Project Details
Project Description
Cliff House was conceived as a collaboration by the artist/homeowner and the architect. The homeowner worked closely with the architect's team to create a clean, open and utterly modern residence that, while exceptionally well designed, would act as a subtle backdrop to her extensive art collection. The house has some very interesting intrinsic site challenges which lend themselves to the dramatic. The lot is situated at the edge of a steep, wooded ravine which tumbles 150 feet to the lake below. The foundation for the house is dug tenaciously into the limestone cliff with half of its footing constructed of a solid concrete slab and the other half cantilevered into the air supported by heavy steel columns and I-beams. The exterior is a burnished Santa Barbara White natural plaster finish. This gives the house a hand finished warmth not encountered in most contemporary stucco structures. A sophisticated and deliberate balance of white CMU block walls bathed in natural light and accented by subtle touches like back painted glass and a whitewashed hemlock ceiling create a clean, subliminal sense of faith in its' design. The stunning view of the lake and the inlet below take center stage through the fifteen foot sliding glass commercial grade doors which open to the balconies of both floors. The view of the lake is best appreciated from the steel window box in the kitchen/dining area which juts out from the rear exterior wall and provides a safe and comfortable place to enjoy coffee and a good book. This same openness to the elements made it a challenge to waterproof. Rain flies horizontally as it is blasted up the ravine. The tiled balconies were built like shower pans and painstakingly flashed to retain the intended minimalist aesthetic. This openness is reflected in the master bathroom which has a marble encased soaking tub situated at the Southwest corner of the structure on the second story. Surrounded by glass, the entire bathroom evokes a feeling of being outside. There is a glass door from the shower out onto the balcony, so on nice days, you can enjoy the feeling of taking an outdoor shower. A folding Mobilflex Door System (a tall, anodized aluminum floating curtain which collapses accordion like into niches built into either side of the rear balconies) outside the steel and glass balcony handrail was creatively reinterpreted to provide the lakeside of the house with security, solar screening and protection from the unpredictable Texas weather. What is most striking about the home is how the clean, modern design manages to retain and amplify the soul of the artist who lives there while assimilating the rugged beauty of its' cliff top site.
