Lake Austin House by Lake Flato.

The magic of this house, designed as a “village by a canal,” is in the way it integrates the building and the bayou. Limestone walls shield the house on its narrow site from neighbors. Guests pass through the wall, flanked by a studio and guest house, to reach a boardwalk that runs for more than 200 feet alongside the canal. Near the end of this long pier sits the main house, entered through the screened two-story boathouse. The use of materials and abundant views of the water seamlessly blend the interiors with the exterior.