A Streamlined ADU in Texas Pays Homage to Midcentury Architecture
Architect Michael Gooden designs the striking guest house next to a historic 20th-century home in Denton.
Architect Michael Gooden designs the striking guest house next to a historic 20th-century home in Denton.
On a recent evening in Denton, Texas, Anthony Marks and his partner placed a projector and screen in front of the new 672-square-foot guest house in their backyard. A dozen or so people spread around the adjacent pool deck and watched Young Frankenstein against the backdrop of the boxy, broad-roofed structure.
Rather than expand their midcentury home, Anthony Marks and his partner built a guest house on the unused half of their double lot, in Denton, Texas. The gated fence borrows from the material palette used for the dwelling. "It’s like an introduction, or preview, to what lies beyond," says architect Michael Gooden.
Photo: Parrish Ruiz De Velasco
It wasn’t the large unveiling party the couple had planned prior to the pandemic, but the accessory dwelling unit (ADU) was indeed designed with company in mind. Anthony and his partner live in a modern limestone and redwood house built in the late 1940s by local design luminaries Ray Gough and Roland Laney. But since the house has only two bedrooms—one of which is used as an office—their frequent weekend guests were often subjected to an air mattress.
Walls of board-formed concrete are warmed by the cumaru wood ceilings and decks.
Photo: Parrish Ruiz De Velasco
"At first, we considered simply adding on to the main house," says Anthony, "but given its history and local significance, we decided to honor its architectural integrity and build a guest house instead."
The couple hired architect Michael Gooden, a Denton native and principal of M Gooden Design, for the project. The idea was to build a patio, a pool, and the ADU on a five-foot planning grid (hence the name, Five House) that complemented their main home.
"The pitched ceilings and ribbon of clerestory windows make the interior feel more spacious than it is," notes Gooden. In the kitchen, Eames chairs flank a custom dining table by Isamu Noguchi. The Fresh Concrete countertops are from Caesarstone and the pendant is by Wever & Ducré. The backsplash is by Cambria.
Photo: Parrish Ruiz De Velasco
See the full story on Dwell.com: A Streamlined ADU in Texas Pays Homage to Midcentury Architecture
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