Texas Houzz: An Architect's Sustainable, Palm Springs-Style Home
See how an architect designed his family home around a protected tree, drawing on a ’50s mid-century modern vibe
Suzanne Ennis
19 June 2022
Houzz Editorial Staff. I write about all aspects of home design and remodeling, but I have soft spots for historic homes, California modernism and lakefront cabins.
Houzz Editorial Staff. I write about all aspects of home design and remodeling, but... More
After two decades designing healthy, sustainable houses with strong indoor-outdoor connections for his clients, USA-based Jed Duhon, a principal architect at award-winning Texan firm Studio Steinbomer, decided it was high time to build one of his own. He and his husband, Michael Harper, soon found a flat lot in a bike-friendly neighbourhood in Austin, Texas, but it came with a hitch: a protected cedar elm sat smack in the middle of the backyard.
Duhon knew the tree would be tough to design around, so the couple initially walked away. But after considering the lot’s hard-to-beat proximity to restaurants, shops and their kids’ schools, Duhon reasoned, “I’m an architect – I’ll figure it out,” and he convinced Harper they should put in an offer. “Then I immediately started thinking, ‘What did I do?’” he says with a laugh.
In the end, the element that nearly scared Duhon away became an asset. The tree prompted him to skew the whole left side of the house 21 degrees, creating interesting angles well-suited to his preferred mid-century modern aesthetic and giving all of the primary spaces a leafy view. Now Duhon and his family enjoy a taste of California’s iconic Palm Springs lifestyle in Texas, as well as the satisfaction of being – and seeing – green.
Duhon knew the tree would be tough to design around, so the couple initially walked away. But after considering the lot’s hard-to-beat proximity to restaurants, shops and their kids’ schools, Duhon reasoned, “I’m an architect – I’ll figure it out,” and he convinced Harper they should put in an offer. “Then I immediately started thinking, ‘What did I do?’” he says with a laugh.
In the end, the element that nearly scared Duhon away became an asset. The tree prompted him to skew the whole left side of the house 21 degrees, creating interesting angles well-suited to his preferred mid-century modern aesthetic and giving all of the primary spaces a leafy view. Now Duhon and his family enjoy a taste of California’s iconic Palm Springs lifestyle in Texas, as well as the satisfaction of being – and seeing – green.
Photos by Andrea Calo.
House at a Glance
Who lives here: Architect Jed Duhon; his husband, Michael Harper; their two children, aged 11 and 13; and their basenji dogs, Cairo and Kenya
Location: Austin, USA
Size: 316 square metres with five bedrooms and six bathrooms
Designers: Jed Duhon, principal architect at Studio Steinbomer (architecture and interior design), Amity Worrel & Co (interior design) and Michael Harper (landscape design)
Builder: Ford Strei Builders
When Duhon and Harper bought the lot in Austin’s Allandale neighbourhood, there was a 74-square-metre house on it that didn’t suit their needs. Rather than demolish it, they donated it to a company that repurposes and resells homes, and it was moved to a nearby city.
Starting with a blank slate (aside from the beautiful but poorly situated tree), Duhon could design from the ground up. As a frequent traveler to Palm Springs, California, and an admirer of its mid-century modern architecture, he was eager to capture that vibe and give it his own stylistic twist, while at the same time making sustainable, healthy design choices suited to Austin’s hot, humid climate.
Of course, Duhon also involved Harper throughout the process, including giving him the opportunity to make changes.
“That was hard for me [as an architect], but he gave feedback and I treated him like a client,” says Duhon. “You do some marriage counselling with your clients and know how the process goes. I was trained!”
House at a Glance
Who lives here: Architect Jed Duhon; his husband, Michael Harper; their two children, aged 11 and 13; and their basenji dogs, Cairo and Kenya
Location: Austin, USA
Size: 316 square metres with five bedrooms and six bathrooms
Designers: Jed Duhon, principal architect at Studio Steinbomer (architecture and interior design), Amity Worrel & Co (interior design) and Michael Harper (landscape design)
Builder: Ford Strei Builders
When Duhon and Harper bought the lot in Austin’s Allandale neighbourhood, there was a 74-square-metre house on it that didn’t suit their needs. Rather than demolish it, they donated it to a company that repurposes and resells homes, and it was moved to a nearby city.
Starting with a blank slate (aside from the beautiful but poorly situated tree), Duhon could design from the ground up. As a frequent traveler to Palm Springs, California, and an admirer of its mid-century modern architecture, he was eager to capture that vibe and give it his own stylistic twist, while at the same time making sustainable, healthy design choices suited to Austin’s hot, humid climate.
Of course, Duhon also involved Harper throughout the process, including giving him the opportunity to make changes.
“That was hard for me [as an architect], but he gave feedback and I treated him like a client,” says Duhon. “You do some marriage counselling with your clients and know how the process goes. I was trained!”
Among Duhon’s top priorities was making the house efficient and conducive to healthy living. Working with Austin-based engineering firm Positive Energy, he designed and installed both active and passive systems to reach those goals.
For example, to mitigate solar heat gain, Duhon designed large overhangs and avoided placing windows in direct sun.
In addition to heavily insulating the house’s wall cavities and using continuous insulation and a drain layer on the exterior, they used an air-sealing system called AeroBarrier that prevents air leaks by filling in gaps measuring 1.2 centimetres or smaller. An ERV (energy-recovery ventilator) continually exchanges stale indoor air with filtered fresh air from outside, while managing moisture, which is critical in such a tightly sealed house.
For the water-heating system, they installed an efficient electric heat pump set on timers that’s located in the centre of the house, eliminating the need for a recirculation pump. It draws air from the surrounding indoor space and uses that to generate heat.
Duhon used his house as a guinea pig for some of these systems, he says. Now that he’s seen how effective and easy-to-use they can be, he’s more confident about encouraging his clients to adopt them.
Building a new home? Find an architect on Houzz near you, browse images of their work and read reviews from previous clients
For example, to mitigate solar heat gain, Duhon designed large overhangs and avoided placing windows in direct sun.
In addition to heavily insulating the house’s wall cavities and using continuous insulation and a drain layer on the exterior, they used an air-sealing system called AeroBarrier that prevents air leaks by filling in gaps measuring 1.2 centimetres or smaller. An ERV (energy-recovery ventilator) continually exchanges stale indoor air with filtered fresh air from outside, while managing moisture, which is critical in such a tightly sealed house.
For the water-heating system, they installed an efficient electric heat pump set on timers that’s located in the centre of the house, eliminating the need for a recirculation pump. It draws air from the surrounding indoor space and uses that to generate heat.
Duhon used his house as a guinea pig for some of these systems, he says. Now that he’s seen how effective and easy-to-use they can be, he’s more confident about encouraging his clients to adopt them.
Building a new home? Find an architect on Houzz near you, browse images of their work and read reviews from previous clients
Another priority was creating outdoor access, or at least a view, from all the rooms.
“It’s important to have connections to outdoor space as humans,” says Duhon. “I think it enhances health and mood.”
These south-facing glass doors connect the primary bedroom to the home’s backyard. Sitting in the red butterfly chairs, shaded from the sun by an overhang, the couple can watch their kids swim.
“It’s important to have connections to outdoor space as humans,” says Duhon. “I think it enhances health and mood.”
These south-facing glass doors connect the primary bedroom to the home’s backyard. Sitting in the red butterfly chairs, shaded from the sun by an overhang, the couple can watch their kids swim.
The pool is plastered white to create that classic bright blue hue. A sunroom adjacent to the garage offers additional shaded space nearby.
A hedge of cherry laurel trees along the fence will provide privacy as it grows. Harper, who is a doctor by profession but has an “obsession” with plants, according to Duhon, designed all the landscaping.
“I let him have full control,” says Duhon. “‘I did the house. [He] could do the yard. That was the arrangement I signed around.”
A hedge of cherry laurel trees along the fence will provide privacy as it grows. Harper, who is a doctor by profession but has an “obsession” with plants, according to Duhon, designed all the landscaping.
“I let him have full control,” says Duhon. “‘I did the house. [He] could do the yard. That was the arrangement I signed around.”
Central to it all is the cedar elm that nearly turned Duhon away from the lot. They’re not uncommon in Austin, he says, but this one is particularly large.
“All the spaces on one side of the house, including the second floor, have been angled around that tree because the canopy is pretty big,” says Duhon. “When you see the plans and you’re like, ‘Where did all these angles come from?’ – just know that tree is the source.”
While the front yard has natural grass, the backyard is synthetic turf to limit dirt tracked into the house – especially by the dogs, who are in and out all day via a dog door hidden behind a fern in this photo.
Browse beautiful Australian poolside areas
“All the spaces on one side of the house, including the second floor, have been angled around that tree because the canopy is pretty big,” says Duhon. “When you see the plans and you’re like, ‘Where did all these angles come from?’ – just know that tree is the source.”
While the front yard has natural grass, the backyard is synthetic turf to limit dirt tracked into the house – especially by the dogs, who are in and out all day via a dog door hidden behind a fern in this photo.
Browse beautiful Australian poolside areas
Moving inside, large glass doors in an L shape slide and stack to connect the living room and kitchen to the poolside entertaining area (which is also visible in the previous photo). The shaded outdoor space is equipped with heaters, a fan, barbecue and television.
At the far end of the living room is a custom built-in shelving unit with a television concealed by a sliding door. Duhon concedes that the wood-burning fireplace below it wasn’t the greenest choice, but this was a rare case where nostalgia and faithfulness to mid-century modern architecture triumphed over efficiency.
An HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) system is also integrated into the unit, with an air register (which controls air flow where the duct enters the room) and intake vent just barely visible at its top and toe.
At the far end of the living room is a custom built-in shelving unit with a television concealed by a sliding door. Duhon concedes that the wood-burning fireplace below it wasn’t the greenest choice, but this was a rare case where nostalgia and faithfulness to mid-century modern architecture triumphed over efficiency.
An HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) system is also integrated into the unit, with an air register (which controls air flow where the duct enters the room) and intake vent just barely visible at its top and toe.
Here’s a closer look at the living room, this time with the glass doors closed. Creating this inviting corner was deceptively complicated, not to mention expensive.
“Not only is it an L shape, but the ceiling is sloped. And these horizontal volumes, if you will, are all structural,” says Duhon, who admits, “I was not fully transparent with my husband on how much they cost.” Fortunately, the doors have since earnt their keep, both on a daily basis and when the couple host parties. “You can tellI I’m proud of my doors,” says Duhon.
Other elements to note here are the Eames armchair and ottoman and the large-format tiled floor. Resembling terrazzo, a flooring material common in mid-century modern architecture, the 60 x 60-centimetre porcelain tiles are used throughout most of the home’s ground level.
“Not only is it an L shape, but the ceiling is sloped. And these horizontal volumes, if you will, are all structural,” says Duhon, who admits, “I was not fully transparent with my husband on how much they cost.” Fortunately, the doors have since earnt their keep, both on a daily basis and when the couple host parties. “You can tellI I’m proud of my doors,” says Duhon.
Other elements to note here are the Eames armchair and ottoman and the large-format tiled floor. Resembling terrazzo, a flooring material common in mid-century modern architecture, the 60 x 60-centimetre porcelain tiles are used throughout most of the home’s ground level.
The kitchen is next to the living room and features white oak cabinetry, black appliances and a mid-century-appropriate yellow-and-aqua palette.
Duhon used Houzz Ideabooks to gather photos of details he liked to “build the story” of the house, just like he always encourages his clients to do, he says. He selected the vast majority of the house’s finishes and colours himself, and received some assistance and validation from interior designer friend Amity Worrel.
Among Worrel’s contributions was the idea to place barstools around the corner of the island instead of in a line, allowing people to face each other. Now, Duhon says, that’s where everyone wants to hang out.
Duhon used Houzz Ideabooks to gather photos of details he liked to “build the story” of the house, just like he always encourages his clients to do, he says. He selected the vast majority of the house’s finishes and colours himself, and received some assistance and validation from interior designer friend Amity Worrel.
Among Worrel’s contributions was the idea to place barstools around the corner of the island instead of in a line, allowing people to face each other. Now, Duhon says, that’s where everyone wants to hang out.
Duhon didn’t connect gas to the house, a choice made as much out of consideration for environmental sustainability as for healthy living, since burning gas contributes to indoor air pollution. Instead, he installed an induction cooktop in the kitchen. Orange Lincoln Beautyware canisters from the 1950s sit to the left of it on the quartz benchtop.
A breakfast nook has a floating white oak corner bench, a tulip table, Eames Eiffel chairs and a starburst mirror that adds more Palm Springs-style pizzazz.
The door on the left leads to a little ‘flex’ room that’s open to the backyard all summer and serves as Harper’s greenhouse in the winter.
The door on the left leads to a little ‘flex’ room that’s open to the backyard all summer and serves as Harper’s greenhouse in the winter.
The flex room opens onto the main bedroom. Duhon loves the texture and 1950s vibe of terracotta brick and used it generously for the home’s interior and exterior. Here, it underscores the home’s indoor-outdoor connection by extending into the backyard.
The adjacent main bathroom is flooded with natural light through its clerestory windows. Nearly every space in the house has a window in it, Duhon says, so you can walk through the home without having any lights on (an energy-efficient building strategy called passive daylighting).
On the north-facing side of the house, a powder room sports more white oak cabinetry and textural yellow tiles with a 1950s feel.
The powder room is next to a first-floor guest suite with a bathroom of its own. Its walls and shower are covered in square Moroccan-inspired glazed ceramic tiles in varying shades of earthy green.
In the mirror you can spy the guest room’s bed, which Harper, who was in the military, had custom-made while stationed in Hawaii.
In the mirror you can spy the guest room’s bed, which Harper, who was in the military, had custom-made while stationed in Hawaii.
The double-height dining room is on the home’s east side, with a 4.5-metre-high windows facing the street.
“I wanted a good amount of natural light in the space, but I didn’t want it to be a fishbowl,” says Duhon.
Outside the windows is a brick screen, similar to a breeze block you might see in Palm Springs, which offers both shade and privacy. Duhon painstakingly arranged the pattern of the bricks on-site before a stonemason installed them.
Finding windows that opened inward was another challenge. Duhon “searched the Earth,” he says, and finally found a company, Loewen Windows, which could custom-engineer them for the space.
(Look back at the first image to see the orientation of the room and the bricks’ effect from the exterior.)
“I wanted a good amount of natural light in the space, but I didn’t want it to be a fishbowl,” says Duhon.
Outside the windows is a brick screen, similar to a breeze block you might see in Palm Springs, which offers both shade and privacy. Duhon painstakingly arranged the pattern of the bricks on-site before a stonemason installed them.
Finding windows that opened inward was another challenge. Duhon “searched the Earth,” he says, and finally found a company, Loewen Windows, which could custom-engineer them for the space.
(Look back at the first image to see the orientation of the room and the bricks’ effect from the exterior.)
In addition to serving a practical purpose, the brick screen throws a gorgeous pattern of light and shadow across the room.
The bar’s triangular-shaped glass-tile splashback and chevron-shaped white oak wine racks complement the bricks’ geometric pattern.
The bar’s triangular-shaped glass-tile splashback and chevron-shaped white oak wine racks complement the bricks’ geometric pattern.
The dramatic floating staircase features white oak treads and a blackened steel stringer and balustrade. The vertical steel bars, which support the second story, divide the kitchen from the dining space.
(Again, look back at the first photo of the kitchen to orientate yourself with where this space fits within the general layout.)
(Again, look back at the first photo of the kitchen to orientate yourself with where this space fits within the general layout.)
Both kids’ bedrooms are upstairs. With some guidance, the couple’s 11-year-old son selected the colours of the feature wall in his bedroom, which are simply MDF panels arranged in a cool pattern.
Fun mosaic floor tiles established the adjoining bathroom’s palette.
The couple’s daughter also selected her bedroom’s colours. Her ensuite, not pictured, has a bathtub as well as a shower.
Duhon installed an energy-saving Lutron lighting-control system throughout the house. In addition to allowing users to run their lights on timers, the integrated system enables them to turn lights on and off via an app on their phones – a feature that comes in handy when you have a second floor and kids who always leave their lights on, Duhon says.
Duhon installed an energy-saving Lutron lighting-control system throughout the house. In addition to allowing users to run their lights on timers, the integrated system enables them to turn lights on and off via an app on their phones – a feature that comes in handy when you have a second floor and kids who always leave their lights on, Duhon says.
Implementing such sustainability and healthy living measures resulted in the home earning the Austin Energy Green Building program’s highest rating.
Meanwhile, Duhon came to embrace the tree as the home’s focal point.
“I have a prepaid contract on the tree with my arborist. It has more protection than my kids do!” he says. “We’re going to do everything we can to take care of it.”
Meanwhile, Duhon came to embrace the tree as the home’s focal point.
“I have a prepaid contract on the tree with my arborist. It has more protection than my kids do!” he says. “We’re going to do everything we can to take care of it.”
The home’s upper-level floor plan.
Your turn
What do you love most about this tree-hugging home? Tell us in the Comments below. And if you’re as inspired by the Palm Springs style as we are, like this story, save the images and join the conversation.
More
Enjoyed this article? You’ll love the amazing mid-century modern home in this Melbourne Houzz: A One-of-a-Kind Home for a Family of Seven
Your turn
What do you love most about this tree-hugging home? Tell us in the Comments below. And if you’re as inspired by the Palm Springs style as we are, like this story, save the images and join the conversation.
More
Enjoyed this article? You’ll love the amazing mid-century modern home in this Melbourne Houzz: A One-of-a-Kind Home for a Family of Seven
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Valencia Spain
I thoroughly enjoyed viewing and reviewing this amazing home. The angles used to seemingly incorporate the canopy are clever and innovative.👍
,Stunning, ecologically conscientious, absolutely wonderful