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Enormous windows allow light to flood the interior, while carefully framed views of the garden blur the boundaries between interior and exterior. The deep concrete bathtub in the downstairs bathroom, for example, offers views of both internal and external gardens.

Transparent walls and Japanese design cues define this renovated home in an Austin suburb.

Windows along the new staircase connect the family to the outdoors, and allow more natural light inside.

Another view of how the white oak stairs wrap around to become the bench. Rogers wanted the simple interior material palette to both celebrate and gently contrast with the site’s features, becoming a backdrop for the “bark on the trees and the texture on the boulders.”

The new foyer is designed after a Japanese Genkan, and ensures the entry is clearly delineated from the rest of the house. The wood of the bottom stair forms the bench for sitting and removing shoes.

More than 60 plant species were used in the layered design.

The architects specified an aluminum roof that “ghosts” the structure—it’s a material that recalls the typical use of corrugated metal on agricultural buildings, yet it subtly contrasts with the historic form. “It’s not quite what you’d use on a normal barn,” says Powell.