Hill Country Houses: Inspired Living In A Legendary Texas Landscape

Anchored by Austin and San Antonio, Texas Hill Country is celebrated for its frontier history and natural beauty. Architects and interior designers build contemporary houses using local materials and drawing on the areas diverse heritageSpanish Colonial missions and Mexicanstyle haciendas, French pioneers log cabins, German stonework, and the legacy of the new regionalism espoused by ONeil Ford in the 1930sto create inspired residences that respect tradition and allow their owners to enjoy expansive rural surroundings. This volume presents nineteen of the areas most remarkable private houses, with lush photography to provide a glimpse of how life in Central Texas is uniquefrom restored Victorian houses in bohemian Southtown, to a glasswalled ranch in Boerne canopied by oak trees; from floating stairs and sustainable systems to the casual elegance of country antiques, screen porches, and longleaf pine floors. The rolling hills, springfed creeks, rivers, timber forests, and fertile grasscovered prairies of Hill Countryalong with their abundance of natural materials such as limestone, cedar, local pecan, mesquite, oak, and cypressinspire architects and interior designers to create beautiful modern spaces. They draw from the strong vernacular tradition of classic farmhouses that once dotted the land, and the building techniques that have been handed down through generations. The architecture and interiors featured here in beautiful fullcolor photography celebrate the wonderful particularities of this singular place.