The Brooke Residence ‘Addi- tion by Subtraction’ remodeling project was recognized with numerous regional and national awards and was selected for Fine Homebuilding’s Annual Issue on Houses. This 1920’s Craftsman Bungalow had been poorly modified in the 70’s in an attempt to address poor energy performance with a scabbed on solarium. The design solution removed the solarium and completely reimagined the floor plan: The kitchen was relocated to the rear; the stairway was relocated to enhance function, and a better connection to the family room was created.

For years, early morning walks past this 1910 Craftsman in Houston's historic Avondale neighborhood left the new owners with lingering fantasies of making it their future home. When it became available, they acquired a home rich with history, but one nearly abolished. The home was once inhabited by Texas Governor (1931-1932) and founder of Humble Oil, Ross Sterling. But, renovations subdivided the home into multi-family rentals and destroyed original finishes. The developer driven modifications were abruptly halted by city red tags in 2018 after original windows were demolished and replaced with vinyl substitutes. With a nearly clean slate on the interior, the HRDD renovation aims to be respectful to the original context while providing coplimentary modern surprises atypical to the era. One such example is a new opening that punctures through the second floor, extending to a roof skylight. Situated at the transition between formal and informal rooms on the first floor and common space on the second floor, this subtraction is lined with a scalloped wood screen. The screen is one of multiple moments within the home where texture will combine with minimal white surfaces, providing a backdrop to the owners' collection of antique Indian furniture pieces. Additionally, a new detached replaced an existing dilapidated garage apartment and contains the owner's photography studio. Windows and a skylight are placed to capture coveted north light, ideal for photographing and editing. The main room remains an austere slate, with ceiling vaulting to a single aperture to create a dynamic moment that carries a dialogue to the opening in the main home.

Seamless Elegance is a story bringing together both old and new. A cramped kitchen and a seldom-used den in a 100 year-old house were opened up to create a sprawling 300-sqft paradise. Obsessing over the little details was important to achieving our goal of seamless elegance. The archway and molding detail between the dining and living room was perfectly mirrored between the dining room and kitchen, right down to the hidden closets. A faux brick wall painted white was added to the back wall of the kitchen to give the illusion that the previous expansion was always there. The existing 1.5” wide beautiful oak hardwood floor was matched to the rest of the house and continued into the kitchen. The flooring throughout the house was re-done at the same time to solidify the marriage between old and new; the result was a seamless transition into functionality. The character brought into the space by the oak hardwood floor and brick wall off sets the contemporary high gloss white cabinets. No upper cabinets were used in this design because we wanted to showcase the brick accent wall. The storage lost from zero upper kitchen cabinets was more than made up in floor-to-ceiling pantry. This corner pantry accommodates the bulk of storage for food and dishes in the kitchen. The subtraction of the upper cabinets allows the Tom Dixon pendant lights to be boldly featured over the eating peninsula. Visual lines were a key aspect in this design helping the eye move throughout the space. The cabinet break lines are at the same height as the counter tops creating one continuous line. The paneled dishwasher blends perfectly with the rest of the kitchen cabinetry. The white quartz countertop flows down into a waterfall edge at the end of the eating peninsula, being the final grounding piece to visual lines. Although the kitchen is all white, it is offset and given visual interest through texture and the use of different materials. The white allows the beautiful expensive appliances to be showcased along with the newly refinished flooring. The clean crisp kitchen will be the perfect backdrop to show case boldly colored art and accessories.

Seamless Elegance is a story bringing together both old and new. A cramped kitchen and a seldom-used den in a 100 year-old house were opened up to create a sprawling 300-sqft paradise. Obsessing over the little details was important to achieving our goal of seamless elegance. The archway and molding detail between the dining and living room was perfectly mirrored between the dining room and kitchen, right down to the hidden closets. A faux brick wall painted white was added to the back wall of the kitchen to give the illusion that the previous expansion was always there. The existing 1.5” wide beautiful oak hardwood floor was matched to the rest of the house and continued into the kitchen. The flooring throughout the house was re-done at the same time to solidify the marriage between old and new; the result was a seamless transition into functionality. The character brought into the space by the oak hardwood floor and brick wall off sets the contemporary high gloss white cabinets. No upper cabinets were used in this design because we wanted to showcase the brick accent wall. The storage lost from zero upper kitchen cabinets was more than made up in floor-to-ceiling pantry. This corner pantry accommodates the bulk of storage for food and dishes in the kitchen. The subtraction of the upper cabinets allows the Tom Dixon pendant lights to be boldly featured over the eating peninsula. Visual lines were a key aspect in this design helping the eye move throughout the space. The cabinet break lines are at the same height as the counter tops creating one continuous line. The paneled dishwasher blends perfectly with the rest of the kitchen cabinetry. The white quartz countertop flows down into a waterfall edge at the end of the eating peninsula, being the final grounding piece to visual lines. Although the kitchen is all white, it is offset and given visual interest through texture and the use of different materials. The white allows the beautiful expensive appliances to be showcased along with the newly refinished flooring. The clean crisp kitchen will be the perfect backdrop to show case boldly colored art and accessories.

Nestled in an undeveloped thicket between two homes on Monmouth road, the Eastern corner of this client’s lot plunges ten feet downward into a city-designated stormwater collection ravine. Our client challenged us to design a home, referencing the Scandinavian modern style, that would account for this lot’s unique terrain and vegetation. Through iterative design, we produced four house forms angled to allow rainwater to naturally flow off of the roof and into a gravel-lined runoff area that drains into the ravine. Completely foregoing downspouts and gutters, the chosen design reflects the site’s topography, its mass changing in concert with the slope of the land. This two-story home is oriented around a central stacked staircase that descends into the basement and ascends to a second floor master bedroom with en-suite bathroom and walk-in closet. The main entrance—a triangular form subtracted from this home’s rectangular plan—opens to a kitchen and living space anchored with an oversized kitchen island. On the far side of the living space, a solid void form projects towards the backyard, referencing the entryway without mirroring it. Ground floor amenities include a bedroom, full bathroom, laundry area, office and attached garage. Among Architecture Office’s most conceptually rigorous projects, exterior windows are isolated to opportunities where natural light and a connection to the outdoors is desired. The Monmouth home is clad in black corrugated metal, its exposed foundations extending from the earth to highlight its form.

30’ X 80” slice of ocean front sand. This site resides at an urban edge in transition, where a dense fabric of older, unremarkable structures must coexist with more contemporary dwellings. The Clients, a married couple, required a house for themselves and occasional family guests. The house is organized to allow for a visual connection with a very public Strand and Beach, while providing more private domains for entertaining and personal habitation. Purposefully Orchestrated Experience Opening the house to the sky and the ocean is the principal way that this house reveals its inner spatial experience. A composition of articulated shapes organized over a solid base. Exterior elevations are a composition of solid, rectilinear stucco elements that are strategically subtracted to reveal a contrasting, inner layer of sloping, cedar siding, glazed window walls and cantilevered deck platforms; all organized over a base of porcelain tile. Single Family Beach Residence: 3400 sf Completed: 2011 Commissioned by private clients Located in Hermosa Beach, California

For years, early morning walks past this 1910 Craftsman in Houston's historic Avondale neighborhood left the new owners with lingering fantasies of making it their future home. When it became available, they acquired a home rich with history, but one nearly abolished. The home was once inhabited by Texas Governor (1931-1932) and founder of Humble Oil, Ross Sterling. But, renovations subdivided the home into multi-family rentals and destroyed original finishes. The developer driven modifications were abruptly halted by city red tags in 2018 after original windows were demolished and replaced with vinyl substitutes. With a nearly clean slate on the interior, the HRDD renovation aims to be respectful to the original context while providing coplimentary modern surprises atypical to the era. One such example is a new opening that punctures through the second floor, extending to a roof skylight. Situated at the transition between formal and informal rooms on the first floor and common space on the second floor, this subtraction is lined with a scalloped wood screen. The screen is one of multiple moments within the home where texture will combine with minimal white surfaces, providing a backdrop to the owners' collection of antique Indian furniture pieces. Additionally, a new detached replaced an existing dilapidated garage apartment and contains the owner's photography studio. Windows and a skylight are placed to capture coveted north light, ideal for photographing and editing. The main room remains an austere slate, with ceiling vaulting to a single aperture to create a dynamic moment that carries a dialogue to the opening in the main home.

Nestled in an undeveloped thicket between two homes on Monmouth road, the Eastern corner of this client’s lot plunges ten feet downward into a city-designated stormwater collection ravine. Our client challenged us to design a home, referencing the Scandinavian modern style, that would account for this lot’s unique terrain and vegetation. Through iterative design, we produced four house forms angled to allow rainwater to naturally flow off of the roof and into a gravel-lined runoff area that drains into the ravine. Completely foregoing downspouts and gutters, the chosen design reflects the site’s topography, its mass changing in concert with the slope of the land. This two-story home is oriented around a central stacked staircase that descends into the basement and ascends to a second floor master bedroom with en-suite bathroom and walk-in closet. The main entrance—a triangular form subtracted from this home’s rectangular plan—opens to a kitchen and living space anchored with an oversized kitchen island. On the far side of the living space, a solid void form projects towards the backyard, referencing the entryway without mirroring it. Ground floor amenities include a bedroom, full bathroom, laundry area, office and attached garage. Among Architecture Office’s most conceptually rigorous projects, exterior windows are isolated to opportunities where natural light and a connection to the outdoors is desired. The Monmouth home is clad in black corrugated metal, its exposed foundations extending from the earth to highlight its form. Construction is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2020.

Seamless Elegance is a story bringing together both old and new. A cramped kitchen and a seldom-used den in a 100 year-old house were opened up to create a sprawling 300-sqft paradise. Obsessing over the little details was important to achieving our goal of seamless elegance. The archway and molding detail between the dining and living room was perfectly mirrored between the dining room and kitchen, right down to the hidden closets. A faux brick wall painted white was added to the back wall of the kitchen to give the illusion that the previous expansion was always there. The existing 1.5” wide beautiful oak hardwood floor was matched to the rest of the house and continued into the kitchen. The flooring throughout the house was re-done at the same time to solidify the marriage between old and new; the result was a seamless transition into functionality. The character brought into the space by the oak hardwood floor and brick wall off sets the contemporary high gloss white cabinets. No upper cabinets were used in this design because we wanted to showcase the brick accent wall. The storage lost from zero upper kitchen cabinets was more than made up in floor-to-ceiling pantry. This corner pantry accommodates the bulk of storage for food and dishes in the kitchen. The subtraction of the upper cabinets allows the Tom Dixon pendant lights to be boldly featured over the eating peninsula. Visual lines were a key aspect in this design helping the eye move throughout the space. The cabinet break lines are at the same height as the counter tops creating one continuous line. The paneled dishwasher blends perfectly with the rest of the kitchen cabinetry. The white quartz countertop flows down into a waterfall edge at the end of the eating peninsula, being the final grounding piece to visual lines. Although the kitchen is all white, it is offset and given visual interest through texture and the use of different materials. The white allows the beautiful expensive appliances to be showcased along with the newly refinished flooring. The clean crisp kitchen will be the perfect backdrop to show case boldly colored art and accessories.

Inspiration for a timeless kitchen remodel in New Orleans

The Bruceton Mills Home is a one bedroom residence located in the middle of a wooded 27 acre space that has multiple ponds, sandstone outcroppings, and wildlife. The design goal was to connect the client with the earth and the natural environment with the intent of being self sustaining. The development of the idea became a series of planes that shift in length and hight from the earth creating an intimate connection between client and earth. Through these planes; subtractions provide viewing spots to experience the passage of time, the planes act as blank canvases for light, shad and shadow, and they provide an honorable material that will be appreciated for generations to come.

The Potrero Residence is the archetype for Architecture Office’s iterative process. Nestled in the Santa Monica mountains and surrounded by avocado farms, our client asked us to design a monumental hilltop home with views facing every direction and an underground ten car garage. We developed three concepts, choosing one developed by modelling a floorplate and populating it with cube forms. Using modelling software, we “sliced” the cubes at different points and rotated them across the plate. Via the interplay of these segmented cubes, this process created unique trapezoidal forms on each floorplate. Each floor in the Potrero residence functions as a unique relationship of forms and voids. In this building, each exterior-facing void⁠—the spaces between the rotated cubes⁠—is either walled with glass to create a floor to ceiling window, or subtracted to create a balcony. These punctures provide each exterior facing room in the house with a panoramic view over a different area of the property. The balconies give this home a variety of lighting conditions throughout the day, sometimes dark and sometimes light, reminiscent of cave dwellings. This design process creates a unique exterior wall across every face of the building. The driveway-facing facade is sculpted to resemble a traditional gable roofed house. Working around the house reveals a much more complex and digitally derived form. In the center of the house, a gem-shaped courtyard offers light within the relatively deep floor plates. Following the form building process, we developed a material solution using cast-in-place, board formed concrete—giving the house a weighty appearance and reinforcing its cave-like volumes. The rotated cube forms create diverse atmospheres within the interior, and singular aesthetic relationships to the exterior environment. Though grand in scale, our design process creates a fundamentally simple form, while the interior’s spatial conditions evoke the comforts of home.

Seamless Elegance is a story bringing together both old and new. A cramped kitchen and a seldom-used den in a 100 year-old house were opened up to create a sprawling 300-sqft paradise. Obsessing over the little details was important to achieving our goal of seamless elegance. The archway and molding detail between the dining and living room was perfectly mirrored between the dining room and kitchen, right down to the hidden closets. A faux brick wall painted white was added to the back wall of the kitchen to give the illusion that the previous expansion was always there. The existing 1.5” wide beautiful oak hardwood floor was matched to the rest of the house and continued into the kitchen. The flooring throughout the house was re-done at the same time to solidify the marriage between old and new; the result was a seamless transition into functionality. The character brought into the space by the oak hardwood floor and brick wall off sets the contemporary high gloss white cabinets. No upper cabinets were used in this design because we wanted to showcase the brick accent wall. The storage lost from zero upper kitchen cabinets was more than made up in floor-to-ceiling pantry. This corner pantry accommodates the bulk of storage for food and dishes in the kitchen. The subtraction of the upper cabinets allows the Tom Dixon pendant lights to be boldly featured over the eating peninsula. Visual lines were a key aspect in this design helping the eye move throughout the space. The cabinet break lines are at the same height as the counter tops creating one continuous line. The paneled dishwasher blends perfectly with the rest of the kitchen cabinetry. The white quartz countertop flows down into a waterfall edge at the end of the eating peninsula, being the final grounding piece to visual lines. Although the kitchen is all white, it is offset and given visual interest through texture and the use of different materials. The white allows the beautiful expensive appliances to be showcased along with the newly refinished flooring. The clean crisp kitchen will be the perfect backdrop to show case boldly colored art and accessories.

Nestled in an undeveloped thicket between two homes on Monmouth road, the Eastern corner of this client’s lot plunges ten feet downward into a city-designated stormwater collection ravine. Our client challenged us to design a home, referencing the Scandinavian modern style, that would account for this lot’s unique terrain and vegetation. Through iterative design, we produced four house forms angled to allow rainwater to naturally flow off of the roof and into a gravel-lined runoff area that drains into the ravine. Completely foregoing downspouts and gutters, the chosen design reflects the site’s topography, its mass changing in concert with the slope of the land. This two-story home is oriented around a central stacked staircase that descends into the basement and ascends to a second floor master bedroom with en-suite bathroom and walk-in closet. The main entrance—a triangular form subtracted from this home’s rectangular plan—opens to a kitchen and living space anchored with an oversized kitchen island. On the far side of the living space, a solid void form projects towards the backyard, referencing the entryway without mirroring it. Ground floor amenities include a bedroom, full bathroom, laundry area, office and attached garage. Among Architecture Office’s most conceptually rigorous projects, exterior windows are isolated to opportunities where natural light and a connection to the outdoors is desired. The Monmouth home is clad in black corrugated metal, its exposed foundations extending from the earth to highlight its form.

Lone Pine's architecture is conceived as abstractions of common ranch structures: pure forms which have been articulated in an architectural language that manipulates mass through subtraction. Residential architecture by CLB in Jackson, Wyoming.

Nestled in an undeveloped thicket between two homes on Monmouth road, the Eastern corner of this client’s lot plunges ten feet downward into a city-designated stormwater collection ravine. Our client challenged us to design a home, referencing the Scandinavian modern style, that would account for this lot’s unique terrain and vegetation. Through iterative design, we produced four house forms angled to allow rainwater to naturally flow off of the roof and into a gravel-lined runoff area that drains into the ravine. Completely foregoing downspouts and gutters, the chosen design reflects the site’s topography, its mass changing in concert with the slope of the land. This two-story home is oriented around a central stacked staircase that descends into the basement and ascends to a second floor master bedroom with en-suite bathroom and walk-in closet. The main entrance—a triangular form subtracted from this home’s rectangular plan—opens to a kitchen and living space anchored with an oversized kitchen island. On the far side of the living space, a solid void form projects towards the backyard, referencing the entryway without mirroring it. Ground floor amenities include a bedroom, full bathroom, laundry area, office and attached garage. Among Architecture Office’s most conceptually rigorous projects, exterior windows are isolated to opportunities where natural light and a connection to the outdoors is desired. The Monmouth home is clad in black corrugated metal, its exposed foundations extending from the earth to highlight its form. Construction is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2020.

Seamless Elegance is a story bringing together both old and new. A cramped kitchen and a seldom-used den in a 100 year-old house were opened up to create a sprawling 300-sqft paradise. Obsessing over the little details was important to achieving our goal of seamless elegance. The archway and molding detail between the dining and living room was perfectly mirrored between the dining room and kitchen, right down to the hidden closets. A faux brick wall painted white was added to the back wall of the kitchen to give the illusion that the previous expansion was always there. The existing 1.5” wide beautiful oak hardwood floor was matched to the rest of the house and continued into the kitchen. The flooring throughout the house was re-done at the same time to solidify the marriage between old and new; the result was a seamless transition into functionality. The character brought into the space by the oak hardwood floor and brick wall off sets the contemporary high gloss white cabinets. No upper cabinets were used in this design because we wanted to showcase the brick accent wall. The storage lost from zero upper kitchen cabinets was more than made up in floor-to-ceiling pantry. This corner pantry accommodates the bulk of storage for food and dishes in the kitchen. The subtraction of the upper cabinets allows the Tom Dixon pendant lights to be boldly featured over the eating peninsula. Visual lines were a key aspect in this design helping the eye move throughout the space. The cabinet break lines are at the same height as the counter tops creating one continuous line. The paneled dishwasher blends perfectly with the rest of the kitchen cabinetry. The white quartz countertop flows down into a waterfall edge at the end of the eating peninsula, being the final grounding piece to visual lines. Although the kitchen is all white, it is offset and given visual interest through texture and the use of different materials. The white allows the beautiful expensive appliances to be showcased along with the newly refinished flooring. The clean crisp kitchen will be the perfect backdrop to show case boldly colored art and accessories.

Nestled in an undeveloped thicket between two homes on Monmouth road, the Eastern corner of this client’s lot plunges ten feet downward into a city-designated stormwater collection ravine. Our client challenged us to design a home, referencing the Scandinavian modern style, that would account for this lot’s unique terrain and vegetation. Through iterative design, we produced four house forms angled to allow rainwater to naturally flow off of the roof and into a gravel-lined runoff area that drains into the ravine. Completely foregoing downspouts and gutters, the chosen design reflects the site’s topography, its mass changing in concert with the slope of the land. This two-story home is oriented around a central stacked staircase that descends into the basement and ascends to a second floor master bedroom with en-suite bathroom and walk-in closet. The main entrance—a triangular form subtracted from this home’s rectangular plan—opens to a kitchen and living space anchored with an oversized kitchen island. On the far side of the living space, a solid void form projects towards the backyard, referencing the entryway without mirroring it. Ground floor amenities include a bedroom, full bathroom, laundry area, office and attached garage. Among Architecture Office’s most conceptually rigorous projects, exterior windows are isolated to opportunities where natural light and a connection to the outdoors is desired. The Monmouth home is clad in black corrugated metal, its exposed foundations extending from the earth to highlight its form.

Nestled in an undeveloped thicket between two homes on Monmouth road, the Eastern corner of this client’s lot plunges ten feet downward into a city-designated stormwater collection ravine. Our client challenged us to design a home, referencing the Scandinavian modern style, that would account for this lot’s unique terrain and vegetation. Through iterative design, we produced four house forms angled to allow rainwater to naturally flow off of the roof and into a gravel-lined runoff area that drains into the ravine. Completely foregoing downspouts and gutters, the chosen design reflects the site’s topography, its mass changing in concert with the slope of the land. This two-story home is oriented around a central stacked staircase that descends into the basement and ascends to a second floor master bedroom with en-suite bathroom and walk-in closet. The main entrance—a triangular form subtracted from this home’s rectangular plan—opens to a kitchen and living space anchored with an oversized kitchen island. On the far side of the living space, a solid void form projects towards the backyard, referencing the entryway without mirroring it. Ground floor amenities include a bedroom, full bathroom, laundry area, office and attached garage. Among Architecture Office’s most conceptually rigorous projects, exterior windows are isolated to opportunities where natural light and a connection to the outdoors is desired. The Monmouth home is clad in black corrugated metal, its exposed foundations extending from the earth to highlight its form.