Texas summers are sweltering. That’s why keeping cool is at the core of the design philosophy of the M1700 House by Ravel Architecture. Located in central Texas in the state capital of Austin, an elongated swimming pool is the centerpiece of the home. Floor-to-ceiling glass windows provide sightlines while the walls of those rooms are anchored by the focal point of the pool. An ascent up the home’s staircase brings visitors and residents alike to the top of the 25-foot escalation to the house’s front door, which acts as a picturesque vantage point to the topography of the home’s location in Barton Hills. That visual effect perfectly summarizes what makes the design of the M1700 House so unique.
The floor-to-ceiling windows throughout the home add an open ambiance to its interior. Those windows allow light to cascade through the central living area, where the open composition of the living room and kitchen are subtly contrasted by the change in the ceiling height between those two areas. A long hallway runs parallel to the pool en route to the master living room. Each step through the home is enveloped by glass, wood, and stone components to the structure which are coalesced by a modern architectural style that brings the unique properties of those materials together.