Through the Glass, Again: An Alan Taniguchi Landmark, Restored and Sold Off-Market

Some homes are listings. This one was a responsibility.

Restored over eight months, then sold under contract in three days of premarket showings - before it ever listed on the MLS.

6109 Mountain Villa Circle sits on nearly 1.7 oak-forested acres in Cat Mountain Villas, in Austin's Northwest Hills. It was designed in 1980 by Alan Taniguchi, and it sold this spring under contract before it ever reached the MLS. This is the story of why, told by the two people who brought it back.

A house that lives in the forest

Cara: Every once in a while you get one where the history runs so deep that you feel a real love for it. You just want to see it at its best. The home was tucked inside these ancient native oaks, and before you ever walked in, you could feel that the house lived inside the forest rather than beside it. Modern architecture isn't common in this neighborhood. It is more of a trend now, but in 1980, when this home was built, you simply did not see this.

What we found as we worked was a name. The house is an original design by Alan Taniguchi, the former dean of the University of Texas School of Architecture and director of Rice University's School of Architecture, who died in 1998. It won a Texas Society of Architects Award in 1982.

Taniguchi's gift was placing a building in conversation with its land, and he came by it honestly. His father, Isamu Taniguchi, built the Japanese garden at Zilker Botanical Garden, and that same koi-garden harmony runs straight through this house.

A home that found a writer once before

This is not the first time the house found a storyteller. In Fall 2012, Austin Monthly wrote about an earlier chapter, when the owner brought in University of Texas architecture professors Tami Glass and Ulrich Dangel to remodel it. Researching the property, the architects uncovered the Taniguchi pedigree and tracked down Evan Taniguchi, Alan's son and also an Austin architect, who still held parts of the original hand-drawn sketches.

That owner first fell for the house in 2009. He held it for sixteen years. When it came time to let go, he handed us the keys.

The restoration

Joe: My favorite part of this project is the serenity of it. You are completely private on 1.7 acres. In the kitchen, the living room, the dining room, no one can see you and you cannot see anyone else. You just hear the koi pond. Every time I am in this home there is an uplifting energy to it. It is a gift that keeps giving.

Cara: There is wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling glass. You do not need a single light on and the house is beautifully lit. We took it on as a whole-home restoration from June of 2025 to February of 2026, and because of who Taniguchi was, everything we did had to honor his original design. I picked the cabinetmaker myself. I went to the quarry and chose the stone for the countertops by hand. I wanted the kitchen to look like it was supposed to be here from the very beginning. The owner did not come back once during construction. He saw it for the first time when the staging was in and we were photographing it, and he was completely blown away.

The result holds its heritage and meets the present. Floor-to-ceiling sliding doors open the living spaces to the woods. A negative-edge pool floats inside Ipe decking under the oaks. A lower level offers room for a media room, a wine cellar, or a gym, and limestone paths run through the gated acreage. The home is zoned for Doss Elementary, and Cat Mountain Villas adds community tennis to the privacy of a secluded estate.

How it sold before the sign went up

Joe: We never put it on the MLS. We ran three open houses instead, on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, three hours each, built entirely for premarket visibility. And we did not just invite buyers. We opened the doors to the neighbors, to architects, and to interior-design enthusiasts, the people who would understand what a Taniguchi home actually is. Weekday afternoons, on purpose, for an audience that came for the architecture. By the time those three days were over, we were under contract. The right strategy found the right buyer before the home ever hit the open market.

Joe: Honestly, it was hard to let this one go. After everything we put into bringing it back, honoring it and improving it, handing the baton to someone new is bittersweet. There is something special here.

Cara: We are grateful we got to play a role in this home's next chapter and then share it with the world. Some homes ask you to be a caretaker before you are ever a listing agent. This was one of them.

Questions about selling a luxury home off-market

Can you sell a house before it goes on the MLS in Austin?

Yes. 6109 Mountain Villa Circle went under contract before it ever reached the MLS. We used three days of premarket open houses to build demand among the buyers, neighbors, and design enthusiasts most likely to value the home, and an offer came together before a public listing was ever needed. Pre-market and Coming Soon strategies work best for distinctive homes where the right buyer matters more than the widest audience.

Do premarket open houses actually work for luxury homes?

For the right property, yes. We ran three open houses on a Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, three hours each, and invited an audience that came specifically for the architecture. Weekday premarket showings attract serious, design-literate buyers rather than weekend foot traffic, which is exactly the audience a Taniguchi home calls for.

What is an Alan Taniguchi home?

Alan Taniguchi was the former dean of the University of Texas School of Architecture and director of Rice University's School of Architecture. His designs are known for integrating a building with its natural setting. 6109 Mountain Villa Circle, built in 1980 and a Texas Society of Architects Award winner in 1982, is one of his residential works in Austin.

What does a pre-sale luxury restoration involve?

For 6109 Mountain Villa, our team handled a whole-home restoration and a complete kitchen transformation over eight months, from June 2025 to February 2026, honoring Taniguchi's original design throughout. A thoughtful pre-sale restoration positions a distinctive home to reach its full value before it ever meets the market. You can read more about our pre-sale renovation program.

The next chapter

A 1980 Taniguchi masterpiece, restored with intention, sold under contract before it ever appeared on the MLS, through three days of deliberate exposure to the people most likely to love it. Austin Monthly told the story in 2012. We were honored to write the next chapter.

If you own a home with a story worth telling, we would love to hear it. See more of our results, start with a private home valuation, or explore the Northwest Hills guide.

*Filmed by Next Figure Media. Staging by The Staged Haus.*