Houzz Tour: Midcentury-Inspired Home Built Around a Pecan Tree
An architect designs a modern home in Austin, Texas, to honor its surroundings and celebrate family living
When Sherry Birk and Anthony Orona decided to build their dream home in Austin, Texas, the choice of architect was more or less obvious to them: Orona’s best friend, Eric Hughes. Hughes, of Houston architecture studio HR Design Dept., knew the couple well, from the way they liked to entertain to what their adopted daughter would want in a bedroom.
Together, Hughes says, he and the couple co-created a narrative for the house. That narrative embraced the midcentury vibes of Austin’s Crestview neighborhood — filled with low-slung, 1,200-square-foot, two-bedroom, two-bath homes built after World War II — as well as a giant pecan tree that became the heart of the design.
Together, Hughes says, he and the couple co-created a narrative for the house. That narrative embraced the midcentury vibes of Austin’s Crestview neighborhood — filled with low-slung, 1,200-square-foot, two-bedroom, two-bath homes built after World War II — as well as a giant pecan tree that became the heart of the design.
From the street, the tree looms majestically over the understated exterior, which matches the scale of neighboring homes. “So much about something fitting into the neighborhood is about scale,” Hughes says. “A one-story home immediately sets that up.” The design reinforced the neighborhood’s midcentury feel with brick — a familiar, accessible material made slightly more modern in its precise execution.
“All dimensions are tied to the dimension of the brick,” says Luke Mezger of Mezger Homes, the custom home builder that brought HR Design Dept.’s plans to life. “All bricks terminate at a point.”
And that, Hughes says, is the whole idea. “When we do brick projects, we set them up on a module where everything, every single window, every edge, is set to be on a full or half course of brick. That way, at first glance, everything feels more cohesive.”
“All dimensions are tied to the dimension of the brick,” says Luke Mezger of Mezger Homes, the custom home builder that brought HR Design Dept.’s plans to life. “All bricks terminate at a point.”
And that, Hughes says, is the whole idea. “When we do brick projects, we set them up on a module where everything, every single window, every edge, is set to be on a full or half course of brick. That way, at first glance, everything feels more cohesive.”
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The brick carries through the home, from the outside in.
Inside, however, the focus of the design is about clean lines, pristine white walls and the flow from one room to another.
Inside, however, the focus of the design is about clean lines, pristine white walls and the flow from one room to another.
In particular, Hughes loves the way one moves from the kitchen through the dining room to the living room (seen in the next photo) — a typical entry for anyone coming into the home from the carport. “In that sequence of spaces, your eye is moving from one courtyard to another,” he says. In the morning, light pours in from the vaulted clerestory windows in the kitchen.
A second set of vaulted clerestory windows in the living area provides general ambient light throughout the day.
“White oak was chosen for most of the cabinets to provide warmth against the white walls and complement the warm gray tones of the brick,” Hughes says. The wood is also used throughout the home as a natural way to introduce color. The cabinets, by Austin Wood Works, have tab pulls.
A long hallway connects the open living spaces with the more discreet bedrooms and — with floor-to-ceiling glass — the central courtyard.
Here, says Mezger, was one of the few places the builders deviated from the meticulous original plans. Instead of a wall of glass, Mezger used the largest windows made by RAM and incorporated minimal support for a maximum amount of unobstructed views. It required more structure, Mezger says, but had a similar effect.
Here, says Mezger, was one of the few places the builders deviated from the meticulous original plans. Instead of a wall of glass, Mezger used the largest windows made by RAM and incorporated minimal support for a maximum amount of unobstructed views. It required more structure, Mezger says, but had a similar effect.
Off the hallway are two bedrooms — this one specifically designed with sleepovers in mind.
The main bedroom suite sits at the far end of the home, like a bookend, opposite the living room.
It features a hidden drapery track and a custom artwork ledge, as well as 5-inch-wide Abode brushed oak floors and a floor-to-ceiling Western sliding door, which serves to highlight the nature just outside.
The cabinets in the shared bathroom are a unifying element, providing overall warmth as well as contrast to the crisp white walls (Sherwin-Williams’ Snowbound, throughout). The counters here are Caesarstone Intense White.
The primary bath, however, lies in contrast, Hughes says. “The warm black tile modulates the light to offer a more quiet and serene setting for framing a small private rock garden with a single redbud tree.”
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At 2,500 square feet, the home fills its long, narrow lot without overpowering the space. And the chic yet understated exterior gives little indication of the bright, open, family-friendly space that lies within — in particular the courtyard.
“It has an oasis feel to it,” says Hughes, who’s quick to play up the role of the surroundings. He cites the line of crape myrtles on the neighbor’s property, which he purposely used to orient the home, and, of course, the pecan tree. It’s the one defining feature that ties the original home to this one.
“It’s nice to have a lot that has some story to it,” he says, “that is rooted to something.”
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“It has an oasis feel to it,” says Hughes, who’s quick to play up the role of the surroundings. He cites the line of crape myrtles on the neighbor’s property, which he purposely used to orient the home, and, of course, the pecan tree. It’s the one defining feature that ties the original home to this one.
“It’s nice to have a lot that has some story to it,” he says, “that is rooted to something.”
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House at a Glance
Who lives here: Sherry Birk, Anthony Orona and their two children
Location: Austin, Texas
Size: 2,500 square feet (232 square meters)
Architect: HR Design Dept.
Builder: Mezger Homes
It was clear from the start that Birk and Orona would be buying the 1947 home as a teardown. “It was not a house that was worth saving,” Hughes says. But the couple promised the former owner they would create a home that remained true to its surroundings.
One thing they had to save was the towering native pecan tree that had grown for decades behind the existing home. “Austin, commendably so, has really strict restrictions for salvaging existing trees,” Hughes says. The couple loved the idea of preserving the tree, even though it ultimately dictated so much of the design.
“Every decision came back to the pecan tree,” Hughes says. It became the focal point around a central courtyard that connects the entire home.
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