OLD MODERN

A cylindrical glass staircase with Western red cedar and painted steel mullions dominates the front of the house. The stair treads, along with the floor, are made of recycled spotted gum.

Julie and Chris Hill’s home in Austin is built around a pair of massive oak trees, one of which shoots through an ipe deck, past a Loll deck chair, and into a void in the overhanging roof. “The hole also allows light to penetrate deeper into the house,” notes designer Kevin Alter. A limestone brick wall mirrors the curves of the Western red cedar roof, the edges of which are coated in stucco.

Rear Facade

New rear addition

View looking from the new deck along the central axis towards the new pool and existing living room (with new concrete deck). The new design built-up the sloping site around the pool so its surface could be raised to allow more of a connection between the existing indoor spaces and the water.

Visitors pass by a sentry wall of lamps from Design House Stockholm on their way to the airy living-dining room with its 52 windows.