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
Explore
Boulevard Oaks Addition
Houston, Texas
Residential
Listening to the language of the existing historic home, this addition of a new Garage Quarters, Outdoor Living, Pool, and Gardens blends seamlessly with the property’s original character while enhancing its functionality.
Peter Molick
Photographer
Art and Design
In this episode our resident architects Joe Rivers and Kevin Barden visit with Peter Molick, an architectural photographer from Houston, Texas. Peter Molick's work as an architectural photographer has him capturing on film life's many varied spaces. His portfolio runs the gambit from new construction homes, office buildings, and museums, to a clothing store, a music hall, and even a stadium. But we really wanted to visit with Pete to discuss a work of his that he did outside of professional output. The piece, called Crossings, has been showing since May at the 15th Venice Architecture Biennale, the most influential exhibition in architecture. Joe and Kevin talk with Pete about his craft as an architectural photographer, what drove him to create Crossings, and the future of his career and creative outlets.
Staff Travel: The Swiss Chalet
Rafia Imran
Writing
In August of 2023, Rafia visited Switzerland for eight days. Her travels took her from sampling chocolates in Zurich to exploring the UNESCO city of Bern to hiking in the Swiss Alps. Here, she fell in love with not only the beautiful landscapes of the Bernese Oberland region, but also the elaborately decorated Swiss Chalet.