Heloise, the woman whose one-word public name is synonymous with helping make life efficient and effective, welcomed Country Lifestyle into her suburban South Texas home for a visit and some holiday hints.

San Antonio architect Craig McMahon has captured the essence of Eden—and Frost’s poem—in a home nestled among 300-year-old trees on the banks of the Guadalupe in Hill Country River Ranch. Designed originally for a couple as a retirement venue, as is often the case, their family liked it so much they opted to make it their primary residence.

Texas limestone accents are the only exterior signs that Casa de Sol y Luna might be in Central Texas or even on a sunflower-filled plain in southern Spain, rather than a Mexican settlement. The house exudes the richness of a Spanish colonial structure hundreds of years old, but in reality it’s only a couple of years old...except, that is, in the imagination of Carolyn Claiborne.

Wade and Melinda Kilpatrick knew when they bought the Wild River Ranch that they did not want just a beautiful home nestled along the high banks of the Guadalupe River. They were looking to build a sanctuary made from reclaimed wood and stone that would include contemporary touches while creating a vintage, rustic tone that connects their love of the past to their vision for the future.