Project: modern Pool House
Architects: Sanders Architecture
Interior Design: Scheer & Co
Location: Austin, Texas
Photo Credits: Ryann Ford
Text by Sanders Architecture
Located in Austin’s historic Hyde Park neighborhood, this project was driven by the clients’ desire to turn an existing efficiency apartment into an inviting modern pool house.
To re-imagine the efficiency apartment, the building’s entrance was relocated to open up to the pool and large glass windows were installed. While the main house, built in the early 1900s, is a historic property, the cabana offered the opportunity to create a more modern look facing the pool and preserve the history street-side.
The clients, a family of four, including two teenage daughters, wanted the cabana to be a space for entertaining; a place where they could serve food and drinks and watch TV while enjoying the private yard. In addition to a bathroom, a catering-style kitchen was created, including plenty of counter space, a sink, and a beer tap, as the owners like to brew their own beer. From the kitchen, a steel ladder, built into the wall, leads up to the laminated wood floor of a sleeping loft, which the daughters use as a study space or to host sleepovers.
The overall feeling of the space is natural and modern, providing a backyard oasis while respecting the style of the main house.
