Vale House

The needs of the client’s large family demanded an extensive program, but the site was limited by size and proximity to neighbors. A large live oak tree in the center of the property also presented a challenge, and the client’s first instinct was to remove the tree to accommodate the program. The design team chose an urban typology, the courtyard plan, to solve these problems; the courtyard allowed for saving the tree and opening the center of the house to natural daylight while maintaining a friendly but private exterior.

The house presents a welcoming and modestly scaled single-story face to the street, even though the clients desired a third-floor terrace tucked under the eaves to capture the views of downtown Austin visible from the rear of the property. The courtyard plan allows abundant, tree-shaded northern light to flood the interiors and provides a shaded outdoor space to gather.

Interior spaces are composed by the relationship of intersecting volumes, enlivened by the play of light on sculpted sheetrock surfaces, and defined by crisply detailed millwork rendered in a restrained palette of blond woods, stone, and blackened steel. A Hemlock wood ceiling floats over the kitchen, punctured by a large skylight that illuminates the quarter sawn white oak cabinets and quartzite honed countertop.  Stained concrete floors reflect light into the space and brass fixtures accent the warm materials.  The locally sourced limestone is a reminder of the exterior and that the home is sited in the heart of Texas.