Operable glass walls flank the living spaces of this sprawling Texas ranch, which was designed by Sanders Architecture to appear “like it rose up from the land”.
Located in Brown County, the working cattle ranch and farm had been in the family for years and it was dotted with smaller homes where the husband and wife had stayed when they visited. But the owners had long dreamt of adding an easy, breezy home there, where they could transition from weekend stays into a full-time retirement mode. With thousands of acres to choose from as the new home’s site, the couple were particularly drawn to one area of lichen-covered sandstone boulders, dotted with post oaks and mesquites, which offered unobstructed views of the ranch.
In addition to a 2,700-square-foot (250 square metres) building that the owners occupy, there is a guesthouse with two bedrooms, a garage that is connected to the home by a covered driveway and a swimming pool.
With simple architectural forms that are a nod to the ranch’s existing buildings, Sanders also reached for a humble palette of materials, using local sandstone for walls, standing-seam metal for the pitched roof forms and galvanized steel panels as accents for the exterior, all serving as rustic counterpoints to the large expanses of view-grabbing glass.
Visitors enter the home into a central hall that leads to the various communal rooms, including the living room, kitchen, bar and formal dining room. The walls of the central area were constructed with stacked sandstone, which gives the area the feeling of being an exterior space.
The owner’s suite is within a separate volume, slightly offset from the communal areas. Sanders Architecture included two separate closets in this area, as well as a bathroom that takes in views of the surrounding trees near the house.
The living room is set apart from the kitchen and bar area and features glass walls on three sides and tall wooden ceilings supported by exposed steel trusses. There is a large patio outside the living room that is sheltered from the Texas sun by an overhanging canopy that rests on slender steel columns.
The interiors feature a colourful palette, with weathered materials that complement the estate’s 350-acre (142 hectares) site. Many of the furnishings nod to the ranch’s history, such as leather accents, woven textiles, and reclaimed fittings.
The guest house takes its cues from the main property. It counts two bedrooms, each with its own ensuite, and is separated from the owner’s house by the pool, which gives visitors more privacy.
Project name: Rockin’ 8 Ranch
Architect: Sanders Architecture – https://www.sanders-architecture.com/
Location: Brown County, Texas, United States
Area: 5000 ft²
Photographer: Ryann Ford – https://www.ryannford.com/
Principal architect: Chris Sanders
Interior design: Laura Britt, Britt Design Group
Construction: David Wilkes Builders
Material: Stone, Glass, Steel, Wood, Concrete and plaster
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