Home designed by alum featured
in September Architectural Digest

Architectural Digest's "Designers' Own Homes" series in September featured a home designed by an alumnus of Texas A&M's College of Architecture.

In the story, "Making a Texas-Sized Statement Above Possum Kingdom Lake," writer Nancy Collins said Nunzio De Santis' home offers sweeping views of a landscape that includes evergreens, masterful sunsets and a serpentine lake meandering through the bottom of a canyon.

“My wife, Sheila, and I wanted to create something for our family and friends that was more powerful than just a house,” said DeSantis, who earned a Bachelor of Environmental Design degree in 1981 and a Master of Architecture degree in 1983. He told Collins they aimed to have “a place to cast a real shadow, build a life and memories.”

DeSantis, FAIA, is the founder of HKS’ hospitality group and executive principal/director of the HKS Hill Glazier Studio. He is recognized as a national and international leader in the practice of hospitality and destination architecture. His expressive designs have enriched lives and exposed many travelers to the sights, sounds, color, and textures of architecture.

Building one's own house, he said, is a hard thing to do.

"In the final analysis it’s not a widget or screw, it’s work of your own," he said. "And suddenly there are no excuses. Do it for somebody else, you can go home at night; for yourself, well, it’s always whether or not you can meet your own expectations.”

Collins' story is available at http://www.architecturaldigest.com/homes

- Posted: Nov. 24, 2009 -