Austin Home & Design Awards 2021: Winners

When it comes to architectural and interior design in Austin and the Hill Country, there’s no shortage of talent. That’s why we’re highlighting the best local commercial and residential architects, interior designers, artisans, builders, and landscape designers in our inaugural Home & Design Awards this year, sponsored by Keller Williams. Chosen by a distinguished panel of nationally renowned professionals, these 55 winners are revolutionizing the design landscape in Central Texas.

 

Exteriors

INTERIORS

Children’s Room/Play Space

Coveted Haus / Whimsical Wonder

Tasked to create an organized space for two little girls that would inspire creativity and encourage them to use their imaginations, Coveted Haus delivered with this colorful room featuring bright chairs, a patterned rug, plenty of shelf space, and a wallpapered ceiling filled with butterflies. covetedhaus.com

Closet

Bonterra Build / West Austin Closet Addition

Boasting 450 linear feet of storage space, this renovated closet feels like its own mini apartment. The “his” side of the his-and-hers closet has dark stained walnut cabinetry, European brass hardware, and custom velvet drawer valets, while the “her” side includes floor-to-ceiling high-gloss cabinetry, floral wallpaper, and black glass-tinted shelves. bonterrabd.com

Conservatory/Screen Room/Sunroom

Mark Ashby Design / House on Taylors Branch

While this restored 1968 lake house was designed to be a family vacation home, it also serves as a hub for entertaining friends. Mark Ashby Design morphed the lower-level back patio into a two-story screened-in porch with an oversized custom ceramic chandelier, collected furnishings, and beautiful blue concrete tile that continues inside throughout the entire lower level of the home. (See more on page 72.) markashbydesign.com

Dining Room | Modern

Laura Burton Interiors / Feather House

There’s nothing cookie cutter about this kitchen dining area. The bold project by Laura Burton Interiors eschews the common kitchen lighting methodology: Instead of suspended pendants over the island or recessed cans, it utilizes a custom LED system. The result is a unique lighting array centered on the island that makes an artistic statement on the ceiling. lauraburtoninteriors.com

Dining Room | Traditional

Leigh Chiu Designs / El Greco

Talk about seeing green! This Tarrytown dining room by Leigh
Chiu Designs goes bold while hewing to a timeless, classic style.
Its black-and-white wallpaper and traditional furnishings are juxtaposed with a fearless green hue splashed across the chairs and carpet. leighchiudesigns.com

Full Bath

J.Fisher Interiors / Bell Mountain

In this dazzling primary bathroom, your eyes immediately go to the green Fusion granite from Brazil, which is clad on the walls, countertop, shower floor, and windowsills. Other stunning elements of the full bath include a standalone tub, clear shower, and large windows that display the trees outside. jfisherinteriors.com

Guest Suite

Jane Reece Interiors / 360 Bridge Lakehouse Project

When renovating this space for a college-aged man, Jane Reece Interiors took the room in a masculine direction with contemporary style and hints of a luxury ranch lodge. The bedroom includes a deep brown croc wall and large Clint Eastwood art, while the bathroom has eye-catching Queen of Spain wallpaper. janereece.com

Kitchen

CoXist Studio / Paramount Residence

This kitchen is inspired by the timeless aesthetics and raw materiality of Scandinavian design. Contrasting the rough raw limestone exteriors of the home, the kitchen uses natural but refined elements such as antique oak cabinets and honed concrete countertops and backsplash to bring warmth and richness to the space. A blend of matte and lacquered surfaces also provides interest and balance to the materiality of the room. coxiststudio.com

Laundry Room/MudRoom

Meredith Owen Interiors / Amarra Drive

When designing this mudroom, Meredith Owen Interiors knew it had to contain the washer and dryer, but it also needed room for sports equipment, shoes, handbags, and household essentials. Whether the homeowner is rinsing fresh-cut flowers from the market, wrapping a newly purchased baby gift, or running from one kid’s sports activity to the next, each design element in this room allows for tasks to be completed easily and in a well-organized manner. meredithoweninteriors.com

Library/Study/Home Office

Liz MacPhail Interiors / West Enfield Pattern + Patina

Once an underutilized office, this room was updated by Liz MacPhail Interiors into a multi-functional space that could support the family’s storage needs, hold books, and display treasured collections and family photos. The rattan-and-glass coffee table is a vintage find, while the red lamp was a family piece. The room especially stands out with its bold blue-green wall and cabinet wash. lizmacphailinteriors.com

Living Room/Great Room | Modern

Britt Design Group / Lake Austin Estate

Bold hues fill this Lake Austin property. The owner is a trained chef and successful entrepreneur who loves to entertain, so the design had to suit his eclectic style and numerous hobbies. Britt Design Group floated large silk light fixtures over the primary public living and dining areas to lower it to a more human scale. The space also includes a walk-in humidor. brittdesigngroup.com

Living Room/Great Room |
Traditional

Scheer & Co. Interior Design /
Hemphill Living Room

When revamping this 1910 Hemphill Park house, Scheer & Co. worked to fuse the homeowners’ clean, modern aesthetic with the home’s architecture and history. The living room melds transitional pieces with vintage and modern elements, grounded by a Turkish rug and lit from above by a vintage midcentury chrome chandelier. A showstopping pair of oversized smoky sconces flank the front door, injecting an unexpected play of scale, light, and materiality. scheer.co

Powder Room Bath

BANDD Design / Small Drive Remodel

When BANDD Design renovated this powder room, the clients wanted to add a contemporary look to their space while also incorporating a Spanish style to match the furnishings and aesthetic of the rest of the home. The wood-toned vanity, in combination with deep teal backsplash tiles, helped balance the original natural elements of the home with a more modern approach that also gives a subtle nod to the owner’s Latin roots. bandddesign.com

Primary Suite | Modern

Jen Brannon Architecture + Design /
East Third Retreat

Connection, fluidity, and expansion were the main concepts used to inspire the design of this modern primary suite. A limited palette of Ipe wood, white oak flooring, and local Lueder limestone was selected as a way to integrate the two environments. The furnishings and art complement the warm hues of the main materials within the suite. Subtle texture and pattern add layers of detail to the room without competing for attention.
jenbrannondesign.com

Primary Suite | Traditional

BANDD Design / Palma Plaza

When a client asked BANDD Design to give her primary suite a facelift, she wanted to keep the furnishings that she already had. The interior design group had her bench reupholstered and added custom fabrics to her bedding and bedside table to bring in additional color and texture. Custom pillows helped to complete the suite’s updated look. bandddesign.com

Specialty Room (Gym, Music,
Billiards, Crafts, Etc.)

Cornerstone Architects, LLP / West Ridge
Residence Gym

The design for this modern glass gym addition by Cornerstone Architects, LLP, was driven by the goal to maximize the views of the beautiful seven-acre property and allow the clients to be surrounded by nature while working out. The 650-square-foot gym opens up on three sides with massive floor-to-ceiling windows. What better place to get in shape? cornerstonearchitectsllp.com

Wine Room/Bar

Eppright Homes / Cat Mountain Estate

In this Barton Creek home, the climate-controlled wine room attached to the dining room is a showstopper. Inspired by the owner’s collection and developed with a wine connoisseur’s eye for the optimal storage and display features, the room was built to be aesthetically pleasing as well as highly functional. epprighthomes.com

Use of Color

Mark Ashby Design / Bouldin Pied-à-Terre

When Mark Ashby Design was hired to make a spec builder house in Bouldin Creek a more vibrant, elevated space for a family to entertain, the homeowners requested that the home be full of color—specifically as much University of Texas burnt orange as possible, since UT games were to be the main gathering events of the season. Blues and greens complement the oranges found in clever uses of leather, terra cottas, and rusts. markashbydesign.com

Use of a Collection, Antiques, or Art

Dalgleish Construction and Mark Ashby Design /
Collector Car Garage

This project is a display of rare and vintage collectible cars in a newly designed garage. The team worked with the owner (an engineer) to develop design details into exquisite construction finishes and functionality into hyper user-friendly arrangements. The garage includes a rare BMW sports car hung on the wall like a piece of art and a custom neon light piece with hidden support infrastructure. dalgleish.net; markashbydesign.com

Custom Cabinetry

Hey Now Interiors / Desert-Chic Color Bomb

Hey Now Interiors finds that going vertical with custom carpentry solutions not only grounds and defines spaces, but it usually makes life easier with more storage. When renovating this home, they made the galley kitchen smaller by cutting it off with a laundry room at the end. They also hid the laundry by stacking the units behind custom cabinets, also with slide-in pocket doors. This gave them room for a pantry with pull-out drawers. heynowinteriors.com

Custom or Repurposed Furniture

Liz MacPhail Interiors / West Enfield Pattern + Patina

This custom dining table is an exercise in simplicity, color, and scale. The dining room it was created for lacked visual appeal and personality, so the solution was a table that uniquely combined an oversized, hand-selected, board-by-board white oak top with a base formed of two curved, forged, and powder-coated steel tubes. lizmacphailinteriors.com

Fireplace

Mosier Luxury Homes / Deep Eddy Residence

In keeping with the design objective of maintaining a functional and fluid indoor/outdoor entertaining space, this unique floating ethanol fireplace rotates for 360-degree use. Not only does the fireplace provide ambience and warmth, but it does not interrupt the flow within the combined living areas. mosierluxuryhomes.com

Flooring

Mark Odom Studio / Inglewood Residence

The custom terrazzo foundation flooring is one of the most unique features of the Inglewood Residence (pictured, page 45). The builder, along with the project team and homeowner, threw 1,800 pounds of carefully selected colored glass by hand to set the floor. Mother of pearl, mirrored bronze, and teal glass were all included to complement the natural tones used throughout the midcentury modern home. markodomstudio.com

Lighting

Enve Builders / Feather House

This house called for a lighting strategy in the kitchen that aligned with the modern and minimalist design of the project. With its custom “mud-in” LED system, the result is a truly special lighting array centered on the island that makes an artistic statement on the ceiling. Task lighting is needed over each of the perimeter sinks and is achieved with complementary but higher-output LED light bars. envebuilders.com

Millwork

Chelsea Kloss Interiors / Moontower

The geometric nature of the millwork detail was crafted and designed to add both pattern and dimension while still accommodating lighting applications and ventilation as needed. The work of art was crafted out of rift-cut white oak, which was a species already present in the space, helping to marry it to the surrounding finishes. chelseakloss.com

Stone/Tile

Dick Clark + Associates Architecture + Interiors / Westlake Haven

At this West Lake Hills house, large format porcelain tile seamlessly blends the interior to the exterior, while vertical chopped stone wraps from the outside in. Dick Clark + Associates incorporated blue-and-white concrete tile in key spots of the home, while the primary bath features a combination of white-and-gray marble along with gray quartz countertops, which create a nice juxtaposition of patterns and color. dcarch.com

 

home

Accessory Dwelling Unit (Casita/Garage Apartment)

David Wilkes Builders / Pool Cabana

Once a dingy apartment space, this North University unit was revived into a fully functioning poolside entertainment area. The accessory dwelling unit features a minimalist look with a navy-painted kitchenette, a dining nook, a powder bath, brown-and-white tile, bohemian pillows, and plenty of plants. davidwilkesbuilders.com

Architecture | Modern | Up to
3,500 Square Feet

A Parallel Architecture / Canopy House

This design by A Parallel Architecture employs a large canopy structure, economically constructed but carefully proportioned and detailed, to provide for a series of outdoor living spaces arranged around a large central courtyard. The home’s roof canopy and overhangs are configured to take advantage of optimal solar orientation and prevailing breezes, while the building footprint is carefully threaded between the towering oak and pecan trees to maximize beneficial seasonal shading. aparallel.com

Architecture | Modern | More than 3,500 Square Feet

Dick Clark + Associates Architecture +
Interiors / Skybox

Using two simple and elegant forms, Dick Clark + Associates added a sense of discovery from the moment you step onto this property—from the entry sequence that envelopes you in a visual, tactile experience through the floor plan that opens up to engage the landscape. The material palette on both the exterior and interior of the home are warm, traditional materials, but used in a reductive and contemporary way that is edited but still luxurious. dcarch.com

Apartment/Loft/Condo

David Wilkes Builders / Austin City Lofts

For this renovation, the intent was to create a striking but quiet backdrop against which the owner’s art, furnishings, and collections could take prominence. The team put charcoal Dal-tile flooring throughout the condo and worked with Stone Oak Millwork for elements like a built-in dining table and two-story media and storage cabinet. A lime green backsplash and citron yellow glass bench panel added pops of color. davidwilkesbuilders.com

Historic Renovation (50 Years and Older)

Bercy Chen Studio LP / Foothill Residence

At this residence, which was a renovation and addition of a midcentury modern home, the elements of architecture, nature, and light are used to effectively create a sense of calm and comfort for its inhabitants. An open-concept public wing that maximizes communal space and a modestly sized private wing delineated the house’s modern layout. Bercy Chen Studio’s addition and renovation builds on the L-shaped plan to accommodate for the home’s present-day owners. bcarc.com

Home in the Hill Country

Cornerstone Architects, LLP / Spicewood Residence

The goal for this Hill Country contemporary home was to work with the land. The design nestles the home within the existing live oak trees and includes a patio oriented around a large live oak next to the pool. Natural light and open spaces were key elements, and remote-controlled operable transom windows were incorporated to act as a thermal chimney to cool off the main rooms. cornerstonearchitectsllp.com

Interior Design | Modern

Sarah Stacey Interior Design / Ladera Norte

When working on this project, Sarah Stacey Interior
Design enhanced the limited palette of white, black, and oak
by varying textures throughout the home. Unique touches
were added by creating a customized floating white oak vanity in the guest bathroom, custom wood pulls in the primary bathroom/closet, and black finger grooves in the kitchen cabinets. sarahstaceydesign.com

Interior Design |
Traditional

BANDD Design / Camelot New Build

For this new build, the client requested a down-to-earth vibe that felt comfortable for entertaining. The homeowners wanted their space to have a modern farmhouse feel to it, so that theme greatly influenced the decision process for selecting materials. To distinguish the house, BANDD Design played with many textures, colors, and an array of wallpapers. bandddesign.com

New Model Home (Architecture)

Barron Custom Design / Urban Retreat

This home boasts great views of downtown Austin and a spacious rooftop-level additional balcony that is ideal for hosting. The design by Barron Custom Design is rooted in a creative craftsman vernacular, and the one-of-a-kind kitchen backsplash and era-specific light textures provide an updated trip to the ’60s. barroncustomdesign.com

Remodel | Up to 1,000 Square Feet

Hey Now Interiors / Desert-Chic Color Bomb

For this stylish remodel, Hey Now Interiors laid new flooring, brightened up the walls, gutted the kitchen and bathrooms, found pieces that suited the homeowners, and paid homage to the things the couple loves: such as dogs, cocktails, music posters, and family heirlooms. They added color in rugs, ceilings, and walls throughout the home and bounced light wherever they could with brighter hues and glass-paned doors. heynowinteriors.com

Remodel | More than 1,000 Square Feet

Webber + Studio, Architects / Toyath Residence

In this renovated freedman’s cottage in Austin’s historic Clarksville neighborhood, linear skylights, frosted glass partitions, and ample windows bathe the home in swaths of light that, combined with a natural palette anchored by walls clad in oak, creates a serene, relaxed environment reminiscent of the home’s historical roots. Custom, locally sourced steel fixtures throughout reinforce its modern metamorphosis into a 21st-century landmark. webberstudio.com

Architecture | Traditional |
More than 3,500 Square Feet

Cornerstone Architects, LLP / Ledge Mountain Residence

Designed for family life and entertaining, this home sits on a large-sloped site with stunning Northwest Hills views and nature trails running along Bull Creek. The domicile is designed to maximize natural lighting and take full advantage of the surrounding vistas. Its recessed entry with steel-and-glass front doors leads into a light and airy two-story foyer highlighting views to the back. cornerstonearchitectsllp.com

commercial Design

 

Building Architecture

Mark Odom Studio / W. 49th Office

In this office designed by Mark Odom Studio, the user experience is enhanced by natural light coming in from the continuous run of steel-framed windows on both sides. The building takes direct cues from surrounding residential structures in terms of scale, form, and materiality. Its asymmetrical roof line maximizes the window heights along the southern face and stays below the maximum allowed building height. markodomstudio.com

Landscape Design

Ten Eyck Landscape Architects, Inc. / Commodore Perry Estate

Reimagined as a luxury hotel, the Commodore Perry Estate is sited within a lush 10-acre garden setting. Ten Eyck made it a visual feast with updates including new formal streetscapes and renovated property walls, a textural gravel entry drive along a marching Sycamore Allée, new mansion and hotel entries, courtyards, and a renovation of the historic rose garden and parterres. teneyckla.com

Lobby

Specht Architects / Indeed

At the center of this 11-story office is a dramatic central atrium that connects the floors with a pair of grand stairs that allow all Indeed personnel to move freely throughout the building. Concrete, wood, glass, and touches of the brand’s signature blue and orange colors bring the project together into a space that doesn’t rely on trendy forms or gimmicks, but simply represents the dynamic ideas of a people-oriented company driven by the latest technology. spechtarchitects.com

 

Office

Dick Clark + Associates Architecture + Interiors / C+R Office

When re-envisioning an antiquated office building along Shoal Creek, Dick Clark + Associates utilized the simplicity of the building’s midcentury form as the backdrop and added a warm pecan wood to the front facade and entry. The stucco that wraps the front corners and courtyard is done in an English finish, and the roof of the existing central courtyard was lifted up off the building to create a light-filled entryway that highlights the owner’s artwork. dcarch.com

Restaurants/Bars

Matthew Tsang / Sazan Ramen

At this restaurant, Matthew Tsang sought to create a space that would transport guests from a dated strip-center to a Parisian-inspired loft that balances elements of Japanese modern and Scandinavian hygge comfort. A symbiotic relationship in materiality showcases slabs of Italian marble, bleached oak, natural clay, terrazzo aggregate, glass, and steel that beautifully flow from the ceiling, walls, and millwork to the dining tables, banquettes, and chairs. matthewtsang.com

Retail Interior Design (Boutiques, Stores, Salons, Etc.)

McKinney York Architects / Optique

Positioned on a busy shopping street, this boutique eyeglass store stands in contrast to the dark windows of neighboring shops. A brightly lit custom steel-and-glass storefront frames the entry pivot door with a glass vitrine that projects onto the sidewalk, showcasing a curated selection of eyewear, and wood and mirrored panels create a backdrop for the merchandise. mckinneyyork.com

top
awards

 

General Excellence | Architecture

Dick Clark + Associates Architecture + Interiors / Eastside Design Studio, Lago Vista, Live Oak, Skybox, Westlake Haven, C+R Office

Dick Clark + Associates often uses regional materials to create architecture that blurs the line between indoor and outdoor living. With projects as varied as an interior lot in Tarrytown (Skybox); large, challenging sites in West Lake Hills (Live Oak and Westlake Haven); and the revitalization of an old pawn shop in East Austin (Eastside Design Studio), their designs all contain the firm’s signature thoughtful, modern aesthetic. dcarch.com

General Excellence |
Interior Design

Amity Worrel & Co. / Alta Vista, East 9th Street, Holiday Haus, Mayfield Park, and Fifth and West

Seamlessly blending beauty with function, Amity Worrel & Co. brings to life the distinctive requests of its clientele. Whether a homeowner desires a California-cool-meets-eclectic-Austin vibe, an array of colors and patterns splashed across their dwelling, or a home that feels like it’s in another country, the firm consistently delivers with its unpretentious designs. amityworrel.com

 

Rising Star Award |
Less than 5 years

Cary Paul Studios / Mid Century Mullen

With a design aesthetic that is modern, warm, and eclectic, Cary Paul Studios always tries to add custom and one-of-a-kind elements into their projects. For this home, the studio incorporated a lot of traditional midcentury elements—walnut, chrome, and matte black accents—and drew partial inspiration from a trip in which they saw the “Mathematica” exhibit by Charles Eames at the Boston Museum of Science. carypaulstudios.com

Readers’ Choice Best Overall Home

Dick Clark + Associates Architecture + Interiors / Skybox

Our readers were dazzled by this property (pictured on the cover of this issue), which features a wood, brick, and stucco exterior and thick slabs of quartzite, black woods, lacquer, and steel in the interior. Door and window locations were strategically placed to bring in comforting and dramatic natural light. dcarch.com

Legacy Award

Michael Hsu Office of Architecture

Sleek, detail-oriented, and effortlessly cool, the projects of Michael Hsu Office of Architecture are instantly recognizable. From its dynamic residential homes (turn to page 36) to its stylish restaurants and bars (such as Uchiko, Sway, Loro, and Ellis), the firm led by visionary architect Michael Hsu has elevated the capital city’s design scene for more than 15 years. hsuoffice.com