BUCKING TRADITION

MID-CENTURY MODERN DESIGN IN FORT WORTH

ARCHITECT | SPECHT NOVAK

STRUCTURAL ENGINEER | HnH ENGINEERING

PHOTOGRAPHY | LEONID FURMANSKY

The design of the home is influenced by its location. The property slopes over twenty feet down to a creek at the back, and this gradient is utilized to elevate the living areas into the tree canopy.

Novak is notable for its modern design amidst a neighborhood of traditional suburban homes along the championship Mira Vista Golf Course.

Vertical wood slats shield the entrance and moderate the western sunlight, a theme that continues inside with wood screen walls. Large windows and corner glazing give the living room and primary suite a sense of openness and a feeling of being elevated above the slope, as vistas unfold through the branches toward the creek and landscape beyond, while deep overhangs provide shade from the Texas sun.

“THE HOUSE ANSWERS WITH RESTRAINT. RATHER THAN ASSERT ITSELF, IT KEEPS A DELIBERATELY LOW PROFILE WHILE REFLECTING THE NEIGHBORHOOD’S MATERIAL LANGUAGE — NATIVE LIMESTONE, WARM WOOD, AND THE MATURE TREES SURROUNDING THE SITE. NEIGHBORS HAVE PRAISED IT FOR FITTING IN BECAUSE IT DOESN’T TRY TO DOMINATE.”

– JAKEB NOVAK, SPECHT NOVAK

“THE EXTERIOR’S STONE HOLDS IT DOWN AS THE GLASS LIFTS IT INTO THE TREES — PROOF THAT A MODERN HOUSE, CAREFULLY MADE, CAN EARN ITS PLACE IN EVEN THE MOST TRADITIONAL NEIGHBORHOOD.”

– JAKEB NOVAK, SPECHT NOVAK