Houzz Tours
Oklahoma Houzz Tour: Wild Cats Roam This New Prairie-Style Home
Striking architecture competes for attention with a family of felines in this eye-popping home near Oklahoma City
You should never leave your shoes unattended at Warren and Becky Johnson’s modern Prairie-style home in Oklahoma City, USA. That’s because Samson, an 18-kilogram African serval cat with long, well, everything – legs, ears, teeth, claws – might mistake your size eights for dinner.
But don’t worry. The 12-year-old feline, who the Johnsons have had since he was a kitten, is not as pouncy and wild as he was several years ago. Besides, he prefers raw chicken and prawns to cotton and leather. These days he perches leisurely, leaps and climbs through the Oklahoma City brick-and-glass home with his two semi-wild Savannah cat buddies. And, being the alpha male in the house, he only occasionally terrorises the Johnsons’ two large dogs.
But don’t worry. The 12-year-old feline, who the Johnsons have had since he was a kitten, is not as pouncy and wild as he was several years ago. Besides, he prefers raw chicken and prawns to cotton and leather. These days he perches leisurely, leaps and climbs through the Oklahoma City brick-and-glass home with his two semi-wild Savannah cat buddies. And, being the alpha male in the house, he only occasionally terrorises the Johnsons’ two large dogs.
The Johnsons spent about nine months looking for the right property on which to build their house. A 44-acre site outside downtown Oklahoma City was perfect. “It had everything we wanted,” says Warren. “Lots of big oak trees, rolling terrain, no neighbours, set way off the road, close to town, 10 minutes to work.”
The house, built in 2015, features a pavilion-roof centre and various axes that divide up the public and private rooms.
The house, built in 2015, features a pavilion-roof centre and various axes that divide up the public and private rooms.
One of the big cats’ favourite hangouts is in something architect Eddie Jones calls “the jungle”, pictured here.
The front door opens to an atrium, the centre point of the home, with a circular garden and a spiral staircase with round treads that lead up to a glass-bottomed mezzanine tucked under the roof.
Here you can see Samson descending the staircase. The cats “like holding the high ground and seeing who’s coming and going,” says Jones.
The front door opens to an atrium, the centre point of the home, with a circular garden and a spiral staircase with round treads that lead up to a glass-bottomed mezzanine tucked under the roof.
Here you can see Samson descending the staircase. The cats “like holding the high ground and seeing who’s coming and going,” says Jones.
Samson, seen here in the foreground on the steps of the living room, is about the size of a medium-sized dog. “Our vet calls him a cat on stilts,” Warren says. “They have long legs and a long, slender body, and are spotted like a leopard. Very pretty.”
Simba, an 11-kilogram Savannah breed – a cross between a wild African serval and a domestic cat – lingers here in the background. In Oklahoma, the large cats are legal providing they don’t exceed 18 kilograms.
The cats are affectionate with the Johnsons. They will purr but they don’t cuddle or snuggle. “They’re not really touchy-feely cats,” says Warren. “They are very silent, day in and day out, when not confronted. Their form of affection is different from typical house cats. They like to head butt and rub on you. Their affection is a one-way street though. And they are driving.”
This feline psychology means the couple often screen guests before allowing them to mingle with their cats. What exactly are they looking for? “People who aren’t scared of them,” says Warren, “Because they’re kind of intimidating. They hiss a lot and growl, they put their ears back. It’s not that they’re mad. It’s their strange way of communicating.”
It took a few visits for the Johnsons to feel comfortable letting their cats out to meet Jones. “They’re fascinating and beautiful,” the architect says. “Not so affectionate.”
Simba, an 11-kilogram Savannah breed – a cross between a wild African serval and a domestic cat – lingers here in the background. In Oklahoma, the large cats are legal providing they don’t exceed 18 kilograms.
The cats are affectionate with the Johnsons. They will purr but they don’t cuddle or snuggle. “They’re not really touchy-feely cats,” says Warren. “They are very silent, day in and day out, when not confronted. Their form of affection is different from typical house cats. They like to head butt and rub on you. Their affection is a one-way street though. And they are driving.”
This feline psychology means the couple often screen guests before allowing them to mingle with their cats. What exactly are they looking for? “People who aren’t scared of them,” says Warren, “Because they’re kind of intimidating. They hiss a lot and growl, they put their ears back. It’s not that they’re mad. It’s their strange way of communicating.”
It took a few visits for the Johnsons to feel comfortable letting their cats out to meet Jones. “They’re fascinating and beautiful,” the architect says. “Not so affectionate.”
Jones designed numerous features to accommodate the cats, including a fenced-in rooftop playground that you can see in the upper-right quadrant in the image above. It sits atop a three-car garage.
The atrium with its circular garden is located at the centre of the four axes that radiate out from the home. A lap pool is pictured to the left of this image, a carport on the right, a long brick wall at the bottom and a covered walkway to a guest house appear to slice through the pavilion.
The top-left quadrant is the master bedroom. The bottom-left is the great room, containing the living, dining and kitchen areas. And the bottom-right quadrant is a detached study that doubles as a third bedroom.
The atrium with its circular garden is located at the centre of the four axes that radiate out from the home. A lap pool is pictured to the left of this image, a carport on the right, a long brick wall at the bottom and a covered walkway to a guest house appear to slice through the pavilion.
The top-left quadrant is the master bedroom. The bottom-left is the great room, containing the living, dining and kitchen areas. And the bottom-right quadrant is a detached study that doubles as a third bedroom.
Here’s the very large Samson next to Becky. Warren says Samson is bigger than the trimmer servals you might see in a zoo. They don’t get fed as well as Samson, he says.
The Johnsons also have a typical domestic black and white house cat named Bullethead, whom they adopted from one of Warren’s employees. The 14-year-old cat had been shot in the head with a pellet gun and nursed back to health, hence the name.
The Johnsons also have a typical domestic black and white house cat named Bullethead, whom they adopted from one of Warren’s employees. The 14-year-old cat had been shot in the head with a pellet gun and nursed back to health, hence the name.
Architect Jones devised the layout of the home as a reaction to the vast site: 44 acres covered with trees amid a gently rolling landscape. This meant the house “could soar and spread its arms,” he says. That idea resulted in the imagined axes expanding into the trees as various wings. “Then it started designing itself,” says Jones.
The elevation of the property is higher than Oklahoma City, which is about 24 kilometres away and can be seen along the horizon in the top left of this photo. Jones aligned the lap pool axis dead centre with Devon Tower, the largest building in Oklahoma City. “You could say the design goes well beyond the property lines,” he says.
The elevation of the property is higher than Oklahoma City, which is about 24 kilometres away and can be seen along the horizon in the top left of this photo. Jones aligned the lap pool axis dead centre with Devon Tower, the largest building in Oklahoma City. “You could say the design goes well beyond the property lines,” he says.
The architect based the feathered-wood slat roof design on one of his favourite houses: Herb Greene’s Prairie House. “Greene’s Prairie House has always been the finest, most sincere and clearest example of vernacular Oklahoma prairie architecture I have ever experienced,” Jones says. “There were many influences I interpreted in different ways.”
Jones chose soft-wood pine so the boards would weather, crack and warp quickly. “For me, it’s relinquishing my pencil to Mother Nature and letting her finalise the house,” he says. The boards cover a waterproof membrane – “No leaks to report,” Jones adds.
Apart from a few little inputs – such as not wanting a big kitchen or formal spaces, and determining how large certain rooms should be – the Johnsons let Jones’ creativity run wild. “We gave Eddie a blank sheet of paper,” Warren says. “It was his canvas and he drew whatever.”
Apart from a few little inputs – such as not wanting a big kitchen or formal spaces, and determining how large certain rooms should be – the Johnsons let Jones’ creativity run wild. “We gave Eddie a blank sheet of paper,” Warren says. “It was his canvas and he drew whatever.”
Here, Sesasi, the couple’s other dog, a 36-kilogram Xoloitzcuintli – also known as a Mexican hairless dog – stands on the roof.
Sometimes when she’s let out of the fenced-in area on the roof to a dogs-only play area, she hops a short wall and gets onto the roof.
“She runs – and I mean runs –around the roof, practically a 360,” Becky says. “It sounds like thunder.”
Sometimes when she’s let out of the fenced-in area on the roof to a dogs-only play area, she hops a short wall and gets onto the roof.
“She runs – and I mean runs –around the roof, practically a 360,” Becky says. “It sounds like thunder.”
Jones calls this area the “greatest room”, a play on today’s popular open living spaces. It contains all the entertaining spaces – a living room, bar, kitchen and dining area.
As the pavilion-style roof gets wider, it also gets closer to the ground, so Jones incorporated a level change in this area to create headroom.
The ceiling is comprised of sheets of vertical-grain fir, laid like shingles, with a gap between the boards to hold LED strip lights. “I’m sick of recessed cans,” the architect says. “This way we get an incredible mitered ceiling, like a louvered ceiling, with light leaking out.”
As the pavilion-style roof gets wider, it also gets closer to the ground, so Jones incorporated a level change in this area to create headroom.
The ceiling is comprised of sheets of vertical-grain fir, laid like shingles, with a gap between the boards to hold LED strip lights. “I’m sick of recessed cans,” the architect says. “This way we get an incredible mitered ceiling, like a louvered ceiling, with light leaking out.”
Brick makes up the floors, walls and other interior features. The black brick has a manganese additive that gives it a hint of blue iridescence in certain sunlight.
Large windows include custom-designed black mesh screens that hold up to razor-sharp cat claws.
Large windows include custom-designed black mesh screens that hold up to razor-sharp cat claws.
Jones designed the large dining table, the top of which contains glass inserts and an up-lit portion in the center made from glass vials.
The Johnsons wanted a minimal kitchen, so the rangehood and fridge were tucked behind a brick wall to the left. “Becky and I told [Jones] we wanted a kitchen akin to a galley on a ship,” says Warren. “It’s fairly small but really efficient to work in.”
A pass-through window in the bar connects to an outdoor barbecue area. The door to the right of the kitchen also leads out there.
The Johnsons wanted a minimal kitchen, so the rangehood and fridge were tucked behind a brick wall to the left. “Becky and I told [Jones] we wanted a kitchen akin to a galley on a ship,” says Warren. “It’s fairly small but really efficient to work in.”
A pass-through window in the bar connects to an outdoor barbecue area. The door to the right of the kitchen also leads out there.
Jones designed most of the furniture in the home, including the Johnsons’ bed, which has recessed lights behind and under it. “I like adding that depth and dimension to an interior space,” says Jones. A TV rises up from the foot of the bed and the door in the far-left corner leads to a hot tub.
On the other side of the wall behind the bedhead is Warren’s wardrobe. A staircase leads down to a basement that contains Becky’s closet and beds for the cats. The basement also acts as a storm shelter during tornadoes, and it’s where the couple put the cats when they have visitors.
On the other side of the wall behind the bedhead is Warren’s wardrobe. A staircase leads down to a basement that contains Becky’s closet and beds for the cats. The basement also acts as a storm shelter during tornadoes, and it’s where the couple put the cats when they have visitors.
The master bathroom features mosaic tiles. “It really has a lot of dimension,” Jones says.
If you look up in the powder room, you might see some exotic cats staring down at you from the glass mezzanine.
The mezzanine also has a skylight under which the Johnsons like to sit and look at the stars or storms developing over the prairie.
Warren is a geologist who spent 20 years in the oil and gas industry, and Becky is a chemist and pharmacist. They bought and owned a pharmaceutical-manufacturing lab and ran that for 20 years before selling it about two years ago. The primary focus of the company was the diagnosis and treatment of allergies, such as for people allergic to dogs and cats, but the Johnsons expanded the company to produce other medicines as well.
One day, before they sold the company, the couple took Jones on a tour of a warehouse. He saw millions of glass vials made for storing pharmaceuticals and immediately knew he wanted to incorporate the vials into the house. “It’s the best glass you can get,” says Jones.
“Since it is used for sterile injectable medicines, the vials must go through extensive testing and validation,” Warren says. “They can be subjected to cryogenic temps so they must be tough. And, of course, there is the cosmetic consideration that requires the glass to be defect-free.”
For one application, Jones drilled holes in the bottoms of dozens of vials, strung them with piano wire and suspended them around a skylight, pictured here, above the mezzanine. “It freezes the sunlight for a moment and there’s a beautiful sparkle hanging in mid-air,” he says.
One day, before they sold the company, the couple took Jones on a tour of a warehouse. He saw millions of glass vials made for storing pharmaceuticals and immediately knew he wanted to incorporate the vials into the house. “It’s the best glass you can get,” says Jones.
“Since it is used for sterile injectable medicines, the vials must go through extensive testing and validation,” Warren says. “They can be subjected to cryogenic temps so they must be tough. And, of course, there is the cosmetic consideration that requires the glass to be defect-free.”
For one application, Jones drilled holes in the bottoms of dozens of vials, strung them with piano wire and suspended them around a skylight, pictured here, above the mezzanine. “It freezes the sunlight for a moment and there’s a beautiful sparkle hanging in mid-air,” he says.
He credits the inspiration for reusing the vials to architect Bruce Goff, whom Jones admires for seeing “beauty in everything”.
The vials appear again in the laundry, where Jones created a gradient pattern using amber and clear glass. “I composed them flat on a table and let intuition carry through, thinking about how a vine would grow up a wall and dissipate or grow down in a random pattern,” he says.
A window in the guest house bathroom faces directly south, so Jones used all amber bottles, knowing it would receive full sun and wash that area with gold. “You step into a bath of gold light,” he says. “It’s beautiful.”
The vials appear again in the laundry, where Jones created a gradient pattern using amber and clear glass. “I composed them flat on a table and let intuition carry through, thinking about how a vine would grow up a wall and dissipate or grow down in a random pattern,” he says.
A window in the guest house bathroom faces directly south, so Jones used all amber bottles, knowing it would receive full sun and wash that area with gold. “You step into a bath of gold light,” he says. “It’s beautiful.”
In the study bathroom on the shaded north side, Jones used entirely clear glass bottles to maximise the limited light.
On an exterior wall, timber slats cast sharp shadows. Jones would like to say he planned the detail, but he relied more on intuition than anything else. “I’ve been doing this for a long time,” he says. “And I’m always gratified and amazed at the impact of shadow, or light between shadows.”
The Johnsons originally wanted a rammed-earth home, but Jones, who’s based in Phoenix, USA, said the clay soil in Oklahoma would not work for rammed-earth construction. Trucking in soil would have been too costly and would have gone against the sustainability appeal of rammed-earth construction. Instead, Jones believed they could achieve the same effect with stone, brick or poured concrete. “Oklahoma’s clay produces wonderful bricks quite capable of supporting roofs,” he says.
Near the driveway entrance to the carport, shown here, stands a replica statue of Alfonso Iannelli’s Sprite sculptures once found in the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Midway Gardens in Chicago. “I like using them on projects,” Jones says. “There’s beautiful history behind them.”
Near the driveway entrance to the carport, shown here, stands a replica statue of Alfonso Iannelli’s Sprite sculptures once found in the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Midway Gardens in Chicago. “I like using them on projects,” Jones says. “There’s beautiful history behind them.”
A cantilevered carport forms a horizontal plane over the brick driveway. “I never get to use brick in Arizona,” Jones says. “It’s more of a Midwest material. There are a lot of traditions with brick architecture, one of them being brick grille-work, something that goes back in history to Colonial homes, where masons developed a pattern of opening for cross-ventilation or light for surrounding gardens. So I looked for any excuse to use brick grillwork.”
The garage brick grille-work, shown straight ahead, was intended to be left open, but Jones ended up glassing it in. “I forgot about Oklahoma winters and dust and bugs, so we put glass in it,” he says.
The garage brick grille-work, shown straight ahead, was intended to be left open, but Jones ended up glassing it in. “I forgot about Oklahoma winters and dust and bugs, so we put glass in it,” he says.
The entrance to the home forms a long approach to a solid wood panel that pivots open and closed. Jones bought the bronze bells hanging to the left from Cosanti in Arizona as a housewarming gift to the Johnsons and to symbolise a doorbell.
LED lights hide in cavities above the walkway. “You can tell I had a lot of fun getting to design everything,” Jones says. “I loved doing this house. I was sorry when it was finished.”
LED lights hide in cavities above the walkway. “You can tell I had a lot of fun getting to design everything,” Jones says. “I loved doing this house. I was sorry when it was finished.”
Another Sprite replica stands at the end of a black brick wall that forms one of the four axes.
A door off the atrium leads to a walkway under the cats’ rooftop playground and connects to the guest house, which, when you have exotic cats roaming about, is worth designing as a detached structure.
This view of the house from the lap pool shows the pavilion.
And the floor plan for the Johnsons’ home shows the lap pool extending directly up, the great room on the upper left, the master bedroom on the upper right, the guest house at the far right and the detached study in the bottom-left quadrant.
The Johnsons now own and run a lab where they plan to produce a key amino acid for premature babies. They are awaiting FDA approval and hope to bring the medicine to market in a couple of years.
The Johnsons now own and run a lab where they plan to produce a key amino acid for premature babies. They are awaiting FDA approval and hope to bring the medicine to market in a couple of years.
Jones also designed a barn near the house to store equipment; this is one of his sketches, with the main house in the background.
Also on the property are stables that are home to the Johnsons’ five Tennessee walking horses. “We are big animal lovers,” says Warren. “And we like our dream space.”
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MoreDon’t miss last week’s Eco Houzz Tour: Sustainability Lessons Lived and Learned
Also on the property are stables that are home to the Johnsons’ five Tennessee walking horses. “We are big animal lovers,” says Warren. “And we like our dream space.”
Tell us
Which features of this home impressed you? Tell us in the Comments, like this story if you enjoyed reading it, and join the conversation.
MoreDon’t miss last week’s Eco Houzz Tour: Sustainability Lessons Lived and Learned
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Warren and Becky Johnson and their three exotic cats, one domestic cat, two dogs and five horses
Location: Oklahoma City, USA
Size: 715 square meters, three bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms
Designer: Eddie Jones, Jones Studio
Builder: The Construction Zone
Saunter through the Johnson’s fantastical home and you’ll see a pavilion roof made of feathered wood slats, a glass-bottomed mezzanine for the cats and all kinds of head-turning architectural details that are almost worth losing your shoes over.