Situated on a gentle slope, the tiny home features a gable roof, a rectangular silhouette, and an expansive wood deck that extends from the front facade.
Front View
Kitchen
The original owners of the 1969 glass house had converted an existing barn on site into an art studio. The new homeowners wanted to update it to function as a guest house and at-home work studio.
Doug’s mother, Julie, visits with Melissa, Doug, their daughter Simms, and Birdie the dog.
“In my next life, I will be a coconut farmer,” says Jacob, who has planted over 50 of the tropical trees on the property. “In 15 years, it will be amazing.”
“Many of the houses in the development aren’t too different from the city or suburbs,” says Kilpatrick. “One of our goals was for this project to have a rural feel.”
The rhythm of the slat wall (made from red cedar and stained to look prematurely weathered) is echoed in the shutter detailing on each window.
In the en suite, a black Victoria + Albert tub (with matching black American Universal penny tile) makes the perfect spot to soak up the view—though the shower curtains that line the windows can be drawn for a little more privacy. A shower head is mounted off to the right.
There are no upper cabinets in the kitchen, but a large walk-in pantry in the middle of the home—decked out in a cheery yellow paint and chicken-print wallpaper from Voutsa—provides ample storage.
The railings in the casitas echo the details of the main house. The stair treads are painted the same dusty blue as the loft floor. These tiny bunkhouses are designed to sleep a family of four, and also house a little kitchenette and bathroom.
Firebrick lines both the wall and floor so that the fire can be lit right on the ground for an ultra-cozy night in.
The windows over the sink open right onto the screen porch. A wall of built-in shelving offers both storage and a clever way to separate the kitchen and living room.
While rooms are often designed to have islands of furniture, with a walking aisle around the perimeter, here the furniture is placed around the edges at a comfortable distance.
The compound was built on one of the Frio Cañon homesites along the Frio River—a ranch that’s been divided up into lots and developed with utilities. So while it’s rural, it also avoids some of the typical headaches of a remote location.
In the dressing room, the ceiling is papered with Ellie Cashman Summer Squall in midnight blue—a little pop of pattern to peek at as you’re heading through to the back door.
The breezeway acts as a big communal dining space, while the round table for six in the kitchen is for more casual family meals.