Exquisite contemporary hits market for $3.29M

Award-winning design by lauded local firm alterstudio

By Cindy Widner@CurbedAustin May 22, 2017, 2:39pm CDT

Exterior of contemporary home, one story, split with breezeway, garage on left side — 5321 Scout Island Circle

It’s not often that we see one of local firm alterstudio’s award-winning homes on the local market. This one, built in 2010, makes it easy to see why the firm’s ecologically responsive and downright beautiful designs have garnered it a stellar reputation and a mountain of awards and tour spots over the past decade or so.

Called the Scout Island Residence, the home features a public and a private wing, connected by a glass corridor that appears to float over two separate reflecting pools. While the outdoors is visible through large windows and glass doors throughout most of the house, its focus is inward: A courtyard of the symmetrical structure draws people to the home’s central heart.

For further privacy, a combination of motorized shades and landscaping screens made from structural steel and ipe wood eliminate neighbors’ houses from view and create a sort of indoor-outdoor sanctuary.

Located in The Courtyard subdivision, north of the Pennybacker Bridge and Austin Country Club, the home has four bedrooms and five bathrooms in 4,809 square feet.

The owners embrace minimalist interiors with a modern, calming palette that includes warm, custom-wood paneling accents. The home’s serene interior offers uninterrupted views to foliage and the escarpment in the distance.

The public wing includes the kitchen, dining, and living rooms, as well as a study and guest bedroom. It also showcases the unexpected escarpment and astonishing views at the rear of the property.

The master bedroom, living, and family rooms are cantilevered over the canopy of trees on the property to engage directly with the views.

The private wing of the house consists of the master suite, two children’s bedrooms with adjoining bathroom, reading nook, laundry, and mudroom.

Tall grasses, adjacent to papyrus and cattail in the water garden along the front of the glass passageway allow glimpses through to the courtyard but provide privacy from the street. There is a rainwater collection cistern under the master bedroom, holding gathered water for landscaping, laundry, and other needs.