New chapter: Crow Creek home seamlessly blends heritage and passion of owners Teresa Knox and Ivan Acosta

The open concept living room features accordion-style doors, a cyprus-clad ceiling and a massive, 49-inch-diameter paper lantern from Noguchi. As a testament to Knox and Acosta’s love of music, a 100-year-old grand piano sits adjacent to the couch.

Under the guidance of True North Homes, W Design and interior designer Francie Winchester, a plot of land in the Crow Creek neighborhood of midtown was transformed into a remarkable forever home.

The new home, owned by Teresa Knox and husband, Ivan Acosta, is a feat of stunning design and architecture, including an abundance of personal touches, light and vivid color. The house is brimming with decor — both new and old — that reflects the couple’s history and interests.

“I’m so grateful to have this new home,” Knox says. “It really has enhanced our lives.”

Knox first met Winchester when the designer participated in the 2019 Designer Showcase, during which dozens of Tulsa’s top interior designers were tasked with remodeling several spaces throughout the Harwelden Mansion, owned by Knox. Though Winchester had a small space in the carriage house to reimagine, Knox was wowed by her originality and design prowess.

Kitchen and dining areas are at the opposite end of the open concept living room.

“I was so impressed with Francie — she had one of the smaller spaces, but she was so organized and creative,” Knox says. “She has a great eye for color, and she has a background in (interior design) project management. So, that is why I chose Francie (for this project).”

Winchester worked as an interior designer in New York City for many years. This experience informed Winchester’s design style, giving her the unique and worldly perspective she brings to her clients today.

A beverage station just off the bedroom is the perfect place to make morning coffee, and it also boasts an ice maker that recreates the iconic crunchy ice from Sonic Drive-In, where Knox worked in high school.

“I got to work with interesting, dynamic people who have been all over the world,” Winchester says. “I got an incredible education from some of the top designers in town.”

Winchester drew on her connections to the design world to source special furniture and decor for Knox’s home, such as rugs from Temple Studio and fabric — used as wallpaper — from Zak + Fox, both based in New York City.

Importantly, Winchester also collaborated with True North Homes and W Design as they were conceptualizing, planning and constructing the property, ensuring her design concepts were incorporated from the beginning.

“There are so many elements that the designer can collaborate on with the builder and the architect,” Winchester says. “If you have the ability to work as a team and tweak things so the design is working properly, the project is that much better.”

Pops of green are found throughout the home, exemplified by the cabinetry in the laundry room painted Benjamin Moore’s Herb Green. Floral wallpaper from Lake August and gray and white porcelain tiles arranged in a checkerboard pattern add character to the space.

Winchester and Knox studied projects by the late architect Ike Colburn as they conceptualized what the new home would look like. It was important to Knox and Acosta to build a home that felt unique, but blended in and complemented the established neighborhood, Winchester says.

“We were inspired by a house (Colburn) built in Lake Forest, Illinois, to create a modern, yet traditional home, mimicking the windows and some of the brick work he did,” Winchester says. “(Knox) wanted to use the same style of brick that Tulsa was known for (using) in the 1920s. Since she’s such a historian and champion of Tulsa, we wanted the home to feel like it was part of town and not something that didn’t belong here.”

The home was constructed in a “U” shape with a linear pool in the center. Though the home is near the bustling Brookside area, the plethora of mature trees surrounding the pool provide privacy and shelter.

The home, which was completed in 2021, was constructed in a “U” shape with plenty of large windows, highlighting the mature trees surrounding the home and rooting it in the surrounding landscape, Knox says.

Another design choice that made the home feel grounded is Knox’s favorite color, green. Winchester integrated the earthy hue throughout the home in ways both big and small, adding green pillows to the breakfast nook, dining room chairs with green seats and bold, green cabinetry in the laundry room.

The elegant primary bedroom incorporates more of Knox’s favorite color, green.

“(Teresa) loves green, and we also wanted to make the home feel very natural, so it was an obvious choice,” Winchester says. “The design feels really peaceful and calm, but still fun, with pops of color everywhere.”

An essential part of the project was blending both Knox and Acosta’s personalities into the design. Because of the couple’s passion for music — Knox is the owner of The Church Studio, where Leon Russell and other famous musicians recorded iconic music — their new home includes a music room that is perfect for listening to vintage records.

Knox and Acosta collect vintage turntables and vinyl records, so having an acoustically-treated music room in their new home only made sense. The space features a Herman Miller chair, sheepskin rug and, of course, a small statue of Leon Russell.

“We collect turntables and vinyl records, so we really love this space because we’re all about the music,” Knox says. “It’s one of our favorite rooms in the house.”

In a nod to Acosta’s heritage, the primary bathroom was constructed with terrazzo slabs, which are popular in Puerto Rico, where he was born and raised.

In homage to Acosta’s Puerto Rican heritage, terrazzo marble stretches from floor to ceiling in the primary bathroom. This space is flooded with natural light from oversized windows.

“We did marble terrazzo-clad walls everywhere, floor-to-ceiling, throughout the bathroom and shower,” Winchester says. “It’s so stunning, quiet and beautiful — it makes the bathroom feel really elegant.”

Now that the home of Knox and Acosta’s dreams is complete, the couple say they are excited to make new memories in a space that feels entirely their own.

“This home has exceeded my expectations,” Knox says. “It’s the start of a new chapter for us — out with the old, in with the new.”

Log In

Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,racist or sexually-oriented language.PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.Don't Threaten. Threats of harming anotherperson will not be tolerated.Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyoneor anything.Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ismthat is degrading to another person.Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link oneach comment to let us know of abusive posts.Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitnessaccounts, the history behind an article.