Minnesota Interconnected Spaces: Contemporary Renovation of Residence 1414 in Austin, Texas

A house originally built in 1940′s, in a historical neighbourhood in Austin, Texas, was renovated by Miró Rivera Architects to meet the current expectations of the owners. During the 1980′s, the venue did suffer some less inspired transformations, which were not reflecting exactly the true nature of it. What the clients wanted was to “get back to the 40s”. “MRA’s goal was to restore the exterior of the house in this historic neighbourhood while transforming the interiors to bring in light and provide a better connection with the exterior. A simple material palette was used to maintain a balance between the traditional aspects of the original house and the modern updates required by this family of four.”

The contemporary renovation implied bringing a series of modern updates into the scene. A new swimming pool was built from scratch while the garage was reconstructed, transforming the second floor into a personal gym. The house itself became more open, luminous and uncluttered. Floor-to-ceiling windows and sliding glass doors add a sense of transparency interconnecting the environments. Stainless steel is one of the main metal finish on the interior of the house: from stair handrails to appliances and shelves – it’s everywhere. Finally, the walls were painted in white to maintain a clean and balanced space (that doesn’t distract) for the owner’s art collection.