The AD100 designer weaves in natural motifs to give the pedigreed property an enchanting new spirit The homeowner and her children and dogs at the front façade of the 1930s house, which is adorned with original wrought-iron elements. Squirrels are an unlikely hero in any decorating story, but in this Houston home, they—fluffy of tail, sprightly of character—were heroes nonetheless. “The clients love nature, and the clients also especially love squirrels,” says their designer, Virginia Tupker . That’s a playful turn for this pedigreed property in Houston’s leafy River Oaks neighborhood. The late-1930s house was designed by Birdsall P. Briscoe, among the architects whose work helped usher the city from its modest roots into an era of unchecked grandeur (the oil boomtown was among the few US cities to find a foothold during the Great Depression). Today, this home’s traditional architecture could perhaps read as a bit stuffy, and that’s where the squirrels came in.…