West Texas Retreat
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
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Memorial Townhome Renovation
Houston, Texas
Residential
Just steps from Memorial Park, this complete townhome renovation transforms a compartmentalized layout into an airy, light-filled sanctuary. Walls and columns were removed to create open sightlines and fluid movement, reflecting the client’s identity and lifestyle. Multiple skylights wash the double-height living space in daylight, shifting like an internal sundial and connecting inhabitants to the rhythms of time and season.
Kari Breitigam
Multidisciplinary Artist, Dyer, & Jeweler
Art and Design
In this episode, our resident architects Joe Rivers and Kevin Barden visit with Kari Breitigam, a multidisciplinary artist, teacher, and jeweler from Houston, Texas. Joe and Kevin sat down with Kari to discuss her work as an art instructor, her growth from working with painting to many mediums, and the ideas surrounding her current work.
Sicily Sketch Essay
Kevin Barden
Drawing and Photography
In the summer of 2008, Kevin visited Sicily for two weeks. Traveling by train, car, and foot, various sites ranging in time, material, and typology around the island were observed, explored, and studied. This sketch essay captures a handful of the moments and experiences from the trip.