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APRIL | PAGE 46 | 2014 while maintaining the simplicity of small-scale life. This is a place of essentials, not surplus. As Armando and Cinda seek to convert this property into a private neighborhood of guest houses, the distinct design and feeling of each cottage invite potential guests not only to rotate between houses but to commune together in groups to occupy all houses at once. The Bybee Foundation cottage is comprised of a bedroom with an attached bath anchored by a freestanding tub. The exterior of the former Houston bungalow is seemingly in concert with the other structures, but the interior is notably modern in its furnishings and material usage: metal plates scaling the entirety of the entry wall and a refined, Carrera-marble shower. Interspersed on the property are trees, vines, budding flowers and a single outdoor table equidistant from each house for late- night communing. It takes only one day to navigate and appreciate the local and personal environs of Round Top and to realize that it's more effective to describe the location of the couple's cottages as being behind Scotty's (a family-owned restaurant with a remarkably sprawling tree that may or may not be the largest oak in the region), or as two blocks from the adjacent town squares (Henkel and Bybee), where charming shops and restaurants such as Royers Cafe — the best place for pie — are testament to the efforts of such aesthetic-minded people as Armando and Cinda to corral the urbanity and let the charm reveal. The intimate Bybee Cottage seen through summer vegetation. Barcelona chair in living area of The Nest. Collection of found antlers on the original wood-plank walls in Winn House. Frank Gehry chair at entry to bathroom in The Nest. Living room in Winn House. Above: Armando and Cinda with Lucy, Murphy and Lola. Right: Found mirror and French table in Winn House. Far right: Bedroom in Winn House with vintage Louis Vuitton luggage. Armandos Round Top Houses are for rent, beginning in June; booking available now at roundtophouses.com.