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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. Large windows frame garden views and invite daylight deep into the home, blurring the boundary between indoors and outdoors. The result is a welcoming setting where gatherings feel both lively and connected, and the home adapts effortlessly from quiet mornings to vibrant evenings.

Location

Houston, Texas

Design Team

Kevin Barden, Joe Rivers, and Esmer Leija

Renderings

Rivers Barden Architects

Typology

Residential

Date

2021-Present

Structural Engineer

Santee Engineering

General Contractor

Frich Investments

Process

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Gulf Coast Beach House

Set along the Gulf Coast shoreline, this beach house embraces coastal living with expansive decks, open interiors, and uninterrupted ocean views. Light-filled rooms flow seamlessly to generous outdoor spaces, inviting breezes and sunlight into daily life. A soft, natural palette and durable coastal materials create a relaxed yet refined retreat, perfect for both quiet mornings and lively gatherings by the water.

Greg Dean

Music and Performance

In this episode, our resident architects Joe Rivers and Kevin Barden visit with Greg Dean, a theater actor and director from Houston, Texas. Greg Dean has been a player in Houston's theater scene for practically three decades, having spent much of that time as an actor and director with locally founded Catastrophic Theater. Joe and Kevin sat down with Greg to discuss his evolution as an actor and his approach to directing.

The Merit of the Mud Room

Writing

Houston, a city molded by the oil and gas industry, is a place of energy, innovation, and, at times, a little dirt. As architects who live within this soiled city, we understand the unique challenges posed by the grit and grime of our surroundings. For this reason, we propose an often underestimated yet invaluable component of home design – the extra-large mud room. Serving as more than just a transitional space, a well-designed mud room offers a multitude of benefits that contribute to the organization, hygiene, and overall well-being of a home here in Houston.