![Laurelwood House by Design Hound](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2017/05/laurelwood-house-residence-home-austin-texas-usa-architecture_dezeen_hero-852x479.jpg)
Gable wall conceals double-height atrium in Austin home by Design Hound
Austin studio Design Hound has completed a local home with light-toned facades, designed to help to create a "soft transition" into the residence's bright interior.
The Laurelwood House sits in a residential neighbourhood outside downtown Austin, Texas.
![Laurelwood House by Design Hound](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2017/05/laurelwood-house-residence-home-austin-texas-usa-architecture_dezeen_1-852x569.jpg)
A low-slung garage abuts a gabled, rectangular house, creating a long facade that reduces sight lines into the rear garden.
At the junction between the two components, a double-height atrium occupies a hollowed-out volume in the two-storey home.
![Laurelwood House by Design Hound](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2017/05/laurelwood-house-residence-home-austin-texas-usa-architecture_dezeen_18-852x1275.jpg)
Masonry cladding on the garage joins with a stone lattice wall of a similar palette, partially concealing the atrium. Along with slats in the adjacent wood-panelled gate, gaps among the blocks sift light entering into the vestibule.
The entry courtyard features vegetation along the floor and walls, as well as a skylight set into the sloped roof above.
![Laurelwood House by Design Hound](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2017/05/laurelwood-house-residence-home-austin-texas-usa-architecture_dezeen_10-852x569.jpg)
Through the introduction of greenery and light into the vestibule, the architects sought to develop a gradual progression between the outside and the interior.
"The entry courtyard is a design element that has long intrigued [us]," said Design Hound. "Utilised properly, it softens the physical transition from exterior to interior and imbues an inherent sense of privacy upon the occupants."
![Laurelwood House by Design Hound](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2017/05/laurelwood-house-residence-home-austin-texas-usa-architecture_dezeen_12-852x569.jpg)
The palette introduced in the atrium continues inside the home, where white walls and ceilings dominate. Stone surfaces across garden-facing walls provides the only contrast to the bright theme.
Apart from a study tucked away in the southwest corner of the floorpan, the layout proceeds northward from the threshold in a progression of spaces.
![Laurelwood House by Design Hound](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2017/05/laurelwood-house-residence-home-austin-texas-usa-architecture_dezeen_14-852x1276.jpg)
A broad room to the right of the entryway accommodates a combined kitchen and dining space, followed by a lounge, and a master suite at the north edge of the layout.
Much like the atrium, the architects recessed the east wall of the living room to create a covered volume for a patio. A swimming pool stretches out from the terrace over the remaining width of the property.
![Laurelwood House by Design Hound](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2017/05/laurelwood-house-residence-home-austin-texas-usa-architecture_dezeen_16-852x1276.jpg)
At the northwest corner of the plan, a floating staircase dog-steppes up to a pair of bedrooms, a study, and a lounge on the second storey.
Another Austin home by Design Hound has similar features, including a similar bright palette and an intentionally modest facade.
![](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2017/05/laurelwood-house-residence-home-austin-texas-usa-architecture_dezeen_7-852x569.jpg)
Other residences nearby include a hill-side house with charred-wood siding that creates a "camp-like aesthetic", and a lake-side cottage situated among cypress trees.
Photography is by Merrick Ales.
Project credits:
Architects: Design Hound
Interiors: Christen Ales
Landscaping: Michael Biechlin of GroundMasters LanDesign