The Frick Residence is located in Barton Heights, Austin, Texas, USA. Designed for artist Laurie Frick and by KRBD, this one bedroom, two bathroom home comes complete with a 700sqft home studio. Positioned on an infilled lot that has had its original home relocated, the site was limited in its usable space due to a Diadora Cypress at the street front and an Oak tree and swimming pool at the rear.
The architects took these limitations in stride and designed the home using a series of 16′ steel bays wrapped in a metal-clad SIP cowl. Inside this “cage” the facade of the home is clad in tigerwood siding and glazings while the studio boasts a colored stucco facing.
The path leading up to the main entry is a created with a row of large concrete pavers that sit on top of the landscape rather then embedded into it.
Beside the walkway is the raised concrete driveway strips that lead to a partially covered carport.
The raised planters are created using naturally patina’d steel.
The entry is at the end of the walkway and to the side of the carport and while the architect did not highlight its locale three specimen Snake Plants at the end of the carport herald the location .
The door opens with just a light push up to a large foyer that the homeowner uses as a gallery space to exhibit her art collection above and her book collection below and her rug collection on the floor.
The living room is at one end of the gallery hall while the family room is at the other. It’s a stunning space from every direction and I can’t imagine passing through it without pausing every few feet to admire a painting here, a piece of pottery there or even perusing a book while resting on the bookshelf bench.
The entry way is positioned at one end of the hall, right next to the open plan social zone that begins with the living room.
A large wall of glazings connects the social zone with the pool and its terrace for the perfect indoor/outdoor lifestyle.
While minimal art is displayed within this section of the home, the space is kept interesting by the range of architectural details – and of course the bold pops of red.
Outside, the pool is flanked by the kitchen on one side and the homeowner’s artist’s studio on another with a doored glass breezeway connecting the two volumes.
Windows are kept to a minimum within the artist’s studio to allow for large expanses of wall to support the homeowner’s art, but the area stays light and bright due to the skylight and raised clerestory window section integrated into the ceiling plane.
The space is large enough to have several paintings on the go at one time – each separated from the other, allow artist Laurie Frick to remain focused on the one at hand.
When its time to put the paintings aside, Laurie re-enters her living space via the social zone and from there she can head down the hall passing first her master suite before ending up in the family room.
Her bedroom is entered through a sliding door in the gallery hall wall and when open the wall of maple shelving within the room visually creates a continuation of the hallway collections.
The master suite features only one length of clerestory window so that Laurie can feature more of her amazing art collection on the walls. The ensuite also features only one clerestory window, but this is done for privacy rather than display.
A second door next to the master suite leads to a hallway bathroom. This room is not against an outside wall and so its light source comes from an overhead skylight. Even though the walls are void of glazings, it remains a bright and cheerful room in part because of the cheerful use of turquoise in the mosaic tiles that wrap the room and in the accessories.
Choosing turquoise for the bathroom is a nod to the pool area out back.
At the end of the hall and at the front of the house the family room is outfitted with a home office that overlooks the street and the entry walkway.
KRDB
