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. Elevated on a gentle slope, the design balances privacy and openness, offering a serene refuge deeply connected to its landscape.
Location
Albert, Texas
Design Team
Kevin Barden and Joe Rivers
Renderings
Alex Warr
Typology
Residential
Date
2018
Process
Explore
West Texas Retreat
Alpine, Texas
Residential
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.
Heath West
Painter
Art and Design
In this episode, our resident architects Joe Rivers and Kevin Barden visit with Heath West, a painter from Los Angeles, California. Heath is painter with an extensive background in architecture, a subject he pursued and worked in professionally for several years before returning to his original love of art and painting. Before his recent relocation from Houston, Texas to Los Angeles, California, Heath sat down with Kevin and Joe to discuss the influence of architecture in his work and his particular approach to painting.
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.