Texas Regional Contemporary Vacation Homes
With summer just around the corner and sun-filled days ahead, it’s inevitable that our minds turn to vacation and relaxation. With that in mind, we thought we would show you how some forward-thinking RDDA clients have asked us to design their dream vacation homes.
According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, not only are vacation homes a lot of fun, they can also be a great investment as well. In fact, in some markets, the median price for a vacation home can be as much as 50% higher than the median price for all homes. Not surprisingly, sales of vacation homes increased 57% in 2014.
In the city, a great number of clients choose traditional building styles, such as Tudor, Mediterranean, and French Classical, but when it comes to choosing a style for their weekend or vacation retreat, the bulk of our clients have “let their hair down,” so to speak, and have selected Texas Regional or Texas Contemporary for their preferred style.
Texas Regional style, particularly with a contemporary or modern slant, is perfectly suited for the expectations of today’s lifestyles. The casual feel of this style naturally creates an unself-conscious atmosphere that harkens back to a simpler time and encourages relaxation.
Richard Davis noted that clients seem to be more confident and creative when designing a vacation home, as opposed to their primary residence. Clients are willing to relax and are more open to new ideas–things they might not be willing to try in their primary residence.
Many clients feel that getting close to nature is of paramount importance in the design of their perfect vacation home. With this in mind, the beautiful vaulted ceiling and large windows in this home at Possum Kingdom Lake flood the living and dining space with natural light and provide spectacular views of the lake. The materials, including salvaged wood beams and local stone, echo nature.
Since relaxing is what a vacation house is all about, it’s no surprise that the design for a vacation house is typically much more informal and casual with comfortable furnishings and no fussy details.
The rich textures of the floors, made from natural stone, brick, or rough-hewn wood planks encourage visitors to kick off their shoes and go barefoot, as they make their way to the open kitchen to help themselves to a cold drink.
The master bedroom provides a quiet sanctuary for reading–or a much-deserved nap.
The rectilinear massing of the front facade of this home on Eagle Mountain Lake blends contemporary, unadorned shapes with the centuries-old craft of superb stonework. The metal seam roof contrasts beautifully with the rough textures of the stonework, perfectly melding older building traditions with the clean lines of contemporary design.
The rear of the house opens out to the lake with a series of multi-level balconies and porches. Large windows and French doors provide easy access to the outdoors from every room in the house, extending the indoor living space to include numerous comfortable outdoor living areas.
The guest house sits directly on the waterfront and is situated down a gentle slope from the main house. Its balcony projects out over the water.
A bridge connects to the guest house from the path down to the lake.
The boat house, deck, and dock were designed with a more sleek, contemporary style, as compared with the more Texas Regional elements of the main house and guest house. The clean lines of the arched, metal seam roof complement the vertical and horizontal lines of the wood siding.
This Texas Guest Cottage at Cross Pines Preserve near Mineola, Texas invites rest, relaxation, and some good fishing.
The cottage, part of a master plan, will serve as the guest house for the main house, to be built in Phase II. Although, small in size, it provides all anyone could need for a restful escape from the city. The house includes a kitchen, a dining area, and living space, as well as two adjacent bedroom suites.
Thoughtfully designed to house one or many guests, the house has a sleeping loft in the garret above one of the bedrooms and is accessed by a ladder–a sure favorite with younger guests.
The other bedroom continues the farmhouse motif with a rolling barn door to separate the bathroom from the sleeping area.
This contemporary house blurs the line between vacation home and primary residence. Perched on the bluffs of the east shore of White Rock Lake in Dallas, the homeowners built the house as an empty-nester home for themselves.
Not ready to leave their much larger residence in Preston Hollow, they are currently using the “lake house” as an in-town getaway and a stop off for their frequent cycling excursions around the lake. The house provides a 180 degree view of the lake. A stair to the flat part of the second story roof gives access to the perfect, elevated view of the sun setting over the lake.
So as summer draws near, put on your flip-flops, grab a piece of paper, and start dreaming about your dream vacation house!
RDDA is eager to help turn your dreams into reality–
but you have to promise to invite us out for the weekend once the house is finished!
To see more images of projects designed by RDDA, please visit our website.
Regards,
Richard Drummond Davis Architects