Co-Axial House

Fit within a modest 1920’s urban-neighborhood-lot, this compact two-story home was designed to accommodate the owners’ interest in entertaining, gardening and music. Exterior materials of face brick, stucco and horizontal HardiePlank siding take contextual cues from nearby houses and Rice University, and frame indoor-outdoor spaces in a house that maintains privacy from the street and openness in the back. The orientation of the home on the narrow deep lot allows the back yard to enjoy prevailing Southeasterly breezes, and be shaded by the two-story wing in the afternoon. The single-story brick wing, with its roof deck and trellis, separates the public from private outdoor spaces. Arriving guests are directed to the front door by the subtle geometry reflected in the auto court and entry that continues into the garden and reflecting pool.

Living and Dining areas share an open space with the Kitchen and are further defined by a free-standing cabinet that frames interior views. A bay window in the Living Room contains the piano and looks East to large raised Corten steel planter boxes. The Kitchen provides quick access to the outdoor dining and food garden. Three galvanized steel trellis structures cantilever off the East facade modulating sunlight at key openings. A fourth trellis shades the Terrace space facing South into the garden and frames the view from the Study.

Multiple axes co-exist to form a procession through the long narrow site and home, providing critical points of inter-connectivity among the varied spaces.

Design Team:
• Architecture: Murphy Mears Architects
• Interior Design: Tokerud & Co. Interior Design
• Landscape Design: Alisa Dawson