Horseshoe Bay sits on Lake LBJ, a constant level lake, so the water outside your window looks about the same in August as it does in March. Horseshoe Bay is about 35 minutes west of our interior design studio in Spicewood, and River Jane & Co. designs second homes, full time homes and new builds all around it. Start with a free 15 minute call.
- From our studio
- About 35 minutes, 14 miles
- First step
- A free 15 minute call
- Consultation
- About an hour, in your home or virtual, depending on the project
- Design Strategy
- From $999, plan in 7 to 14 days
- Call or text
- 512-883-3767
Design to a view that stays put
On Lake Travis you design for a shoreline that moves. On Lake LBJ the water holds steady, which means the view from the living room is predictable and worth building the whole room around. Seating can face the water with confidence, the dock can be furnished like a patio, and the lower level door can be treated as an everyday entry.
That steady view also means steady sun. Big lake glass here faces a lot of open water, and the glare off it is strong. We plan shading early, pick fabrics that hold up to light, and keep delicate wood and art off the walls that catch the afternoon.
A house you're not in every week
Plenty of Horseshoe Bay homes are second homes, and they need to work differently from the house you live in full time. You want to walk in on a Friday and have it ready. You want guests to find the towels without calling you. And you want nothing that needs babying while it sits empty for two weeks.
That shapes the plan. A locked owner's closet for personal things and good wine. Guest rooms with their own storage and luggage space. Performance fabric everywhere, washable slipcovers where they make sense, and finishes that don't mind humidity. A kitchen stocked by list, so anyone can find the coffee.
The consultation can happen in person or virtually, whichever fits the project, which helps if you live in Houston or Dallas most of the year. The Design Strategy is $999 per room and up.
- Pick one bedding set per room and buy two of each.
- Label cabinets inside the door, not outside.
- Use dimmers and smart switches so the house is lit when you arrive.
Mediterranean houses, lightened up
Drive through Applehead Island or Escondido and you'll see a lot of stucco, tile roofs and arched openings. Inside, many of those homes were finished with heavy iron, dark beams and deep gold walls. The architecture is good. The finish layer is what dates it.
Keep the arches, the plaster and the best of the stone. Pull the walls to a warm white, lighten or paint some of the beams, swap bronze lighting for simpler iron or aged brass, and bring in linen and lighter wood. The Mediterranean bones start to look fresh again. The local pink granite from the Llano area works beautifully in these homes when it's paired with softer materials around it.
Hilltop homes at Summit Rock
Up on the hills around the Nicklaus course at Summit Rock, the view is Hill Country instead of water, and the houses tend to be newer and more contemporary. The challenge there is the opposite of the older lake villas: lots of glass, clean lines and not much warmth.
We add it with texture and wood, deeper rugs, and lighting that isn't all recessed. If you're furnishing a new build, our new-build interior design page explains how the selections get planned. For window treatments, The Shade Haus has motorized shades from $399 a window. Nearby, see Marble Falls and Spicewood.
