Home on the Range: Architectural Wonder Perched Above the Llano River

Perched high above the Llano River, an architectural masterpiece by Ted Flato blends beautifully with the landscape of the Texas Hill Country. The ranch house is prominently situated on a bluff to take advantage of the magnificent 360-degree views. Built in 1992, the 2,000-square-foot house features an octagonal pavilion for the living and dining areas with a kitchen that connects to the spine of the house, which includes three bedrooms and three and one-half baths. A long, arching entry porch runs the length of the bedroom wing. Limestone collected from the surrounding 800 acres is stacked to create walls and piers of the house. Every piece of stone was hand selected and skillfully placed by Henry Dueker, the builder, and his team of craftsmen. The unique structure perfectly exemplifies the architect’s vision of capturing the unique beauty of the landscape and connecting the inhabitants to their environment.

The owners purchased the property as a getaway from their primary residence in Austin. They enlisted the help of longtime friends Denison & Denison Interiors to assist with the design of the spaces. Darby Denison and Dawn Thompson, twin sisters and native Texans, served as an incredibly talented design duo that used the bucolic setting as their main source of inspiration. Darby and Dawn now have separate interior design firms.

Darby explains, “Our client asked us to create a space that could not only serve a large group of outdoorsmen but also a gathering of girlfriends and family that seek a more refined and livable home. When Dawn and I walked into the living room for the first time as ‘designers’ rather than just friends, our first inclination was to bring the outdoors in. The client wanted a soothing, neutral scheme, and we were using a lot of her existing furniture from other houses. The indigenous stone was definitely the driving force behind our color scheme. We decided to cool down the existing long leaf pine floors with a gray wash and painted any exposed wood trim a neutral color to blend in with the stone. We designed the furniture layout to meet all four focal points: the fireplace, the TV and two large picture windows. The upholstered chairs swivel around for TV viewing. We used zebra and cowhide rugs to marry the seating area with the rest of the room while creating a large yet intimate conversation area.”

The designers made sure that the light, neutral palette is just as forgiving as it is elegant. Whenever possible, outdoor fabrics or stain-repellent fabrics were used. In the dining area, a custom table was ordered from England with a reclaimed wood top and sleek steel base. Dining chair fabric by Kravet is both durable and resilient. The light fixture, fire screen and pot rack in the kitchen were made by Peck & Company of Houston.