Have we told you how much we like the work of John Staub? Well, if we haven't, consider yourself told (and if you look at Stephen Fox's new book on Staub, you'll be a fan, too). It's not every day that a Staub-designed house shows up on the market — especially not one as grand as the 1924 D.D. Peden house in Shadyside.

The Peden house actually predates Staub's career as an independent architect: It was one of four homes in Shadyside designed by the office of New York architect Harrie Lindeberg, with Staub as the supervising architect. It's a classic example of the homes Houston's upper class was building in the early '20s, with rooms scaled for formal entertaining opening onto 1.7 acres of lawns and gardens. When we say "scaled for formal entertaining," we really mean "big enough to hold everyone we know": The living room is 24 by 36 feet, for example, which is as big as our entire apartment, and the dining room is large enough for one of those tables where you and your spouse — if you're into it — can sit at either and and never realize each other is there. The details, of course, are great: a dramatic floating staircase and 1850 crystal chandelier in the entry hall, silk velvet wall coverings in the library and Zuber "Scenic America" wallpaper in the dining room, and an antique marble Robert Adam mantelpiece in the living room, over one of the home's eight fireplaces. (There are modern touches, too, including Sub-Zero and Viking appliances in the kitchen and a 106-inch HD projection system in the media room. And there's also a walk-in wine vault to hold your extensive collection of Riunite.) Upstairs are a passel of bedrooms, with additional sleeping space in the pool house and carriage house, just in case you need it.

All in all, the Peden house is quite a place, and it carries a maintenance fee to match: $750 a quarter, or $3,000 a year. But hey, no one said it's cheap to maintain the Shadyside lifestyle, did they? Bedrooms: Six to eight. Bathrooms: Eight full and two half. Square feet: 13,777. Price: $11.3 million.