A couple transformed a futuristic steel sculpture into a 3-bedroom, 2,450-square foot Airbnb for $850 a night. See inside the Texas landmark.
- Courtney & Blake Bartosh transformed a sculpture-house hybrid from the '70s into a vacation rental.
- The Texas couple added stained-glass fixtures and decorated the house with creative steel elements.
Texas natives Courtney and Blake Bartosh turned a sculpture-house hybrid in Ransom Canyon, Texas, into a vacation rental with mid-century-modern furniture and stained-glass windows.
Currently listed under the "OMG!" category on Airbnb, the couple has listed the 2,450-square-foot home for $850 per night.
The futuristic structure was originally designed by architect Robert Bruno throughout the 1970s and 1980s as a sculpture-house hybrid. The well-known West Texas landmark is entirely constructed of steel and overlooks Lake Ransom Canyon, about 15 miles outside Lubbock, Texas.
Bruno died in 2008, and the house sat partially unfinished until his daughter decided to sell it in 2022. Although the Bartoshes lived near the home, they'd never been inside it. Eventually, the couple made an offer with the intent of transforming it into a vacation rental, and in September 2022, the renovations began.
Here's a look at the updated property.
The couple wanted to own investment properties but didn't always plan on buying the sculpture house.
"Originally when we saw it, we were awestruck," Blake told Insider. "Every inch was something new to look at. Our goal was to finish what Bruno started so people could experience this amazing architecture they'd driven by but never went inside of."
The 2,450-square-foot house sleeps up to 10 people, and it has three bedrooms, two and a half baths, a full kitchen, and a living room with a pull-out couch, office, and hangout nook.
The renovations took less than a year to complete and didn't require much construction.
Though the couple purchased the home in the summer of 2022, they didn't start any major updates until they closed on their renovation loan in September of that same year.
Courtney and Blake did some of the work themselves.
Blake, who considers himself handy, already had some experience remodeling other investment properties, and Courtney, who is a realtor, enjoys interior design. As a result, they felt comfortable overseeing most of the renovation and design process themselves.
To stay on budget, Blake even turned to YouTube to learn how to stain glass.
"An extra $50,000 for stained glass was not in the budget for this project, so I decided to learn how to do it myself rather than going a different route and doing something Bruno wouldn't have done," Blake told Insider.
The couple wanted to preserve Bruno's original ideas as much as possible.
The couple always envisioned a modern, sleek design. But when they found a notebook full of original construction photos, they said they were inspired to align their renovations with Bruno's ideas even more.
The two said they met with local contractors and vendors who personally knew Bruno. Eventually, the Bartoshes landed on a design scheme they said "made more sense for the timeframe of the house."
To complement the oval structure, they prioritized organic shapes in the design and furniture.
"Nothing is square in the whole house," said Courtney.
They also added quirky, mid-century touches like terrazzo and textured tile.
The couple aimed to combine mid-century-modern sensibility with practicality.
The Bartoshes chose a blonde floor but instead of hardwood, which is more prone to wear and tear, opted for vinyl "due to heavy foot traffic" they expect the Airbnb will experience.
They also upgraded to a better air-conditioning system to keep guests cool in the dry Texas heat.
They've incorporated some of Bruno's artifacts into the home.
Courtney and Blake found several of Bruno's personal belongings throughout the renovation process.
Along with trying to match the original design for authenticity, they displayed some of Bruno's personal artifacts to honor his legacy.
"We used a lot of pictures we found to decorate the space, and we hung his welding chair we found in one of the bedrooms," said Courtney.
Bruno's years of work on the house guided Courtney and Blake's renovation decisions.
For example, Bruno had started plastering some of the steel interiors but never got the chance to finish.
So, the Bartoshes plastered the rest of the walls and repaired any small damaged plaster areas.
They tried to avoid major construction as much as they could.
The two didn't plan on doing any major construction, Courtney told Insider, since "the house was about 70% complete when we purchased it."
The two aimed to finish what was already in the home, with the exception of an upstairs.
One area of the second floor wasn't finished so Courtney and Blake added an additional bedroom.
"That was the only piece we had to decide on ourselves in terms of layout," said Blake. "It has an amazing view of the lake, so we put in half a wall of plaster and finished it out as a bedroom."
They said they didn't encounter any significant hurdles in the renovation process.
Because Bruno had always intended for the sculpture to function as a house, the Bartoshes didn't have to deal with any major structural hurdles or bring the house up to code.
Instead, they focused on finishing the design and ensuring the space was comfortable for future guests. According to Blake, the two added lights, repaired the plumbing, and welded steel throughout the home "to make it safer."
They also relied on experts for most of the heavy lifting.
Given the complexity of the project and the time they needed to take care of their young kids and work full-time, the couple turned to local contractors and an interior designer to help finish the space.
The couple hopes to attract guests and allow locals to enjoy a landmark they've only driven by.
Texas Tech Tech University is about 15 miles away, so the Bartoshes hope tourists visiting the university or attending sports events will stay in the rental and even attract new people to the area.
They also plan to host tours of the house so locals can experience it without footing a rental bill.
"From all the stories we heard, Bruno would stop what he was doing and let people see the house," said Courtney. "That's why we're doing this. We want to let people experience what they've only seen from the outside."
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