Designed by A.GRUPPO Architects of San Marcos, TX, a 3,300-square-foot private residence seated on a bluff 100 feet above the Blanco River in the Hill Country of Austin, TX, offers its occupants incredible views to the southwest. Pulling from its natural habitat, the residence is built of local Texas limestone and takes full advantage of surrounding trees to create an inspiring and serene living space.

“The design goal for the residence was really to respond to a few very unique elements of this particular place,” said architect Andrew Nance. “The river is fairly shallow in this area, so you can hear the water rippling over the limestone bottom. After the [homeowners] pointed this out, we wanted to situate the house in a way that they could hear the river flowing from their bedroom — perfect for a Sunday afternoon nap. The second feature was a wondrous grove of oak trees. The thing about a grove of oaks is that they kind of define a ‘place.’ So we thought we would reinforce that place by situating the structures around the oaks to create a courtyard.”