Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: Contemporary Coastal-Style Home in Austin
Light exterior stucco, frameless views and an open floor plan set this landlocked coastal-style home apart from its neighbors
Lead architect Rodney Palmer designed this Texas residence for clients who wanted to leave the hurricanes that plagued Houston. Although they chose landlocked Hill Country as their new home base, they didn't want to lose the coastal sensibility of living close to the Gulf of Mexico. So Palmer and his team created a contemporary home that evokes the airy, carefree feeling of being by the sea.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their three children
Location: Austin, Texas
Size: 6,093 square feet
That's interesting: The master bedroom sits apart from the rest of the house to provide privacy.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their three children
Location: Austin, Texas
Size: 6,093 square feet
That's interesting: The master bedroom sits apart from the rest of the house to provide privacy.
The clients wanted an open, light feeling throughout the home and a design that maximized the views of the subdivision's lush rolling hills and surrounding golf course. The home has an abundance of two of the most important elements of coastal design style: natural light and plenty of white, which spread and boost sunlight. But repeated lines, abundant angles and handpicked abstract, geometric art drive the point home: The house is unapologetically contemporary in its architectural bones.
Palmer and his team designed the home around the pool to create views from every part of the house. Patio areas on the sides of both levels create relaxing outdoor entertaining spaces away from the indoor living room. Clean lines, sleek white furnishings and pale blue accent pillows reflect the colors of the sky, pool tiles and views.
Browse thousands of pool photos
Browse thousands of pool photos
The kitchen, dining and family areas are all designed to function together as a large, open expanse; the continuous ceiling and use of glass help achieve this goal. The dark kitchen cabinets anchor the space visually, while an antique chandelier serves as the only embellished counterpoint to the sleek, contemporary design of the space.
Situated away from the rest of the home for privacy, Palmer created an unembellished bedroom that maximizes views of the pool and rolling hills through transom windows. A cream, beige and white palette evokes varying shades of sand and repeats the coastal motif of the rest of the house, while the sleek furniture and the abstract art and area rug stay true to the home's contemporary roots.
This simple tripod easel doesn't take up much space and keeps attention on the real artwork: the view.
Easels Take a Stand
Easels Take a Stand
Palmer says, “Though challenging to execute safely, incorporating the sunken tub kept the space feeling very open and allowed for large windows to capture sunset views while still maintaining privacy.”
Browse thousands of bathtubs
Browse thousands of bathtubs
In this photo and the next, the exterior light pillars and ambient lighting in the pool create the sense of a resortlike vacation home — except the clients are lucky enough to live in this space year-round.