Celebrating 25 years of working together
Who We Are: Rick and Cindy Black Architects is an Austin-based residential practice specializing in transformative renovations and gracious family homes in our vibrant city and across the Texas hill country. Since 2001, we have collaborated to turn our clients' visions into light-filled, functional spaces.
Experience: As a husband-and-wife team, we personally oversee every detail of your project. Having designed and built houses for ourselves, we understand the journey firsthand and guide you through the process with an optimistic, long-term perspective.
Our Goal: We create environments that reward closer examination—balancing daily utility with the vivid, simple pleasures of architecture.
Meet Rick and Cindy Black
Cindy Black is a fifth generation Texas from Dallas. She moved to Austin to attend the University of Texas School of Architecture, receiving a Bachelor of Architecture degree in 2000. Cindy was licensed by the Texas Board of Architectural Examiners in 2005, and served on the board and various committees of the American Institute of Architects from 2012 to 2019.
In support of historical works of architecture, Cindy is member of Preservation Austin and the Institute of Classical Architecture & Arts (ICAA). For her achievement in drawing and watercolor, Cindy received a Christopher H. Browne scholarship to attend the 2018 Rome Drawing Tour with ICAA, and was a finalist for the 2020 Gabriel Prize.
Cindy has an intuitive approach to configuring spaces, with convictions about the way rooms should connect to one another. She responds to places that feel intimate and will create a mixture of room proportions and ceiling heights to allow for a sense of refuge. She acts as a steward for this original vision through the life of the project, creating sketches or selecting a material palette that will reinforce the concept and convey emotional value.
Rick Black became an Austinite in 1981 after spending his formative years in El Paso, Texas. He is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture, with a Bachelor of Architecture degree in 1992. Past employers include notable architects Frank O. Gehry and Associates, Emily Little, FAIA and John Mayfield Architect.
Rick is a member of Preservation Austin and the Institute of Classical Arts & Architecture (ICAA). In support of the preservation of the Texas Hill Country, he serves on the Architectural Review Committee for the Preserve at Walnut Springs in Johnson City.
Rick has a strong sense of craft and consideration toward construction details, and will persist with the design until the structural concept is as strong as the initial vision. His buildings feel grounded and tactile due to his understanding of how different materials will weather and harmonize with the natural surroundings. He is a constant student of architecture and construction, seeking out innovations in building science that can be resolved and elegantly integrated into humanist space.
Selected Publications
LUXE: ‘See How History And Character Imbue A 1920s Austin Residence’ Margaret Zainey Roux, December 2022
TRIBEZA: Interiors Issue 2020, ‘Perfectly Imperfect’>>
DWELL: ’A Renovated MidCentury Gem’, Kelsey Keith, Feb. 2014
TRIBEZA: Architecture Issue October 2013
TRIBEZA: Outdoors Issue June 2014
DWELL: ‘Double Time,’ Fred Bernstein, March 2008
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Preservation Austin 2024 Homes Tour
MidCentury Home, ‘Mid-Century Elegance Meets Modern Living,’ June 20, 2023
MidCentury Home, ‘A.D. Stenger’s 1956 Midcentury Features Contemporary Open Concept Living’, July 15, 2020
MidCentury Home, ‘A.D. Stenger’s 1964 Midcentury Receives a Modern Update,’ June 25, 2020
Cindy Black: Finalist for the 2020 Gabriel Prize
Dwell, ‘A 1950s Austin Ranch House Gets a Luxe Revamp With Southwest Flair,’ Lauren Jones, Aug. 30, 2019
Taunton Press, A Little House in the City, Marc Vassallo, October 2018
Atomic Ranch, Form Meets Function, Sarah Jane Stone, Summer 2017
Curbed, ‘How to Design the Perfect Kitchen,’ Sept. 8, 2016
Houzz: ‘Texas Guest House is Big on Style,’ Mar. 2016
PRESERVATION AUSTIN Award 2014
Dwell, ‘A Renovated Midcentury Gem in Austin,’ Kelsey Keith, March 26, 2014
Fine Homebuilding, ‘Floating Shelves on Display,’ Cindy Black, Winter 2014
Austin Home, ’21 Cool Kitchens,’ Summer 2014
Fine Homebuilding, ‘A Galley Kitchen that Works,’Winter 2013
Trends, ‘Perfectly Formed,’ Winter 2012
Austin Home, ‘Poolside Life,’ Summer 2012
Austin Home, ‘Power Couples,’ Winter 2011
Fine Homebuilding, ‘Singular and Serene,’ Winter 2011
Design*sponge, ‘Before / After Modern Galley Kitchen,’ Dec. 2011
Austin American Statesman, ‘Remodel Done Right,’ Sept. 25, 2011
Edible Austin, ‘Eco Kitchens: Greening the Hub,’ Winter 2010
NY Times Magazine ‘Welcome to Smallville,’ Fall 2010
Austin American Statesman, ’Mod on a Suburban Scale,’ Jul. 25, 2010
Austin Home, ‘Notebook,’ Summer 2010
Rare Magazine, ‘Hello Kitchen, Goodbye Clutter,’ April / May 2010
Lifehacker, ‘Declutter and Purge your Kitchen,’ Oct. 2009
Austin American Statesman, Glossy Homes Feature, April 2008
Austin American Statesman, ’Think Big, Live Small’ Apr. 1, 2007
Austin American Statesman, ‘Dual Purposes,’ Sept. 26, 2006
Austin American Statesman, ’Living Small,’ Jun 2, 2005
Tribeza, ‘Neo-Forms,’ January 2002
