{"id":1419,"date":"2025-05-02T15:41:01","date_gmt":"2025-05-02T15:41:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.camperscorner.net\/?p=1419"},"modified":"2025-05-02T18:07:35","modified_gmt":"2025-05-02T18:07:35","slug":"before-after-how-an-ugly-den-became-an-enviable-sunken-living-room-in-a-familys-texas-midcentury","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.camperscorner.net\/index.php\/2025\/05\/02\/before-after-how-an-ugly-den-became-an-enviable-sunken-living-room-in-a-familys-texas-midcentury\/","title":{"rendered":"Before & After: How an Ugly Den Became an Enviable Sunken Living Room in a Family\u2019s Texas Midcentury"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

The \u201970s add-on was a blight against the O\u2019Neil Ford\u2013designed residence. Now it\u2019s a glowing gathering space that melds with the refinished home.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/figure>\n
\n

In a particular San Antonio, Texas, neighborhood, one home has long stood out. Surrounded by towering, traditional-style homes in neutral colors, it has a low-slung profile, metal roof, and red brick exterior.<\/p>\n

“It\u2019s an iconic house in the neighborhood,” says architect Vicki Yuan of Lake|Flato Architects, who isn\u2019t necessarily referring to its appearance. Built in 1949, the midcentury-modern home was designed by “Texas\u2019s godfather of modern design,” O\u2019Neil Ford. His interest in the English Arts and Crafts Movement was flavored with an appreciation for International Style, which resulted in homes that combined local handicraft, a connection with the landscape, and streamlined detailing. He was also an enthusiastic preservationist, and was recognized as such by actually being named a National Historic Landmark himself<\/a> in 1974, an honor only he has achieved to this day.<\/p>\n

Yet in spite of Ford\u2019s stature, this home “was being marketed as a teardown,” says its newest owner, reflecting on the first time he and his wife walked through the property in 2021.<\/p>\n

Before: Exterior Front<\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\"Before:<\/a>
\n

Before: A 1949 midcentury-modern home by Texas modernist O\u2019Neil Ford stood apart from its neighbors with a low profile and brick build.<\/p>\n

Courtesy of Lake Flato Architects<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\n

After: Exterior Front<\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\"Relocating<\/a>
\n

Lake|Flato Architects updated the residence in part by relocating windows and doors and subsequently patching and painting the brick in a terra-cotta tone. The firm added mahogany accents for a motif that recalls the red trim the home had before. Ceramic house numbers fixed to a concrete plinth are by Los Angeles artist Ben Medansky.<\/p>\n

Charlie Schuck Photography<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\n

By that point, the home had been tweaked substantially. The attached carport had been turned into additional living space, the front door had been moved, and a sunken den with several awkwardly angled walls was added toward the rear. There was plenty of square footage, but the bedrooms and kitchen were small, while the living rooms\u2014including a formal one, the sunken space, and the converted carport\u2014were large and redundant.<\/p>\n

Before: Living Room<\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\"Before:<\/a>
\n

Before: Windows overlooking the yard, an idea original to Ford\u2019s design, remained intact. Other elements, like the marble fireplace, felt incongruous.<\/p>\n

Courtesy of Lake Flato Architects<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

See the full story on Dwell.com: Before & After: How an Ugly Den Became an Enviable Sunken Living Room in a Family\u2019s Texas Midcentury<\/a><\/b>
Related stories:<\/span><\/p>\n