In the Fall of 2009, Kevin visited the Czech Republic for two weeks. Traveling by train, bus, and foot, various sites ranging in time, material, and typology around Bohemia and Moravia were observed, explored, and studied. This sketch essay captures a handful of the moments and experiences from the trip.
Explore
Timbergrove Renovation
Houston, Texas
Residential
In Houston’s Timbergrove neighborhood, this renovation transforms a traditional layout into an open, light-filled home designed for entertaining. Walls between kitchen, living, and dining areas were removed to create seamless flow, with custom millwork adding warmth, storage, and subtle definition to each space.
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.
Ethos
Kevin Barden and Joe Rivers
Writing
In an essay entitled The Hedgehog and the Fox, Isaiah Berlin quotes the Greek poet Archilochus, “The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing” (Berlin 7). The essay was written as a commentary on Leo Tolstoy’s view of history, however, the text can offer an understanding for how one might practice architecture as well. For us, this understanding reveals itself in perceiving the environment as a fox and believing in it as a hedgehog.