This atypical home might bring to mind an old-fashioned shopkeeper living above their workplace, but this home and client are anything but old-fashioned.
Working closely with the client, Dick Clark + Associates helped realize her vision for transforming a 1977 office building into an updated model of live-work. Along the trails of Shoal Creek in Austin, TX sits this industrial residence above an antique furniture store and design workshop.
The design approach revealed the building’s latent structural system and surfaced a raw aesthetic complimented by large warehouse style windows and a warm brickwork palette. Most stunning are the textural richness of the interior finishes and the eclectic mixture of mid-century modern furniture juxtaposed with the exposed concrete, steel, and wood structure.
From the quirky mural along the trailhead to the custom light fixtures made from recycled washing machine drums, this residence engages and invites you to take a further look.
The Renner Project - an atypical home: Questions and Answers
What was the brief?
Taking an old and dated office building and stripping the existing stucco off of the building and opening it up to create a retail location for furniture and a design studio, with the upper level being converted to a single family residence above so the family could live above where the wife works.
What were the key challenges?
The existing building was poorly built and included several different types of construction built in 2 or 3 phases so there were lots of inconsistencies to work around. Another challenge was city zoning and building codes because it is rather difficult and expensive to combine residential and commercial on the same building.
What were the solutions?
Design wise, we stripped the building down to expose as much of the strong concrete shell that was beneath and had to utilize thin brick in places where the existing shell was hard to accommodate the weight of new brick.
