Oak Creek Court Reframes Family Life Around an Oak-Lined Creek Home
Oak Creek Court is a house in Austin, United States, designed by Furman + Keil Architects. The commission asked for a long-term family home that keeps the original structure while strengthening ties to the oaks and the creek lining the site. The result centers daily life in a new eat-in kitchen and sitting room, bringing light, shade, and a grounded material palette into easy conversation with the yard.
Morning light filters across oxidized wood and brick as the yard slopes toward the creek. Deep eaves throw welcome shade, and oversized windows draw the oak canopy into daily life.
This house in Austin keeps the bones of an earlier structure while reworking how it meets its site. Furman + Keil Architects center the project on stronger ties to the oaks and the watercourse—an everyday cadence shaped by shade, views, and air.
Gather at the Heart
A large eat-in kitchen and sitting room become the new hub, where family can cook, linger, and look out to an oak-shaded yard. Oversized panes frame trunks and understory, turning the creek’s slow movement into a steady backdrop for meals and conversation. The room stays unassuming in character so the view does the talking, and circulation slips easily toward the outdoors.
Extend Into Shade
Generous eaves temper glare and shed rain, expanding the threshold where inside life meets the yard. On hot days, the overhangs cool the glazing and the walls, so the kitchen and sitting room hold light without harsh heat. Edges matter here—shaded perimeters encourage lingering, and doors open wide to let breezes move through.
Work With the Site
The plan keeps the home low and calm, preserving the sturdy provenance of the existing structure while improving how rooms align with trees and creek. Views stack along sensible axes: cooking to canopy, seating to water, yard to stone. The approach stays quiet (by intent), letting the oak grove define entry and the daily route to the creek.
Build for Weather
Materials are chosen to patina with use and climate—oxidized wood, local brick, steel, and stone—so the exterior reads honest and durable. Upgraded energy performance measures tighten the envelope and support comfort over time, reinforcing the eaves’ passive work. The palette holds steady across old and new, tying additions back to the long view of a family home.
By afternoon, filtered light skims the brick and the creek carries a low murmur. The house answers with shade, air, and easy passages to the yard—nothing fussy, everything durable. It’s a quiet pact with oaks and water, set to last.
Photography courtesy of Furman + Keil Architects
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