Foothill Terrace Reborn: A Sensitive Remodel in Austin’s Green Belt
Foothill Terrace sits in Austin, United States, as a house shaped by continuity and careful change. Furman + Keil Architects return to their 2002 work for a 2021 remodel and additions that respect a midcentury lineage while embracing current living. The result threads new rooms and finishes through an existing rhythm, carrying the exposed structure from interior to garden and back again.
Late afternoon light cuts through timber mullions and lands on flagstone floors. From the garden path, a pergola shades the approach as palms stir and the stone entry cools the air.
This is a house renovated rather than replaced, a remodel and addition in Austin by Furman + Keil Architects. The brief extends their own 2002 home, itself informed by 1960s precedents, with new rooms and updated finishes. The throughline is clear: honor the exposed structural rhythm that ties interior and exterior.
Return To Brief
Two decades after the first commission, new owners ask for more room and sharper performance. The architects answer by editing rather than erasing, adding a primary bedroom suite and a studio while keeping the earlier cadence intact. Materials stay grounded—wood, stone, and glass—so old and new read as one.
Extend The Structure
Inside, cedar-toned ceilings and beams march toward clerestories, their rhythm echoed by slender posts and deep window frames. That pattern continues outdoors, where the screened porch and terrace pick up the same spacing, allowing air to move while maintaining shade. A hefty stone fireplace anchors living areas, giving weight to the light-filled volume.
Rework Daily Rooms
Living, dining, and kitchen now read as one long room punctuated by columns and broad panes. The kitchen tightens its palette with walnut cabinetry, a pale stone countertop, and a soft green tile backsplash that reflects garden tones. Elsewhere, built-in shelving in deep blue organizes a media room, and playful wallpapers wrap more intimate corners without crowding the structure.
Edges And Outdoors
Flagstone paths step through dense plantings to the entry, then continue into porches that feel protected yet open. Screened areas extend use through hot months, fans stirring the shaded air while floor-to-ceiling windows keep sightlines unbroken. At the bath, a long stone counter sits against bronze-toned tile, and tall glazing frames leaves at arm’s length.
Evening gathers and the wood ceiling warms. The remodel’s additions fade into the original order—structure first, details following—so the house holds its past while living for the present.
Photography courtesy of Furman + Keil Architects
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