"The Eichler of Austin" often gets tossed around in reference to Arthur Dallas Stenger, a designer-builder whose glass-and-steel-framed 1960s homes put a few Austin neighborhoods south of the Colorado River on the map. That's high praise, getting compared to midcentury stud Joseph Eichler—whose shallow single-story A-frames helped define "California Modern," and are quick to capitalize on their name-dropping rights—and naturally, it makes a thorny task out of updating them while maintaining what Dwell defines as "Austin street cred," in a feature on the revival applied to the area's 'Butterfly House.' Known as such for a scalloped roof framed by symmetrical wings, the home got an interior refinish from its third and present owners, who bought it in 2008 and later commissioned Rick & Cindy Black Architects to replace worn cabinetry, inefficient aluminum windows, and the like. Let's check out the result, shall we?
On the left, a kitchen whose view-restricting walls were removed to open up the central living space, and on the right, a set of completely revamped cabinets, countertops, and appliances. Overhead, the shape of the roof turns it into an exciting space, the underside of what architect Cindy Black calls "the best asset of the house," and cites as a take on the roof of Austin's original Robert Mueller Municipal Airport.
A Room & Board sofa was brought into the living room, which got a custom walnut media wall designed to echo the built-ins in the kitchen. To the right, that same woodgrain gets employed in the bedroom.
· A Renovated Midcentury Gem in Austin [Dwell]
· All Printed Page posts [Curbed National]
· All midcentury modern coverage [Curbed National]
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