Volente is a small village on the north shore of Lake Travis, mostly steep lots running down to the water along Lime Creek Road and the Sandy Creek arm. River Jane & Co. is an interior designer in Spicewood, around 50 minutes away across Mansfield Dam, and we design lake houses and custom homes in Volente. It starts with a free 15 minute call.
- From our studio
- About 50 minutes, 15 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
A village that's mostly shoreline
Volente is tiny. There's no big town center, just FM 2769, a few roads and a lot of lake. Most of the houses sit on hillsides running down to the water, and many are used as weekend places or long stay lake homes.
That means the house is really about two things: the view and the way down to the water. Everything else is support. We design the main living space around the lake window, then plan the route from the car to the kitchen to the dock, since that's the path everyone walks a dozen times a day.
Low ceilings and small windows
Older Volente lake houses were often built cheaply and quickly, with low ceilings, small windows and wood paneling. They're charming and they can be dark and cramped. The good news is that most of what makes them feel small is fixable without losing the charm.
Paint the paneling a warm white or wash it lighter. Replace one or two small windows on the lake side with bigger ones or a pair of doors. Take out soffits over the kitchen cabinets. Swap a ceiling fan with light kit for a flush fixture plus lamps. Keep the stone fireplace and the old beams if they're sound.
- Lighten the paneling before deciding to remove it.
- Put the window budget on the lake side first.
- Use a flush ceiling fixture where the ceiling is under 8 feet.
Building new on steep ground
New custom homes in Volente tend to be tall and glassy, stepping down the slope in three or more levels. The views are spectacular and the stairs are endless. Plan how each level gets used before choosing a single finish, so no floor turns into a storage room.
We plan every level together. The entry level handles arrivals and the kitchen. The middle level is where people gather. The lowest level meets the pool or the water and needs tough, wet friendly materials. Our new-build interior design page covers how selections get planned on a custom build.
North shore glare and lake weekends
Like the rest of the north shore, Volente's lake view often faces south and west, so the sun lands right on the glass. The Shade Haus has motorized shades from $399 a window for big view walls and cordless shades from $299 a window for smaller rooms.
With this many levels, a Design Strategy at $999 per room lets you see the main rooms in 3D before you commit. For the bigger lake picture, read our guide to lake house interior design on Lake Travis, and see nearby Lago Vista and Cedar Park.
Decks, and more decks
A steep lake lot usually means a deck on every level. Each one gets sun, wind off the water and a view, and each one needs furniture that can take that.
Choose outdoor furniture with some weight so gusts don't move it: teak, powder coated aluminum or all weather wicker with a heavy frame. Use quick dry cushions and store them in a deck box when you're away. Give each deck a job, like dining on the main level, lounging on the lower one and a pair of chairs off the primary bedroom for coffee.
