A tranquil riverside home celebrates the surrounding landscape.
Shelby and Ana Oostwouder loved their Houston home—they called it the “Alice in Wonderland” house due to its whimsical design—but sadly, it was a “money pit.” “It was very architecturally imaginative, but everything was falling apart,” says Ana. “The owner who bought it after us ended up bulldozing it.”
The couple craved a simpler life, and they ultimately decided to move to the quaint college town of San Marcos, 30 minutes outside of Austin, Texas. Here, they discovered an oak-covered, multiacre lot on a steep limestone bluff just 100 feet from the edge of the Blanco River.
The couple, who both have engineering backgrounds, enjoyed sharing their ideas with the architects. The result is their Hill Country dream home.
Photo: Dror Baldinger
The palette of limestone, glass, and steel creates an old-meets-new look.
Photo: Dror Baldinger
“We liked the small nature of San Marcos,” Ana says. “It’s convenient to go into the metropolitan area and not have to deal with traffic. We just aren’t urban people.”
After seeing the work of A.Gruppo Architects in a magazine, they decided to hire the firm’s principals Andrew Nance and Thad Reeves to build a light-filled home with a strong connection to the outdoors.
The property, which is a good 10-15 minutes from the center of San Marcos, “is at the end of a dead-end road and has this remote feeling. They really wanted a home that felt connected to nature and a place where they could enjoy the mountain laurels and views,” Nance says.
Photo: Dror Baldinger
See the full story on Dwell.com: This Blanco River Home Is a Texas Couple’s Ultimate Haven
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