12 gorgeous homes on the 2019 AIA Austin tour

For design lovers, the AIA Austin Homes Tour is a must-do every fall, as well as being a welcome break from/alternative to the abundant music festivals and other crowded happenings of the season.

This will be the 33rd year that AIA Austin has convinced owners of fabulous homes designed and built by local firms to fling open their doors to design and lifestyle mavens of all stripes. Its long tenure and venerable status, however, belies the fresh approaches and inventiveness on display every year; the variety is substantial and refreshing.

The 12 homes on this year’s tour embody the range of work, styles, and talent available in this city and include designs by award-winning heavy-hitters such as Alterstudio Architecture, Baldridge Architects, Clayton & Little Architects, Dick Clark + Associates, Elizabeth Baird Architecture & Design, FAB Architecture, Franke:Franke, LaRue Architects, McCollum Studio Architects, McKinney York Architects, Ravel Architecture, and Webber + Studio.

Dogs and mounted deer heads look to be the breakout accessories this year, if the photos are any indication. Many design hounds (sorry) can’t get enough of exciting architecture or adorable pups; the latter, at least, are a welcome addition to most any home setup.

The 2019 tour takes place Saturday, October 19, and Sunday, October 20, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. More information on the tour, including where to buy tickets, is available at the AIA Austin Homes Tour website.

Let us know which of these homes you like most—and why—in the comments!

Project Name: Cuernavaca Residence

Jake Holt Photography

Jake Holt Photography

Architecture firm: Alterstudio Architecture

Builder: Risinger & Co.

Neighborhood: Lake Hills area

Square feet: 6,864. Five bedrooms, five and a half bathrooms

Project type: New construction with preexisting pool house

Nestled in a wooded lot, the Cuernavaca Residence is part of an evolving two-acre family compound. Interestingly, the residence was built after the pool house.

The house features board-formed concrete walls, rift-sawn oak, mill-finished steel, and galvanized metal panels and concrete that alternate in orientation and pattern, creating a richly textured environment that incorporates light and shade at different angles during the day.

Project Name: Greenbelt Overlook Residence

Jake Holt Photography

Jake Holt Photography

Architecture firm: Baldridge Architects

Builder: Pilgrim Building Company

Neighborhood: Barton Hills

Square feet: 3,432. Three bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms

Project type: New construction

Greenbelt Overlook brings to the spectacular views of its namesake greenbelt a fun mix of modern and rustic influences while meeting the challenges posed by restrictive setbacks, protected trees, and utility easements. Its street-facing side encompasses public functions and a small gymnasium, while the back of the house opens to a generous roof deck and the aforementioned dramatic views.

Project Name: Ridge Oak Residence

Jake Holt Photography

Jake Holt Photography

Architecture firm: Clayton & Little Architects

Builder: Burnish & Plumb Construction

Neighborhood: Highland Park West

Square feet: 3,696. Three bedrooms and two bathrooms

Project type: Renovation/addition

Clayton & Little brought its expertise to a renovation of and addition to this home designed by Austin architect Howard R. Barr in the late 1940s and partially remodeled by Barr’s son in 2016.

The team kept the brick and wood siding creating an entry for a proportionally appropriate addition that incorporates the 10-foot ceilings and thin roof profile from the original design.

Project Name: Desert Flower Residence

Architecture firm: McCollum Studio Architect

Builder: Shoberg Homes

Neighborhood: West Lake Hills

Square feet: 5,430. Five bedrooms, six and a half bathrooms

Project type: New construction

Located in the Westview subdivision, a contemporary home meets the challenges of its lot with a split-level approach that disguises its 5,430 square feet and complements the land’s topography with a similar slope.

Existing oak trees provided a natural sense of scale and visual depth for the entry courtyard, and the rest of the home balances privacy and safety with views and passive lighting strategies.

Project Name: Bridle Path Residence

Jake Holt Photography

Architecture firm and builder: Franke:Franke

Neighborhood: Tarrytown

Square feet: 3,200. Two bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms

Project type: New construction

Also located on difficult building terrain—with a 12-foot drop from the front to rear of the lot—the Bridle Path residence has an open floor plan and a clean, shed roof with wood ceiling floats over the front façade, connecting interior and exterior spaces while embracing the street.

Project Name: Michael Street House

Jake Holt Photography

Jake Holt Photography

Architecture firm: Ravel Architecture

Builder: FKF Construction

Neighborhood: Barton Hills

Square feet: 3,330. Three bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms

Project type: New construction

A family compound created over two generations, this property in the Barton Hills neighborhood has two houses and is surrounded by oaks, creating the feeling of a quiet retreat.

The limestone and wood homes are bounded by a common central yard and are tucked between clusters of mature trees that dot the sloping lawn. The back home features a terrace and lap pool that divides the private master suite from the shared spaces. The multistory garage in front has a birdcage stairway that leads to a rooftop garden deck with Hill Country views and a dedicated media room.

Project Name: Cullen Avenue Residence

Jake Holt Photography

Architecture firm: FAB Architecture

Builder: Mezger Homes

Neighborhood: Crestview

Square feet: 3,350. Four bedrooms and three bathrooms

Project type: New construction

A new home combines functional family spaces and artful design to mix traditional and contemporary elements. The two-story, stucco home’s earth tones and grounded aesthetic are balanced with such items as clean-lined, floor-to-ceiling cabinets and a delicate, vertical screening structure for the stairs.

Project Name: 007 House

Architecture firm: Dick Clark + Associates

Builder: Vinson Radke Homes

Neighborhood: Zilker

Square feet: 2,758. Three bedrooms, three and a half bathrooms

Project type: New construction

007 House borrows the spirit of the International Style movement (and presumably the style of one of the era’s most famous fictional characters), updated for contemporary lifestyles.

Floor-to-ceiling windows harvest light as well as framing views of outdoor spaces, with landscaping doubling as a privacy buffer. The effect is casual-sophisticated.

Project Name: New York Avenue Residence

Jake Holt Photography

Architecture firm: Elizabeth Baird Architecture & Design

Builder: Texas Construction Company

Neighborhood: Rosewood

Square feet: 1,680 conditioned (two bedrooms, two bathrooms), 550 garage apartment (one bedroom, one bathroom), 324 porches.

Project type: New construction

An East Austin bungalow-style home and garage apartment were transformed by architect Elizabeth Baird, who pulled apart the traditional floor plan to allow more connection with the outdoors and bring in modern elements. The garage apartment at the rear of the property, vaulted ceilings in the main home, and landscaping were added during the process.

Project Name: Foothill Terrace

Jake Holt Photography

Jake Holt Photography

Architecture firm: LaRue Architects

Builder: Shoberg Homes

Neighborhood: Colorado Foothills

Square feet: Conditioned 5,772, covered 8,137. Four bedrooms, three bathrooms, two half- bathrooms.

Project type: New construction

A new contemporary home in an established Austin neighborhood features lots of glass, a flat roof, and other modern elements that are softened with such things as deep, wood-lined soffits that float above the clerestory windows, an entry courtyard, and a backyard living area with a fireplace.

Project Name: Las Brisas Residence

Jake Holt Photography

Jake Holt Photography

Architecture Firm: McKinney York Architects

Builder: Arrowhead Construction

Neighborhood: West Lake Hills

Square feet: 4,338, four bedrooms, four and a half bathrooms

Project type: New construction

Another home on a sloped lot—this one canyon-side—this newly built home is designed for its owners’s interests in art, gardening, and wine-collecting as well as for hosting and entertaining. The wooded site offers seclusion as well as framing a city view from the pool deck.

Mostly muted colors in the home create a backdrop for the owners’s collection of African textiles, and built-ins are custom-made to provide easy access to an outdoor work space, a sewing machine, and a hideaway desk.

Project Name: The Historic Lawson House in Clarksville

Jake Holt Photography

Jake Holt Photography

Architecture firm: Webber + Studio

Builder: W+

Neighborhood: Clarksville

Square feet: 2,100. Three bedrooms, two bathrooms

Project type: Remodel and addition

This renovation of what was originally a freedman’s cottage that had already been remodeled once entailed expanding the house’s size, addressing the current owners’s needs, and reinforcing the home’s historicism in a way that allowed the upper-level main floor to connect more graciously to the large backyard spaces.

At street level, the exterior was restored to invoke the home’s original history, while the interior was reinvented to provide a serene environment that celebrates the original two-room format—a change made possible by the structure’s compressed kitchen space and added linear skylight.