Dwell Feature: Joyce Residence Budget Breakdown

We’re thrilled to share the story of the Joyce Residence - and this one is personal! Rachel Gallaher interviewed HRDD’s Eric Hughes and his wife Emily to learn how they transformed their 1000 sf bungalow into a home that worked for them and their son Clark.

Living with the original plan worked for a while, but once Clark came along, Eric and Emily decided it was time for more space. "We all shared a bathroom for the first five years of Clark’s life," Emily says. "When we talked about renovating we asked, ‘How can this design help us love each other more?’ Part of that was creating spaces that give us time to retreat and come back together to have meaningful moments."

— Rachel Gallaher for Dwell

The 2023 design expands and modernizes the structure while maintaining the scale and vernacular of its quaint northside neighborhood. The quiet restraint of the exterior is juxtaposed with unexpected, playful spatial experiences within.

Special thanks to Leonid Furmansky for the beautiful images. You can read the feature on Dwell+!

Building a Dream Home on a Houston Bayou

Houstonia Magazine features the Watonga Residence this month! Writer, Melissa Dalton, shares the story of how homeowner Regina Adams worked with HRDD to create a custom oasis along Watonga Boulevard in Houston’s Garden Oaks community. Read the feature here!

“I love living here. It’s very peaceful and calming. I find myself wanting to be here way more than anywhere else. It’s really nice to know that I’m coming home to what is truly my home.”

— Homeowner: Regina Adams

CITE 102

The latest issue of Rice Design Alliance's Cite magazine is now available!

Cite 102 includes major contributions from guest editors Ajay Manthripragada and Piergianna Mazzocca. Their investigation centers on the question "What does it mean to be of one's own time?" They gather a community of like-minded thinkers who help establish a critical distance with which we can understand our time. Additional content extends this question to events and people in Houston, both historically and in the intense past year - including HRDD’s Heather Rowell who speaks with Wonne Ickx of PRODUCTORA about the upcoming headquarters for the Houston Endowment.

The printed version of Cite has a new look: the publication has been redesigned by MG&Co., led by Reto Geiser, associate professor and director of undergraduate studies at Rice Architecture.

Cite is available for purchase here, and the magazine is free to members of Rice Design Alliance.

Learn more about Cite 102 here.

Cite’s editorial apparatus—nearly forty years young—continues its work in Houston in part through its steady presence on the RDA website. Articles about current events, reviews, interviews, histories and photo essays are all regular features that will coexist with Cite’s annual print issue moving forward. The power of the written word remains important in a city with so much construction and demolition, and so few outlets for critical engagement. Criticism absorbed through the immediacy of the screen is just as valid as when it is consumed through the permanence of paper.

— Jack Murphy, Cite editor

Delz Residence Outdoor Living

This year marks five years since the Delz Residence was completed! A renovation of an auto mechanic's shop, this award-winning residence and studio was completed in 2016 while we were at Content. The owners, Karin Broker and Mark Witte, asked HRDD to design an outdoor fireplace and canopy extension to the existing structure. Recently, we visited the project with photographer Pete Molick to celebrate the anniversary and enjoy the new addition.

In the 2016 adaptive reuse, two renovated metal buildings were stitched together by a simple shed canopy. After settling into the home, the owners decided to add an outdoor fireplace and expand the outdoor covered space by extending the existing canopy. HRDD designed a fireplace “wall” that serves to help protect the outdoor space from wind-driven rain and offers an additional privacy layer from the neighboring property. The fireplace is clad in large format porcelain (Neolith through our friends at La Nova Tile here in Houston) and rests on a concrete plinth. Designed to be a multi-tasker, the back of the fireplace notches for an entertaining buffet counter or weekend re-potting tasks.

The Delz Residence was awarded a 2016 AIA Houston Design Award. It has been published by Houstonia, Dwell, and Houzz.

Collaborative Design

Working collaboratively with other creative minds always leads to better architecture. Louise Fili's new book on her own inspiration and process released last week and highlights one of our favorite experiences. Goodnight Hospitality hired Louise to design the Goodnight Charlie's logo while we were developing the building concept at Content. Early architectural renderings were shared with her team as they worked to define the branding -- and we quickly set aside spaces within the project to highlight the neon signage concept. Louise's logo captures the spirit of the modern honky tonk we all envisioned for Montrose!

Purchase “Louise Fili: Inspiration and Process in Design” here!