towards designing is further detailed in his book.
In the talk at Greenwood King, the architect showed his personality and attention to detail. From his charming presentation to the little houses he drew by his signature on each book. Kligerman is also a painter, traveling around the world with a group of friends he affectionately refers to as a “whiskey watercolor club.” He regaled the audience with tales from the recent trip to India, where he was deeply inspired by the merging of Western and Eastern architectural influences.
Kligerman is the co-founder of architectural firm Ike Kligerman Barkley, located in New York. This year, the company is being rebranded as Kligerman Architecture & Design.
PC Seen: Greenwood King co-founder Linda King (co-founder Julie Greenwood was not able to attend), joined by Elaine Ellender, Lorraine Abercrombie, Becky Andress, Cathy Blum, Caroline Billipp, Elegant Additions’ Julie Koch, architects Bill Curtis and Hill Swift, Robin Reed, Sandy Lucas, Shannon Mann, Karin Tennant, Larry Plotsky, Lucia Benton, Krista Dumas, Cindy and Larry Burns, Cecily Horton, Christina Sacco, Ryan Gordon, Stacy Graubart, Brooke Graubart, Doug Culver, Jan Greer, Kathryn Hamilton, Michele Kearns, and George Sutherland.