The Parker is a four bedroom three and a half bathroom single family residence in south Austin.  When approached to design this home the clients stipulated three main goals.  They wanted a home with a mid-century modern style, a guesthouse, and to save as many of the existing trees as possible. 

 To preserve the trees it was necessary to design the house around them.  In the final design only one of the thirteen existing trees was removed.  The floor plan works it's way around the trees creating recesses and voids in the floor plan.  Making use of these spaces, an intimate courtyard was created off the master suite from one of the voids.  Accessible only from the master bathroom the home's owners have the option of retreating to a private refuge below the canopy of a large Pecan tree.

Inspired by the mid-century homes of Joseph Eichler, visitors enter through an open air courtyard.  The interior of the home is characterized by openness and energetic spatial connections.  The generous use of glass creates a visual connection to the entry courtyard and the pool in the back yard.  A double height space at the center of the home connects the reading nook and open office on the second floor to the living, dining, and kitchen spaces on the first making a very large space intimate and connected.

 The lot was too narrow to extend a driveway to a guesthouse at the rear of the property.  Instead, a fourth bedroom and bathroom were created.  With it's own entrance off the entry courtyard this additional space can serve as a fourth bedroom, guest room, or private office.