An Eichler-Inspired Dwelling in Austin Boasts Serious Curve Appeal

A well-worn truism about Texas is that everything is bigger here: trucks, hats, stars at night. But for Austin designer Kevin Alter, bigger does not always mean better. 

For a house in a leafy, low-slung residential neighborhood, he and his team at Alterstudio looked instead to the classic Eichler homes of California for examples of living well rather than living big. 

For Jim and Kristin Ramsey, new empty-nesters who relocated from Portland, Oregon, the house is just the right size. "After the youngest of our three kids went off to college, Jim was offered a job in Austin, and we thought it would be fun to try something different," says Kristin. The couple were ready to trade in a surfeit of bedrooms for proximity to downtown restaurants and live music venues.

At first glance, the 2,500-square-foot structure, tucked between the gables of the neighboring houses, appears modest in scale, and in fact it cost less per square foot to build than the median in the neighborhood. 

"It’s not overgrown," says Jim. But it is full of surprising reveals, starting with the dining area cradled behind a curved wood wall at the entry, that make the one-story house feel spacious. Says Alter, "The wood pulls you through. There’s a kind of sequence of spaces, setting up expectations and discoveries along the way."