The Falling Leaves

Living on the Edge: A West Austin Nature Retreat

Built into the wooded rimrock 20 feet above a private creek outside downtown Austin, this transparent trio is a 7,500sqft house in three parts. Designed by Bercy Chen Studio to mimic its Hill Country woodland surroundings, the glass houses offer full immersion into this unspoiled wilderness corridor just to the west of downtown, and the property sleeps up to 10 guests in its four bedrooms.

Each of the property’s three pavilions is set intentionally to take full advantage of its dramatic location. The living and dining wing of the main house juts out perpendicularly over the stream bed below, and is set with bespoke furnishings by Studio F of Turin, Italy, among the pieces a cedar dining table felled by lightning in the Italian Alps with handblown Venetian glass legs. The bedroom wing of the main house features three custom-designed bedrooms and two baths, and the guest house is set up like a studio, with a cozy, in-room living area and a classic curtain to divide the intimate sleep and living spaces, as needed.

The pool house is punctuated by a linear lap pool with a transparent “aquarium edge” near a cliff precipice above a section of the creek with cascading rapids. And all three glass buildings are joined by an outdoor entertainment deck and lounge space with a communal fire pit. Interior walls are texturally stuccoed in lime plaster, and designer furnishings include seating by de Sede, Pierre Jeanneret and Blue Dot, and a bathtub carved from a single piece of stone.

Landscape architect Ciel Williams created the exterior spaces, building up hills and berms to heighten the experience of the topography, and planted additional oaks to complement the hundreds of native trees cloaking the acreage. A piazza space below the pool can greet up to 200 people for special events and parties.

The one-of-a-kind estate emerges from the four elements of nature, inspired by the beauty of a falling leaf, and is a space ripe for photo shoots, film and video production and content creation of the type requiring an astonishing natural backdrop.

Around

Set in the Westlake Hills area west of downtown Austin, on 10 private acres, this natural oasis offers a wilderness feeling within minutes of the city’s thriving center. The picturesque Austin 360 bridge and Lake Austin/Colorado River corridor are the property's locale, with classic Hill Country overlooks such as the Pennybacker Bridge Overlook worth visiting, and the Barton Creek Greenbelt Trail nearby a popular local spot for hiking, wading, bouldering and swimming at Sculpture Falls.

The nearby Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve offers educational trails for exploring, and the picnicking is great at Commons Ford Ranch Metropolitan Park, which also offers waterfront trails, waterfalls, and a boat launch. The park is also a favorite spot for fishing. Restaurants, coffee houses, breweries, wine-tasting rooms and roadhouse bars are abundant in the area, and there is a vibrant live music, club, fine dining and cocktail scene. There are loads of independently owned boutiques, studios, shops and green spaces, and the quirky spots that have put Austin on the map (Barton Springs Pool, Austin City Limits, The Bat Bridge, Lady Bird Lake) are less than a half hour’s drive away.

Location

Nearest airport: Austin Bergstrom (30-45 minutes)

Best time to visit

Year round