01
North-light painting studio with easels and storage
Open from seven in the morning until ten at night. Your own locker and flat file drawer.
IncludedIndependent living · Salado, Texas
A quieter life, with the studio door open.
Forty-four cottages and apartments on Salado Creek, with a working art studio, a kiln and a village full of galleries a short walk away.
Since 2008
Built for people who still make things.
Salado Creek Commons started with a retired art teacher, a pecan orchard and a question: why should moving out of the family house mean giving up the work you love? Lupe Navarro's mother wanted a place with good light, a kiln and neighbors who wouldn't mind paint on the porch. We built it.
Today about half our residents paint, throw pots, weave, write or carve. The other half are happy to come to the Thursday open studio for the coffee and the conversation. Everyone has their own front door, their own schedule and a creek to walk beside in the morning.
— Lupe Navarro, executive director
What sets us apart
Where we shine
02
Pottery room with two wheels and a kiln
Clay at cost. Firings every other Friday, glaze night the Thursday before.
Included
03
Lunch and dinner in the Orchard Room
Cooked by Chef Marco from Central Texas farms when he can get it.
IncludedRooms & suites
Places to live
Every home has a full kitchen, a washer and dryer, and a window that catches the north light.
01
Studio apartment
One open room with a sleeping alcove, a full kitchen and a tall north window for working at home.
- Full kitchen
- Washer and dryer
- North-facing window
02
One-bedroom apartment
A separate bedroom, a living room big enough for an easel and a reading chair, and a balcony over the orchard.
- Balcony
- Walk-in shower
- Elevator building
03
Creekside cottage
Two bedrooms, a screened porch and a garden bed out back. Most residents turn the second bedroom into a studio.
- Screened porch
- Attached carport
- Private garden bed
- 44cottages and apartments
- 2008the year the first studio opened
- 1kiln, fired every other Friday
- 6acres of pecans along the creek
Sample family reviews
In their words
I sold my studio in Austin thinking that part of my life was over. Now I have better light than I ever had and a kiln I don't have to clean.
Dad had never picked up a paintbrush in his life. He's on his fourth canvas of the creek and won't let any of us take one home.
It's the quiet I love. Mornings on the creek trail, a cup of coffee, and nobody asking me to join anything unless I want to.
Mom's cottage is two minutes from the studio and five from Main Street. She has more friends here than she had in thirty years in Killeen.
Chef Marco remembered that I can't have dairy after one conversation. I've been here three years and he hasn't forgotten once.
We toured six places. This was the only one where a resident stopped us in the hall to show us what she was working on.
Photo tour
Light, linen and the creek
Our team
The people who keep the lights on
Lupe Navarro
Executive Director
Corinne Abbott, RN
Wellness Nurse
Marco Delgado
Executive Chef
Adaeze Okafor
Studio and Life Enrichment Director
Ratings & recognition · sample
- Sample: Family satisfaction survey, 2025
- Sample: Regional senior living design recognition
- Sample: Village arts partner of the year
Work with us
Small staff, long tenures and lunch from Chef Marco. Ask about part-time and weekend shifts.
For families
For families
A few things grown children usually ask us.
- 01
Who checks on Mom?
Every resident gets a morning check-in by phone or pendant. If we don't hear from her by ten, someone knocks.
- 02
What if her needs change?
We'll call you first. Many residents add a home health or private-duty aide here; we keep a list of licensed local agencies.
- 03
Can we stay the night?
Our guest suite sleeps two and costs about what a motel on the interstate does, with better coffee.
- 04
How do we keep up?
Our monthly newsletter and Facebook page show the studio, the outings and the art show photos.
Visit
Find us on the creek
- 410 Royal Oak Lane
Salado, TX
Park under the live oaks by the gallery. The front walk is level all the way to the door. - (254) 555-0138
- Text us
- studio@saladocreekcommons.example
- SaladoCreekCommons
Tour & office hours
- Tours, Mon – Sat10a – 4p
- Open studio, Thursdays1p – 5p
- Families visitAny time
Bring a sketchbook. Stay for lunch.
Call Lupe or book a time online. Thursday is open studio, and the coffee is strong.