Dripping Springs, where this ranch house is located, sounds like a fictional town plucked from a storybook. Yet, located just on the cusp of Austin, Texas, it is the address of the new home designed by architecture studio OWIU. By working closely with the client, health and wellness influencer Remi Ishizuka, Pontious Ranch House is a result of combining elements from her very specific identity; an architectural manifestation rooted in Californian, Chinese and Japanese culture.
Pontious Ranch House designed by OWIU
The studio Only Way Is Up (OWIU) carefully redesigned a traditional ranch house infusing it with Asian minimalism - or rather its entirely unique iteration that is personal to Ishizuka. Inspiration was drawn from the food she ate, the art she was exposed to, and adapted family traditions which allowed for her, as OWIU described, ‘to understand balance in hybridity.’
OWIU founders, Joel Wong and Amanda Gunawan, shared that the most challenging aspect was striking a balance between breathing new life into the rustic 'barn style' home and preserving its original cultural integrity and contextual connection to the surrounding environment. They say: 'We wanted to modernize the space while respecting the historical essence and significance of the home, ensuring that the transformation enhanced its character without compromising its roots or the local heritage it represents.’
A Texan landscape coupled with Japanese minimalism and a Californian laissez-faire attitude may be an unconventional blend, yet the LA-based architecture studio took on the challenge to remodel the traditional ranch and manifest its creative vision. The home was originally built in 2018, and OWIU worked closely with the former owner Michael Contello to preserve the original foundations.
'We specialize in the intersection of preservation and restoration, embracing the belief that homes should evolve while honouring their past. Our approach centers on safeguarding the historical essence of a space, while infusing it with new life, ensuring that the old and the new coexist in harmony. This philosophy is at the core of every restoration project we undertake,’ say the OWIU founders.
The soul of the inspiration that is threaded throughout the home is its nod to the building’s surrounding environment. Golden Texan fields and crisp blue skies offer a meditative colour palette, with a cream and white gradient tying it all together. This creates a fluid interaction between the interior and exterior of the home.
These breezy blurred lines between indoor and outdoor living are continued throughout the ranch with touches of natural materials. This can be seen in the kitchen which was designed to be not only a functional cooking space but also a workspace for the client’s recipe developments. The island is crafted from natural rock and marble. It extends to a wood dining table, moulded with polished round edges.
This tonality and soft silhouette flow into the living room which is surrounded by wood-framed windows, creating a snapshot of the Texan countryside, which is described as ‘perfectly capturing the balance of organic textures and modern design.
