Remember being a kid and having your one spot that grown-ups and big-kids weren’t allowed? For this editor, it was the second branch of an old oak tree in the backyard. Not as glamorous as the colorful, eccentric playhouses the kids had on TV (rest assured I begged, as only a preteen can, for my mother to devise such a one for me), but looking back I see more clearly how much a treasure it was to have such a space at all, even if it did mean constant scrapes, bruises and bug bites.
That private outdoor chill zone is something I deeply miss, now that I’m older and a “shittiot,” as my bumpkin uncle lovingly calls city-dwellers. But it seems at least one family down in Texas has solved this sentimental quandary, when they opted to hire an architect to design a boathouse that’s basically an adult clubhouse.
Designed by Austin locals Andersson-Wise, the two-story boathouse — adorably named the Bunny Run boat dock — is an amalgamation of salvaged wood and antique or rare recycled materials (“antique doors from India, a timeworn butcher block from England and a steel structure that weathers naturally,” the designers explain).
It’s all open-air, quite on purpose, as it’s meant to be an “all exterior experience” that makes visitors feel in touch with the surroundings. There’s a basic kitchen and a decked-out bar, with plenty of dining and chilling zones. And a diving dock, in case you weren’t convinced of its prowess in all things leisure.
On the main floor, room for two boats and a mess of good friends. Cheers to that.
Images: Andrew Pogue
This article was featured in the InsideHook newsletter. Sign up now.
