What does it mean to design a home around the way people live? Across Austin, the line between indoors and out is often part of a home’s design.
Nine homes showcasing this attention to nature and craftsmanship are featured in the 40th AIA Austin Homes Tour on Oct. 24 and 25. Architects across the city are opening the doors to incredible projects, including two female architects’ personal homes. Here’s a peek inside three homes that set new bars for architecture in Austin.
A nature-inspired home designed for three generations
Family takes center stage inside architect Vani Singal’s family home in Austin. After finding a perfect lot, anchored by two much-beloved heritage live oak trees, she took a new approach to personal design. Midway through the design and permitting process, her parents were looking to relocate from India to be closer to Vani and her young family.
This created a unique opportunity to include her parents in the process and marked the first multigenerational project for Vani and their established neighborhood. Taking salvage materials from the existing home,
Completed in 2022, the home brings three generations together under a canopy of nature. A blend of terrazzo, terracotta, and red brick adds natural texture and supports their indoor-outdoor living dream. Salvaged materials from the existing home also add a sense of history to the newly designed home.
Spec house turned light-drenched home
A dated 1976 spec house was given another chapter in this bright Austin home backing a natural greenbelt preserve. Architecture firm DK Studio designed this personal retreat that perfectly blends old and new.
Oversized windows bring nature inside and California ranch-inspired add an ease to the reimagined 70s home.
The home’s footprint was updated to take advantage of the incredible views, while creating extensive room for entertaining in the expanded kitchen and light-drenched dining room. The kitchen’s vertical-grained wooden cabinets contrast with beautiful stone counters and backsplash and bold teal tiles that stretch from counter to ceiling, blending timeless choices and bold punches.
Architects explore “rammed-earth” design
Austin-based studio Davey McEathron Architecture experimented with a “rammed-earth” construction process following a trip to Arizona. The east Austin home used the building process, which layers bands of earth creating texture and depth, to create west-facing walls to reduce solar heat in the hot Texas climate.
The result is a distinctive and sculptural modern exterior inspired by desert flowers. Inside, a blend of terracotta, white oak and limewash creates a serene palette for contemporary living.
Tickets to the 2026 AIA Austin Home Tours can be bought online.
More Austin home tours featuring contemporary design:
