The Future of Modern Living Is Here

When great minds think alike and share a common healthy-living goal that also reduces environmental impact, today’s homes get interesting. An exciting partnership between Austin-based Lake Flato architects, Dallas-based developer Oaxaca Interests LLC, and the landscape design firm Hocker resulted in Haciendas, a community of Texas-modern homes with wellness at the core. To boot, clean air advocate Garrett Boone, cofounder of the Container Store and Oaxaca Interests advisory board member, consulted on the project.

With shelter-in-place highly recommended, homeowners are rethinking the way they live. Do we really need this much indoor space? Wouldn’t it be better to have larger outdoor areas to enjoy? This new residential development in West Dallas offers fully functional living areas, ultraviolet-light air-purifying systems, fresh air exchange and elimination of potentially toxic materials, a private courtyard, and, yes, beautifully landscaped green space. Appealing to first-time buyers, empty nesters, or those just desirous of clean living, the residences are 1,550–1,850 square feet situated on 5,000–7,500-square-foot lots.

Brent Jackson, Oaxaca’s founder, concentrates on urban development within a three-mile radius of downtown, with a predilection for West Dallas. His first foray into the neighborhood began with the development of Sylvan/Thirty, a mixed-use project complete with a butcher and baker and coffeemaker, which a decade later has become a family-centric epicenter in the neighborhood.

“We focus on strategic and community-based regions, and we look holistically at an area of interest,” Jackson says.

He says he fell in love with Lake Flato’s work while staying at the Hotel San José in Austin with his bull mastiff. “I have an appreciation for those that focus on design and aesthetics and space-making,” he explains. He earned his BFA studying painting and sculpture before his master’s degree in business administration, both from the University of Texas at Austin.

The project’s lead architect, Lake Flato’s Grace Boudewyns, says Jackson “brings us in on the big-picture ideas.” To prepare for the job, she first looked to the bungalows in the area to inform Haciendas’ design. “The goal is for them to blend into the other homes so they wouldn’t stick out on a typical street.” With the residences’ great setback appeal, she says, “The biggest move we made was reducing the footprint of the house to maximize the lot size.” Natural light from large windows in every room and an open floor plan maximizes the interior space, making the homes appear larger. “Our firm has a very holistic approach to sustainability.”

Accentuating the indoor-outdoor experience, frequent Oaxaca collaborator, landscape architect David L. Hocker, brought his award-winning sensibilities. “We used native species that are very hardy and able to endure extreme climates,” Jackson says. “The consumer sees this as an invaluable part of the concept.” Haciendas’ convenient location, just about a mile or two from downtown and the Dallas Design District, completes the package.