Floor-to-ceiling windows from Ram usher in light during the day and emit a welcoming glow at night.
Zuri gives Mateo a hand in front of the floating white oak bench in the entryway.
“It’s so nice back here in the summer in the shade,” says Sherry. “We don’t even have to put sunscreen on the kids. It’s a true little oasis.”
In the large central courtyard, a heritage pecan tree rises above the roofline, and a 10-by-30-foot pool is set into the ipe wood deck.
The soaking tub overlooks an exterior rock garden that is illuminated by a light well.
In the primary bathroom, a custom vanity is outfitted with American Standard faucets. The light is from Cedar & Moss, and the floor tiles are Concret from La Nova.
Sliding glass doors lead out to the poolside patio.
The couple’s bedroom features a Nook bed from Blu Dot, a vintage bedside table, and linens from Parachute.
Bo, the family’s Old English sheepdog, keeps Sherry company in the office.
The bench doubles as storage with built-in drawers underneath.
Mateo plays on a built-in bench along one wall in the kitchen.
"Anthony and Sherry love to entertain, so they wanted something that felt a little more austere from the street and then became warm and cozy on the interio,” says architect Eric Hughes.
"Sherry had an amazing vision for the house and a great back-and-forth with the designers. We laugh that if it had been up to me, I would have told them to just do whatever they wanted,” says Anthony.
A pair of Lina swivel chairs by Hlynur Atlason for Design Within Reach sit in front of custom white oak cabinetry designed by Hughes and fabricated by Austin Wood Works.
“Brick was such a good material for this project,” says Hughes’s partner, architect Heather Rowell. “It creates a rhythm and simplicity on the outside—a mathematical rigor—but on the inside, it’s so easy to set up a playful contrast with bright white drywall.”
Sherry Birk and Anthony Orona, tapped HR Design Dept, whose co-principal, Eric Hughes, is a longtime friend of Anthony’s, to design the midcentury-inspired, one-story house in Austin. The dark metal fascia emphasizes the home’s horizontality and complements the earth-toned brick facade.
Floor plan of Crestview Residence by HR Design Dept
Sherry, Anthony, and their children, Zuri and Mateo, make the most of the kitchen and dining area in their new home. Harbour chairs by Menu surround a Tulip table by Eero Saarinen for Knoll. The A-Beam pendant is from Hand&Eye, and the ceramics are by Gopi Shah. Appliances include a Fisher & Paykel stove and a wine cooler from KitchenAid.