Houston family bucks tradition to create artful, high-rise abode

Colombe and Marcelo have arguably the best backyard in Houston. The 9- and 5-year-old children, along with their parents, Matt Emal and Shannon Langrand, live on the 24th floor of One Park Place, the high-rise just across the street from Discovery Green.

"The expected route in Houston is that after you have kids you move to a cul-de-sac in the suburbs, but that just wasn't us," said Langrand.

The married couple, who own advertising and marketing agency Langrand & Co., didn't expect to become a family of urban dwellers. They bought a historic house in the Heights in 2002, but after 11 years and two kids, it wasn't fitting their needs.

"The second floor was built out from an attic space, and Colombe didn't like to be upstairs by herself, so she only slept in there. The only space downstairs was the living room, the dining room and the kitchen, so we all stayed in those three rooms all the time until it was time to go to sleep," said Emal.

As they planned an extensive renovation on their house, Langrand found herself craving a place with less maintenance and more amenities, the kind of experience she has in hotels when she travels for work. The couple decided to rent downtown while their house was under construction, a temporary adventure for themselves and the kids.

To their surprise, they liked their new apartment so much they decided to sell the house and stay.

"I grew up in a town of 400 people, and it reminds me of that because you see people every day that you say hello to - the guys downstairs, the people on the elevator," said Langrand.

Then there's the perks that come with posh high-rise living. The kids love to play in and around the pool, while Matt has joined groups of residents who watch football games on the giant screen in the building's media room and Shannon holds client meetings in the conference space. They also reserved the media room to throw Colombe a "Funny Face"-themed birthday party, complete with a movie screening and fashion show around the pool - and for the most recent Langrand & Co. holiday party, they transformed the party room into a 1970s Swiss ski chalet.

The two-bedroom apartment itself is just under 2,000 square feet, but an open floor plan includes several individual seating areas so that the family can share the space without feeling on top of each other.

Facing the kitchen and next to the kids' shared bedroom, the space intended as a study has been re-purposed into a media room, with a closet that has been converted into a computer and study nook for Colombe.

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Houston family bucks tradition to create artful, high-rise abode