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Set against the rugged backdrop of West Texas, this renovation transforms a simple home into a serene retreat immersed in mountain and sky. Expansive glazing captures shifting light and distant peaks, while covered outdoor spaces invite connection to the land’s quiet rhythms. Warm wood ceilings and natural stone finishes echo the desert palette, creating a refuge for reflection and renewal. Designed as an escape from the city, the home celebrates its setting while offering a place to slow down, breathe deeply, and watch the horizon fade into starlit night.

Location

Alpine, Texas

Design Team

Joe Rivers and Kevin Barden

Renderings

WAL Studio

Typology

Residential

Date

2017

Process

Explore

Albert Cabin

Stepping through the stone wall portal marks a threshold from city life to the quiet rhythms of the Texas Hill Country. The cabin’s warm wood interiors and expansive glazing open to the surrounding oaks and sky. In the mornings, the southeast-facing bath welcomes the first light; in the evenings, the southwest-facing bedroom frames sunsets and starlit skies.

Minh Nguyen

Food and Beverage

In this episode our resident architects Joe Rivers and Kevin Barden visit with Minh Nguyen, the friendly figure behind Cafe TH in Houston, Texas.

Annual Holiday Cards

Competitions

Every winter Rivers Barden Architects takes time to draw, sketch, and/or model a Holiday Card image to send to family, friends, clients, and colleagues.  Seen here is a collection of these in one place.