The challenge of this project was to work on a house that the clients had renovated recently but that, they felt, still needed further adjustments.

The original house, completed in 1987, was significantly enlarged in the year 1999. The clients' main goal was to improve the connection of the house with the swimming pool and the garden and to improve the quality of the public spaces of the house. The completed design addresses both concerns through three key interventions:

The entry was reconfigured to create a clear procession. The dining room was co-opted to create a foyer of a scale suitable to the house with a large pivot door clad in copper tubing welcoming visitors.

The Great Room was expanded in volume to establish a clear hierarchy of spaces in the house. This large room serves as a hub, with all the functions of the house revolving around it - to the north the entry, to the south the terrace, to the west the bedrooms, and to the east the kitchen, garage and home offices.

The terrace and trellis were created to unify the house and garden. The travertine terrace meets the Great Room with wide, generous steps that can serve as seating areas in large gatherings and extend to the edge of the existing pool. The terrace steps down eastward to connect with the rest of the garden. To make the terrace usable in the long, hot Texas summers, an aluminum trellis, designed to accommodate two existing trees, covers the space.