My Houzz: Neil Patrick Harris Surprises Brother With a Home Reno
The actor works with designers to create an inviting deck and pollinator garden, as well as a renovated family room
Mitchell Parker
13 March 2019
Houzz Editorial Staff. Home design journalist writing about cool spaces, innovative trends, breaking news, industry analysis and humor.
Houzz Editorial Staff. Home design journalist writing about cool spaces, innovative... More
Actor Neil Patrick Harris always looked up to his older brother, Brian, while growing up in New Mexico, USA. “Considering I was the annoying, performing younger brother, he was kind to me and let me follow around on all of his adventures,” says Harris. “And I really appreciated that.”
Neil – whose television roles have included Barnabus ‘Barney’ Stinson on How I Met Your Mother and the eponymous teenage doctor on Doogie Howser, M.D., and who was host of the 2015 Academy Awards – recently showed his brother his appreciation by surprising him with a major makeover of his backyard and family room in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Neil – whose television roles have included Barnabus ‘Barney’ Stinson on How I Met Your Mother and the eponymous teenage doctor on Doogie Howser, M.D., and who was host of the 2015 Academy Awards – recently showed his brother his appreciation by surprising him with a major makeover of his backyard and family room in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Actor Neil Patrick Harris stands in front of his brother Brian’s home. He renovated the family room and backyard as a surprise. Images by Kelli Kroneberger
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Brian Harris, a solutions manager and the older brother of actor Neil Patrick Harris; and Sacheen Naddy, a pediatric nurse
Location: Albuquerque, USA
Size: The backyard is approximately 330 square metres and the family room is 39 square metres
Landscape architecture: Solange Serquis, Serquis + Associates Landscape Architecture
Interior designer: Lisa Samuel, Samuel Design Group
Watch now: See Neil Patrick Harris surprise his brother with a new family-room renovation and backyard makeover
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Brian Harris, a solutions manager and the older brother of actor Neil Patrick Harris; and Sacheen Naddy, a pediatric nurse
Location: Albuquerque, USA
Size: The backyard is approximately 330 square metres and the family room is 39 square metres
Landscape architecture: Solange Serquis, Serquis + Associates Landscape Architecture
Interior designer: Lisa Samuel, Samuel Design Group
Watch now: See Neil Patrick Harris surprise his brother with a new family-room renovation and backyard makeover
The backyard
Before: Brian bought his house many years ago and made some improvements, but the backyard and family room, which is through the sliding glass door at the end of the patio, were mostly ignored.
The yard is large, about 330 square metres, but it wasn’t in great shape. A cracked concrete slab led mostly to dirt, rocks and overgrown weeds – not exactly a scene that inspired Brian and his girlfriend, Sacheen Naddy, who lives with him, to spend much time outside.
Before: Brian bought his house many years ago and made some improvements, but the backyard and family room, which is through the sliding glass door at the end of the patio, were mostly ignored.
The yard is large, about 330 square metres, but it wasn’t in great shape. A cracked concrete slab led mostly to dirt, rocks and overgrown weeds – not exactly a scene that inspired Brian and his girlfriend, Sacheen Naddy, who lives with him, to spend much time outside.
After: For help revamping his brother’s backyard and family room, Neil searched Houzz for professionals in the Albuquerque area and found interior designer Lisa Samuel of USA-based Samuel Design Group, who brought on nearby landscape architect Solange Serquis of Serquis + Associates Landscape Architecture.
Serquis transformed the backyard by adding a 60-square-metre deck and a custom-designed freestanding steel pergola inspired by a photo she saw on Houzz. “The backyard is absolutely phenomenal,” says Neil. “It feels like you’re in some sort of public park.”
Serquis transformed the backyard by adding a 60-square-metre deck and a custom-designed freestanding steel pergola inspired by a photo she saw on Houzz. “The backyard is absolutely phenomenal,” says Neil. “It feels like you’re in some sort of public park.”
Serquis and Samuel worked together to divide the deck into zones for living, dining and cooking. “I always thought about having a small deck, but this is like three rooms,” says Brian.
Serquis selected native wildflowers and drought-tolerant plants that would attract pollinators such as bees and butterflies, and she even set up a small beehive in the yard – something Brian had always wanted. Serquis talked with neighbours and noted various plants in the neighbourhood to make sure that the bees could travel and pollinate. “You need all these conditions,” she says.
Watch now: See Brian Harris’ shocked reaction to his new backyard
Serquis selected native wildflowers and drought-tolerant plants that would attract pollinators such as bees and butterflies, and she even set up a small beehive in the yard – something Brian had always wanted. Serquis talked with neighbours and noted various plants in the neighbourhood to make sure that the bees could travel and pollinate. “You need all these conditions,” she says.
Watch now: See Brian Harris’ shocked reaction to his new backyard
Before: The cracked concrete patio sat about 15 centimetres below the sliding glass door, creating an awkward experience when entering and exiting from the family room.
After: Serquis built the deck right on top of the concrete patio. The deck now sits almost flush with the bottom of a new sliding glass door.
Serquis planted fast-growing grapevines near the pergola columns to eventually grow and cover the frame. In the meantime, woven panels provide shade.
Serquis planted fast-growing grapevines near the pergola columns to eventually grow and cover the frame. In the meantime, woven panels provide shade.
A concrete fire pit cosies up the deck’s outdoor living area.
Here, you can see the zones for living in the foreground, dining in the middle and cooking at the far end. “I was hoping that it would be nicer than it was [originally], but I never dreamed that it could be this nice,” says Brian.
Before: When Serquis first saw the condition of the backyard, she wasn’t sure what to think. “There were rocks and weeds – some weeds that got so large, they turned into trees. I don’t know what you call them,” she says.
After: An existing cottonwood tree on the right provides good shade for the yard. Serquis added plantings, mulch, and rock and water features to create a more pleasant outdoor experience. Small trees will grow to provide more shade and intimacy.
Watch now: See more of this amazing backyard makeover
Watch now: See more of this amazing backyard makeover
Serquis added a greenhouse so Brian can start seedlings and grow plants year-round.
This landscape layout plan shows the arrangement of the deck.
This layout plan shows the details of the yard. The curved orange line marks the separation between the mulched area and the wildflower area. The storage shed is on the left, and the greenhouse is the partial blue square at the bottom-right.
The family room
Before: The family room didn’t have adequate heating or cooling, so it was being used mostly for storage overflow. “It feels like a room that you put stuff in when you’re not sure where it goes,” says Neil of the original space.
Before: The family room didn’t have adequate heating or cooling, so it was being used mostly for storage overflow. “It feels like a room that you put stuff in when you’re not sure where it goes,” says Neil of the original space.
After: To make the room more comfortable, Samuel first added an air-conditioning unit, pictured on the wall to the left, to provide adequate heating and cooling, then installed a double-glazed window and a better-insulated door to regulate the temperature. “After that, I said, ‘OK, now we have a good foundation to make the room enjoyable’,” she says.
Samuel had conversations with Neil and looked elsewhere in the home to get a sense of Brian’s style. “I knew he had a global vision in his taste, that his taste was eclectic, that he liked the unexpected and his favourite colour was cobalt blue,” she says. She used these ideas to guide her decisions for furniture, colour and style.
Samuel had conversations with Neil and looked elsewhere in the home to get a sense of Brian’s style. “I knew he had a global vision in his taste, that his taste was eclectic, that he liked the unexpected and his favourite colour was cobalt blue,” she says. She used these ideas to guide her decisions for furniture, colour and style.
Before: Looking toward the sliding door that leads to the backyard, you can see how the old brick wall and fireplace dominated the room. On the left, a doorway, which included a long-broken door, didn’t offer a lot of connection to the kitchen.
After: Samuel removed the wall and replaced it with timber fretwork for some connection but also privacy. “You can still have a conversation, and you don’t necessarily see the kitchen clutter,” she says.
Before: Samuel knew that the aged and soot-covered brick wall had to go. Here you can see the broken door on the left and the temporary sheet replacement.
After: Samuel updated the fireplace wall with a grey-porcelain tile and blue recycled-glass tile from Spain.
New furniture now creates a comfortable and inviting living area for watching TV. “Neil has been the most wonderful brother that you could be lucky enough to be born with,” says Brian. “For him to give this to me, I’m just so excited.”
Watch now: See how Neil Patrick Harris worked with designers to give his brother this renovation
Tell us
Are you as wowed by the generous gesture of this home revamp as we are? Tell us in the Comments below, like and share this story, save your favourite images and join the conversation.
More
Is your backyard or living area calling out for a makeover, too? Find a local landscape architect or chat about your ideas with an interior designer near you
Watch now: See how Neil Patrick Harris worked with designers to give his brother this renovation
Tell us
Are you as wowed by the generous gesture of this home revamp as we are? Tell us in the Comments below, like and share this story, save your favourite images and join the conversation.
More
Is your backyard or living area calling out for a makeover, too? Find a local landscape architect or chat about your ideas with an interior designer near you
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NPH is so wholesome
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