Hill Country Modern was constructed by Jauregui Architects, Interiors & Construction, and is located in Austin, Texas. The stunning property is exquisitely decorated, combining rusticity with sophistication, and creating an individualistic design that is nevertheless classic and timeless. According to the architects: From the street, a steel staircase bridges over the underlying front garden and invites us beneath the sheltering white mass. High louvered doors, similar to traditional Maltese ‘persjani’, lead to the interior. Essentially two opposing openings and a staircase, the entry hall is compact but motivating: an unassuming composition of horizontal lines of glass, steel, timber and marble. One opening is a doorway into the living area, while the other a narrow window to the outside; catching a glimpse of water from the pool beneath. The hall extends upwards onto a light steel staircase, sandwiched between an eight-metre-high (26-foot-high) space naturally lit from above.
The long living area – a double-height volume attached to a low one – accommodates the piano salon (with enhanced acoustics thanks to its high ceiling), the sitting room, concealed stairs to the garage and the sunny kitchen/breakfast area. The dining room and guest WC are each hidden behind a composition of oak doors and storage cabinets, which also hides the vertical services and cooling system.
The dining room extends into the garden on a cantilevered concrete slab enclosed by three glass walls; hovering above the deep end of the pool surrounded by south-facing olive trees. This perimeter garden – with its twelve-metre (39-foot) long pool, olive trees and outdoor eating area – enjoys privacy from the street thanks to an elevated, semi-basement room which houses the home office.