UPDATE: The number of homes on the tour has changed, and a spokesperson has clarified that only Sunday's homes are all for sale. The article has been changed to reflect this.

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You can save all the Pinterest ideas you want, but seeing things in real life really puts a new spin on home inspiration. What does it look like in sunlight and shade? How does it feel to stand next to it? Does it block or enhance the natural surroundings? Sometimes we don't even know what questions to ask until we're experiencing the answers.

The multi-city Modern Home Tour announced it is providing several venues for these epiphanies in Austin, on February 24 and 25. Guests will be invited to self-paced tours of 15 houses — eight on Saturday, and seven more on the free Sunday tour extension — where they can meet the architects and learn more about the ideas and execution. Sunday's homes are all on the market.

"We added Sunday because the market in Austin has changed very rapidly, and most of our regular participants and great supporters of the Modern Home Tour all had on-the-market homes to show," wrote in Ken Shallcross, vice president at the Modern Architecture and Design Society, which organizes the tour. "[A]rchitects, designers, and builders will be on site to discuss the project – something you do not get if you visit these same homes during an open house at another time."

Among the selections on the 2024 map is a house some of us at CultureMap got to explore ourselves, which is made entirely of plant-based materials — most prominently, cork. The warm-hued home by Moontower Design Build provides an interesting alternative to wood cabin living with much of the same tone.

Photo by Casey Woods via MA+DS

In addition to the clever use of natural materials, the house gets its charm from a thoughtful and unique layout, which includes an efficient kitchen in the main room where the house really opens up; a clubhouse-like lofted bedroom and hangout area with creative natural lighting on all sides; and a cozy windowed reading nook.

From the tour website: "The experimental structure, built of cross-laminated timber panels and thermally modified cork is unconventional, naturally. It looks different, it smells different, sounds different—carpenters even say the sawdust tastes different!"

Photo by Casey Woods via MA+DS

Alongside the Moontower natural home are a Japanese-inspired geometrically interrupted A-frame (we just made this term up, but you'll see); a mid-century, Palm Springs-style oasis; and a multi-house property with xeriscaping, fun tiling, and highly covetable terrazzo.

Visitors interested in Houston's offerings may also want to visit the area's tour on March 23. There is also another tour coming up in Austin on May 4 that will feature creative outdoor spaces. Submissions are open now. In fall, the tour group will turn its attention to Austin vacation homes.

The tours are all offered by the Modern Architecture and Design Society (MA+DS). Tickets ($45 general admission) for the Saturday tour are available via Eventbrite. The Sunday tour extension is open to anyone with a Saturday ticket.