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
New Territory Tennis Center
Sugar Land, Texas
Commercial
Reema
Artist & Transmedia Storyteller
Art and Design
Reema is an Artist and current MFA Candidate at the University of Houston in Interdisciplinary Practice and Emerging Forms focusing on Transmedia Storytelling. Joe and Kevin sat down with Reema to discuss her path to becoming a storyteller, how her transmedia approach shows up in her current project “Allyson Darke”, and her advice to budding creatives.
The Merit of the Mud Room
Joe Rivers
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.