February 15, 2025

TFR Residence by Bradley Edwards

Bradley Edwards Architects designed this home on an old trout farm in Springdale, Arkansas. Known as TFR Residence, the house features a modern design with a clear formal language and an elemental material palette. Positioned on a steep hillside, the house includes three bedrooms and utilises concrete, glass, and charred wood.

Contemporary concrete and wood exterior with geometric design and large windows overlooking greenery.

Minimalist Aesthetic and Elemental Material Palette

The clients requested a modern space with minimal articulation, prompting the architects to focus on clear formal language and an elemental material palette of concrete, glass, and charred wood. The design embraces large spatial and formal moves dictated by relative proportion.

Minimalist living room with large windows, concrete walls, and natural wood furnishings.

Taking advantage of the pond view directly on the site, historically the first of a sequence of trout ponds, the house’s overlapping volumes are compactly embedded into a steep hillside, providing various landscape views and interactions.

Modern, open-concept kitchen and living space with concrete walls, wood accents, and black furnishings.

Solid and Void Spatial Dichotomy

A formal dichotomy between solid and void is expressed through material and form in both the exterior and interior of the building. The main leisure spaces are punctuated by discrete white oak casework volumes that house all the utility and functional requirements.

Sleek, modern kitchen with concrete walls, wood cabinetry, and floating shelves displaying glassware.

These utility components are designed as opaque and concealed solids, with meticulous detailing ensuring that anything utile is hidden, thus maintaining the solid/void language.

Minimalist interior design with concrete stairs, potted plant, and black kitchen counter.

Functioning as space regulators, the white oak casework volumes conceal intricate details and programs, like a bathroom, HVAC and utility closets, double oven, refrigerator, and pull-out pantry, all within a seamless, hardware-free surface.

Striking geometric staircase leads to an airy, minimalist living space with lush greenery.

Floating Stair as a Liminal Space

Standing apart from the solid/void language, the floating stair serves as an anomalous liminal space. Being both spatial and utile, it belongs to the domains of utility and leisure, linking open spaces with a translucent volumetric figure.

A modern, minimalist bedroom with concrete walls, large window, and wooden furniture.

Besides providing essential vertical movement, the stair defines itself as a space-within-a-space, allowing various interpretations through its perforated metal composition.

Minimalist bedroom with large window offering serene forest views, modern design.

Upon entering, the house’s landing marks a cross axis for spatial navigation, offering views above and below through the stair, into private and public realms, and out through the expansive pivot door entrance.

A modern, minimalist bathroom vanity with natural wood drawers and built-in mirrors.

Emphatic and Elemental Material Palette

Straightforward material rules govern the operations of the house, employing a clear and elemental palette. Exterior materials include site-cast concrete, black charred wood, and job-built glass assemblies, reinforcing the home’s minimalist aesthetic and focus on natural elements.