Logan’s Hollow is a 6,000sf, 6-bedroom, 6-bath, spec home commissioned by a longtime collaborating general contractor who wanted a beautiful, modern home that could appeal to a wide range of people within a specific market of luxury home buyers. The house is organized around a large public interior-exterior living area featuring on the interior a cathedral-like clerestory which brings in a formal open, airy quality to the living space, and at the exterior an extensive patio with a negative-edge pool that underscores a west view to the Austin hill country. The more private master suite is located away from the public area and upstairs, each bedroom boasts its own bathroom and walk-in closet. Materials such as limestone, wood and stucco allow the house to blend with the surrounding landscape while maintaining a distinct modern living ambience on the inside.
Stratford Mountain
This project is a renovation of a DCA home originally completed in 1997 which features a dynamic double-height living space finished in rough-hewn stone. A small addition and updated and upgraded interior finishes contemporize the house’s feel, aligning it with current trends in modern home living. Custom light fixtures and custom detailing reflect the owner’s personality and culminates in a beautiful showpiece of a fireplace which serves as the hearth and heart of the living-gathering space.
Casa Cuernavaca
Sometimes a good design can hinge around a single, bold move. In this case, a decision, driven by budgetary reasons, to encompass a 2000sf program for a single family with young kids and dogs under a single-sloped roof generated multiple benefits for spatial organization, solar orientation and rainwater collection. The main living space encourages familial interaction and unity around three main features: a durable built-in dining booth, an amply-sized kitchen countertop peninsula and a spacious living area. Natural light fills the spaces with views that are framed towards glimpses of the semi-rural landscape.
Houston Double Heights
Houston Double Heights is a clever double-take on two identical lots in the Greater Heights neighborhood of Houston, TX. With each of the two 2,580 sf, two-story spec homes mirroring each other, each plan features 3-bedrooms, 3 ½-bathrooms, open-concept kitchen/living/dining layouts, a covered 2-car garage, and a fenced-in backyard. In response to the narrow constraints of each lot, Double Heights puts a modern spin on a historic design, drawing inspiration from the genre of late 19th century Houston row houses, all the while maintaining sensitivity to local materials, aesthetics and current modes of living. Three bedroom suites are located on the upper level, tucked away from the more public areas of the house. This better supports a flow of indoor/outdoor access between the open-concept ground level and the backyard. Modern fixtures and finishes bolster the design’s contemporary feel by adding a level of simplicity and luxury. Additional detailing inside and out, such as the honed marble backsplash, Capri blue claw-foot tub in the master suite, and concrete pavers at the entrance and backyard give this home a unique and special feel – all this on a skinny footprint.
Bright Leaf
Bright Leaf Residence is a renovation and addition to a home originally built in 1958. The property backs up to Bright Leaf Nature Preserve which influenced some of the material decisions most notably in the introduction of an exotic forested hardwood called garapa. Paint grip metal panels provide a cool backdrop to the warmth of the wood. The addition of a rear outdoor terrace with spectacular views to Bright Leaf Nature Preserve allows the homeowner enjoyable exterior as well as interior living experiences.
FORGE CRAFT ARCHITECTURE + DESIGN is a professional architecture firm offering professional design services with a primary focus on architecture and related tactile arts such as interior architecture, industrial/product design, furniture design, exhibition design and an ongoing active interest in pursuing private and civic real estate development opportunities.
FOUNDING PRINCIPLES
“Design” is the “purpose or planning that exists behind an action, fact, or object.” “Forge” is defined as “to form or make by concentrated effort.” “Craft” is “skill in making.” Our organization is built around a clear principle: to plan with purpose and then make by concentrated effort and with great skill.
We also see the terms “Forge” and “Craft” as mediating between two opposing concepts that are central to the act of making architecture. “Forge” encompasses the raw power necessary to complete any building – harvesting raw materials, transporting and directing large quantities of energy through its labor force. “Craft” entails the finer qualities of design and focus and small scale minutiae that make our building fit for human inhabitation.
FOUNDING PRINCIPALS
Founders Scott Ginder and Rommel Sulit have combined their wide range of project experience and project scales with the intention of producing architecture that benefits from an enhanced understanding of design and construction.
