Bell Residence

The Brenham ranch sits on 120 acres of rolling pastureland located 12 miles northwest of Brenham, Texas. A wooded creek separates the eastern and western halves of the acreage. The eastern half is used for cattle grazing and the western half for the house.

When faced with the opportunity of designing a house on a site without restrictions, we searched for clues to ground the new structure. An early visit to the site with our client uncovered such a clue. A stand of mature live oak trees stood together in an otherwise uninterrupted meadow. We agreed that the design would partner the house with the trees so that the natural and manmade elements would bene t each other.

Our next step was to determine the kind of house that would best fulfill our client’s preferences. From early on, he had expressed an appreciation for Acadian houses found in Louisiana. Those houses are characterized by simplicity, linear porches, and sheltering roofs providing for storage and sleeping lofts. More specifically, we were charged with designing a house that, in our client’s own words, would resemble “an old military concern that shows some permanence.”

To preserve simplicity, the house is designed as a long rectangle with a gable roof running its length. Two stone-clad volumes ank either side of a transparent, vaulted center. On one end are the master suite and study. On the other end are two guest rooms with a sleeping loft for grandchildren above. The space in the middle encompasses the living room, dining room, and kitchen. A porch runs the length of the house, its columns framing a vista of the meadow.

To accentuate our early decision to use the stand of live oak trees to establish a sense of place, the house, garage, and pool are treated as separate destinations. The house is placed perpendicular to the meadow view. Placement of the garage and pool were inspired by the immediate landscape. As a result, moving from one destination to another engages the spaces between and adjacent to the majestic trees.

Even though the house, garage, and pool are merely 350 feet from the road bordering the property, we created a more sequential arrival. The entrance is on the eastern half of the acreage. Passing through a gate and over a cattle guard, one moves past (and sometimes around) grazing cattle and an existing barn, down a hill, through another gate, around a pond, and over a creek. Then the path goes up a hill and into a meadow, ascending toward and around the house. The experience of entering the property creates a sense of leaving the city further behind and arriving at a private enclave.

Every design effort depends on collaboration. Most of the time, that collaboration results in thorough, detailed documentation. In this case, documentation in drawing form could not direct the local masons assigned to the project. After review and approval of a stone mockup, they applied their craft and produced truly remarkable results.