The Lost Lounge project began with an unusual brief: transform an old water cistern into a secret tasting lounge—one that remained entirely hidden from view. The design solution draws inspiration from Texas mission architecture, wrapping the program in thick stone walls to create a cloistered garden at its core.

From the outside, it reads as little more than a barn and a cistern. But step inside the wall and it becomes something else entirely—a moody subterranean lounge carved into the cistern, flanked by guest suites, an outdoor kitchen with a Texas-style smoker, a fire pit, and a pool. We called it “the fence option”—a strategy of concealment that allowed for delight. It’s a place that reveals itself slowly, turning the idea of discovery into an architectural experience.