New York-based architect David Fox of Stonefox, worked with Texas Construction Company to design a home that would suit their needs as they relocated from St. Louis to Austin to be nearer to their grandchildren. Other than being closer to help out with their grandchildren and having enough space to accommodate multiple generations of a large family, Royce Flournoy, president of Texas Construction Company, says the couple wanted a home where they would be able to comfortably age in place.
With those objectives in mind, the three-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bathroom house takes a U-shaped form, wrapping three sides of an intimate internal courtyard. The heart of their nearly 4,000-square-foot, single story home — a sprawling space flanked by generous white-trimmed windows that allow natural light to pour in from both sides — is divided into three separate functions: den, formal living and formal dining. Two paneled partitions effectively establish spatial separation without using any doors or walls, allowing for three different functions inside the room while maintaining connection and flow throughout the space.
“It’s a clever use of space that lets the room be very expansive and creates compartmentalized areas for everyday use so it doesn’t seem overly big,” says Flournoy of the partitioned space. “It flows really well when they are entertaining or having family gatherings.”
“The design came out of the way the lot was laid out,” says Flournoy of the flat property with a steep drop in the back. “They wanted a decent back yard, and by using the left and
right wings of the home to flank this courtyard, it gave us the imprint to create a retaining wall and provided an economical approach to resolving the steep slope of the backyard.”
Similarly, on the exterior, a dark standing seam metal roof provides an appealing contrast to the home’s Lueders limestone façade, a nod to the home’s Hill Country roots. The covered porch, with its flagstone floor and pine ceiling, creates a contemplative spot to relax and soak in the surrounding scenery. During periods when mosquitos are active — a frequent occurrence in Central Texas — automated screens are utilized for added protection.