Approachable. Inspired. Forever cool. Shop the collaboration at our South Austin flagship.
Experience pure Italian luxury at Copenhagen. From contemporary power motion sectionals to timeless modern seating like Amelia (shown), Copenhagen’s carefully curated collection offers excellent design enhanced by qualify craftsmanship and tailored customer service. Choose from our diverse in-stock selection, or special order the one-of-a-kind piece of which you’ve always dreamed.
Amelia Seating in light beige top-grain leather on black metal legs.
That’s why it was pure joy to attend the Austin Design Cruise, hosted by the Center for Design ATX, on a waterbound loop around the city in April. Our hosts Peter Mullan and Veronica Castro de Barrera of the Austin Transit Partnership explained how architects, planners, policymakers, and of course, community members, have shaped the built environment we navigate every day.
What stood out most clearly—and what I’ve suspected for quite a while to be true is that Austin’s character is fundamentally shaped by its engaged relationship with nature, perhaps more so than any other major city in the country.
Austin Energy Green Building, the world’s first rating system for evaluating the sustainability of buildings, laid the groundwork for the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED®. Town Lake may seem like it’s always been here, but it was created in the 1960s and then beautified through the efforts of Lady Bird Johnson. Now, leaders are pushing this same ethos into the future with projects like the Waterloo Greenway and the trailhead opening at Rainey Street.
These ecological assets didn’t happen by accident. It took intention and investment to bring them to life, and an alignment of our shared values as a community around environmentalism.
So how can we manifest these core beliefs in our homes? Our everyday surroundings and private lives?
The inspiring designers in this issue are leading the way. Some make plant-based construction materials accessible. Others advocate for a new definition of natural beauty in the face of climate change, like our cover heroine, Amy Hovis. One has designed a house around a network of interlinked courtyards, making the outdoors the star of the indoors.
I hope this issue serves as inspiration for us to collectively keep pushing the limits of sustainable design and construction, embracing the legacy that our city was built on. As our beloved UT Austin tagline says: What starts here changes the world. The seeds of innovation we plant at home could soon spread across the country—maybe even the globe.
KAREN
JON LUCE BUILDER | JAKE HOLT PHOTOGRAPHY
CALL FOR ENTRIES Best Interior
Designers
Are you one of Austin’s Best Interior Designers?
To learn more and nominate today, head to austinhomemag.com/nominate.
Nomination deadline: August 27, 2024
Austin Home is seeking nominations for the Best Interior Designers in town. The annual list is part of our mission to showcase creative standouts in a region that provides international inspiration. Design groups with the most nominations will be highlighted in an upcoming issue of Austin Home and online.
We invite you to nominate your favorite interior design group or your own, and to share the opportunity with colleagues and collaborators. Designers who do residential work in Austin or a surrounding county are eligible.
Oh, the life of an Austinite.
Short winters and early summers call for a wonderfully-dedicated outdoor space. Let us design and build a lasting solution so you can feel right, at home.
CALL FOR ENTRIES
THE 2025 HOME & DESIGN AWARDS
Discounted Early Bird entries are open for the 2025 Home & Design Awards.
Early Bird Deadline: July 16, 2024
Final Deadline: August 27, 2024
To learn more and nominate today, head to austinhomemag.com/designawards.
For the competition, a panel of nationally renowned design professionals will judge entries in more than 40 categories, including best in residential architecture and interior design, indoor and outdoor spaces such as bedrooms, kitchens, and decks, and local showrooms and shops that supply all the details.
PHOTO BY CASEY WOODS
ACCENTS
The team behind Cross Cabin, built entirely from plantbased materials, has launched a platform that makes everything they’ve learned accessible and replicable.
ELEMENTS
These
Austin-based brands show us how to level up the biophilic experience in our homes.
Artful Assemblage
A relatively new addition to the Austin scene, RATH takes you on a journey. Though all of the pieces here are for sale, the store’s dim lighting and expertly curated vignettes of furniture, tapestries, and sculptural accents remind us of a high end exhibition. Their recent, exquisite show in collaboration with local artist Tyler Guinn, titled “anno Domini,” was one for the books.
RATH is run by photographer Eli Rabb, designer Maggie Orth, and Josh Godwin, who source a combination of vintage, antique, contemporary and assembled pieces. Case in point is the roughly 600-pound Massive Stone Top Coffee Table. Its wooden base, formerly a 17th-century mountain chest, is paired with an 18th-century stone slab that the owners found and shaved down themselves. galleryrath.com
Pod Squad
With the Austin HOME initiative passed, the hunt is on for efficient, beautiful ADUs to adorn our yards. Perhaps best known for providing geodesic dome abodes at the Cedars Ranch, Backyard Pod has now partnered with Lowe’s to open a showroom where you can experience their all-in-one ADUs firsthand. These pods include everything from foundation and installation to heating and cooling systems. Head to the South Austin Lowe’s to work out of a 160 square foot office pod and try it out for yourself. backyardpod.com/lowes
Stone Unturned
It’s not often you see a slab of stone that feels kinetic. With quarries and factories in Texas and Mexico, Alkusari Stone’s vertical integration allows them the control to make this magic happen. Their no-middle-man operation produces stunning custom slabs and architectural elements. Their core offering of over fifteen natural stones, including marble, limestone, and travertine, is complemented by imported specialty stones. The raked Ratisse finish, shown here, is a recent addition that has garnered hefty interest. alkusaristone.com
From Hand to Home
When a powerhouse influencer like Camille Styles tells us what our home needs, we listen. In addition to running her digital media company, Styles runs Casa Zuma, a direct-to-consumer home goods brand with artisan-made products that are designed and sourced from around the world. Casa Zuma began when Styles and her husband, Adam Moore, both Austin residents, began their ongoing renovation of a 1950’s beach house in Malibu, California. She was inspired to launch a line that captured that quality of life there: the connection with the water, the sense of abundance, and the constant outdoor gathering. While we obsess over the light fixtures and seating Casa Zuma has to offer, here we highlight a glistening Petit Glass Goblet to make any outdoor dinner party shine. This wabi-sabi piece, hand blown by artisans in Guatemala, is made of locally-sourced recycled glass. casazuma.com
WRITTEN BY KAREN ZABARSKY BLASHEK
Trunk Show
Interior designer Matt Tsang has introduced a new line of biophilic treasures, showcasing not only his impeccable taste but an innovative model for launching new and experimental brands. The aptly named Tree Things is a collection of one-of-a-kind sculptural vessels and garden objects that Tsang has gathered on his travels, from the Paris flea market to Belgian antique stalls to earthenware studios in Mexico. He unveiled his first drop in May in a pop-up hosted by Joint Detail, allowing him to test interest and product types, and regroup for his next collection (which we’re counting down to). @treethingsaustin
SUMMER EMBODIED ON LAKE AUSTIN
The Toad Inn, a serene, white-painted wooden cottage, sits perched above the lake. It feels like Austin summer manifested. Designed for flexible movement between the screened-in gathering area and the scenic deck, its soft gray textiles and oatmeal accents mix with warm wooden furniture. It melts into the natural splendor of water, sky, and treetops at its threshold.
Family lore—and humor— inspired a waterbound aerie that feels like Austin summer in architectural form.
Laura Pankonien, Principal of the Pankonien Group and the creative mind behind this abode, was given free reign by her long-time friends and clients, John and Kelly Breeden. Prolific local philanthropists beloved for their sense of humor (they throw an annual Christmas party with a National Lampoon Christmas Vacation theme), they tasked Pankonien with transforming the
original 500 square feet into a casual, year-round hangout during the pandemic.
Pankonien had to work with limited space while creating an indoor-outdoor layout that could endure the local elements with no main house attached. “We had to get creative with the furnishings,” she says, “so that they could have twenty people in there.” The end result is a serene and unfussy aerie, softly divided by a screened porch. Pankonien curated the furniture and art to be durable, functional, and beautiful, allowing the view to speak for itself. Timeless teak pieces from Teak Warehouse stand out.
While she and her team continue to design homes across the country, Pankonien brings her special brand of practical magic to the broader
Austin community. Opened about a year ago, Bleu by TPG is a gem of a design shop with the aim of “giving that retail shopper a taste of something that you usually could only find to the trade.” The store offers a spectrum of treasures, from those handpicked at Round Top to custom furniture and pillows. Pankonien wants everyone to be able to design the home of their dreams. It’s no wonder Blue by TPG has already been named one of the best home stores in America by House Beautiful. As the kid that was “flipping through Architectural Digest…instead of running outside to play,” Pankonien continues to live her dream by making other people’s dream homes come to life. The Toad Inn is a case in point.
The Toad Inn
ARCHITECTURE
SAM BURCH ARCHITECT
INTERIOR DESIGN THE PANKONIEN GROUP
BUILD WILL HOLSTEAD
After hearing a story about the previous owner’s towed boat on the lake, the Breedens incorporated this layer of history into the home’s future through its punny name: The Toad Inn.
FROM APPLE TO APARTMENTS
How a former Apple executive is translating his experience into sustainable, elevated development—starting with East Austin.
WRITTEN BY SABA RAHIMIAN
PHOTOGRAPHY
TOBIN DAVIES
As cranes fill the Austin skyline, many new developments bill themselves as “sustainable.”
The reality, however, is that most use some combination of traditional building methods and modern technologies, along with long-standing structural techniques using concrete and metal. This process, as we all know, requires a hefty Rolodex of trade experts and sub-contractors, leading to more time, money, and resources expended than initially slated. At the end of the day, true sustainability remains incremental.
Juno is taking a different approach. This nextgen developer uses mass timber construction, in-house design, and streamlined components to demonstrate a new way of building. Though they plan to expand nationally, their first completed project is a new boutique apartment building on East 4th and Comal Street. Each of the 24 units in this building were made using a kit of 33 parts, including walls, facade, cabinetry, and electrical trays. Through trial and error, this pilot allowed Juno to work through first-time kinks and spearhead “high design” in the multi-family housing market.
If this process reminds you of something a product designer at a tech company would do, there is a reason. Juno is the brainchild of co-founder BJ Siegel, the former designer of Apple’s iconic retail stores. Siegel believes his approach will invite design efficiencies and economies of scale into a new construction paradigm. He hopes over time, his buildings will become a competitive alternative to bespoke architecture with a quicker turnaround, lower
carbon emmissions, and lifestyle ease and efficiency.
From the facade to the interior of the homes, the design is simple, modern, and grounded with natural elements. A core feature is the exposed wood that comes with mass timber construction, a technology now more frequently used in Canada and Europe. Mass timber also requires less material to conceal the bones of the building since it produces a beautiful finish.
The kit-of-parts elements are also streamlined, and working with limited and repeated pieces allows for a high degree of constructability coordination, reducing on-site errors and increasing install speeds. The company’s project manager, Jen Canchola, says this enables a shift in the general contractor’s role on-site.
Canchola also says removing subcontractors helps with clarity and quality control. For example, when building a bathroom, there are multiple
Juno East Austin
DEVELOPMENT + DESIGN
JUNO
ARCHITECTURE
ENNEAD ARCHITECTS
STRUCTURAL
HOLMES FIRE AND STRUCTURES
BUILD
IE2 CONSTRUCTION
vendors who have their hand in the finished product. When something goes wrong, it’s often difficult to target who has the best understanding of the problem and what the solution is. In contrast, the in-house designed bathing suite, which arrives on site in one piece, completely eliminates the element of mystery.
In construction, Juno required five weeks to erect the frame, sixteen days to install the facade, and a few more months to add the different elements into each living space.
While the all-electric building took over a year to complete, Canchola says most of the delay was due to a holding pattern with Austin Energy, which had trouble securing the building’s transformer. But Canchola hopes Juno’s next project will showcase the concept’s accurate timeline from start to finish now that they know what obstacles may arise in fulfilling Juno’s innovative vision.
Star appliances, and induction cooktops in every unit.
In addition to a sustainably harvested timber structure and all-electric building system, Juno East Austin features high-efficiency heating and cooling, built-in LED lighting, ENERGY
PLANT-BASED BUILDINGS FOR ALL
Following their award-winning Cross Cabin project, Greg Esparza and Frank Farkash are bringing sustainable construction materials to the masses.
WRITTEN BY DAN HOWARTH
PHOTOGRAPHY
DANIEL CAVAZOS
Around the world, architects and builders try to push the limits of eco-friendly solutions for single family homes. However, the complexity involved in sourcing materials, pricing, and tailoring construction methods often makes these innovations unreplicable. Architects Greg Esparza and Frank Farkash are trying to change that.
Their new company, Cross Cabin Build & Supply, offers a selection of low carbon, renewable construction materials that aren’t just greener versions of their traditional counterparts. Rather, they are composed entirely of natural, primarily plant-based, sources.
Examples include cross-laminated timber structural panels; thermally modified cork, for both exterior and interior use; wood fiber and hemp fiber insulation; linseed-oil finished floors; and mineral-based paint. The benefits of these materials go far beyond their ecocredentials and visual appeal, says Greg Esparza, who attests that they “smell and feel amazing when you touch them,” too.
Esparza and Farkash began working together when they co-founded Moontower Design & Build with Jeff Munoz in 2009. Nine years later, they had amassed a portfolio of more than 100 residential infill homes in Austin, primarily built using conventional materials. Concerned about the industry’s impact on climate change, Esparza began researching sustainable construction methods. He eventually designed and built a home for his own family using entirely plant-based materials— resulting in zero carbon emissions.
Completed in 2023, the experimental two-bed, twobath home known as Cross Cabin has already won several awards, and set the bar for green home design in the Austin area. It provided a case study for those interested in alternative building materials to visit in person, since “there’s a lot of resistance to using new products if nobody’s seen them installed,” notes Esparza. The project also spurred him to expand his research, and offer his knowledge, sources, and technical support to others via Cross Cabin Build & Supply. And the response so far has been “very positive.”
The appetite for green home construction is certainly growing. Esparza and his team continue to discover and distribute new products—particularly mass timber and timber byproducts—continually adding to Cross Cabin Build & Supply’s offering. In his words, “we’re looking to make healthy, low-carbon, plant-based homebuilding mainstream in Austin and beyond.”
THE APPETITE FOR GREEN HOME CONSTRUCTION IS CERTAINLY GROWING.
Some of the materials in Cross Cabin Build & Supply’s arsenal include Amorim Cork Insulation (pictured), mafi Natural Wood Floors, ALKEMIS paint, and VaproShield, among others.
HERE COMES THE NEIGHBORHOOD
A 1960’s post office gets a new life as a 21st-century community space.
“The greenest building is one that already exists.”
These prescient words by former president of the American Institute of Architects, Carl Elefante, speak to the ecological power of adaptive reuse. As Austin continues to grow at breakneck speed, embracing and reinventing existing structures should be critical, not just for the integrity of our city’s character, but for the environment, as well.
When the Hyde Park post office shuttered in June of 2021, a ripple of consternation spread through the community. It was rumored that the 1967 building would be replaced by a multi-story structure, a concept decidedly at odds with the historic neighborhood.
Happily, the building’s owner instead transitioned the space into an adaptive reuse retail project that today includes anchor tenant Tiny Grocer/Bureau de Poste Bistro, as well as First Light Books, a Pilates studio, and a forthcoming pizzeria.
For Tiny Grocer founder Steph Steele, the project couldn’t have come at a better time. Since opening her first location of the specialty foods shop and deli on South Congress in 2021, she’d dreamed of a Hyde Park outpost.
“For our second venture, I wanted…ample seating and the ability to foster community with a neighborhood gathering place,” she says. Adding a full-service restaurant to the concept –an expansion of Steele’s original counter-service plan – came about after she tasted Bureau de Poste chef Jo Chan’s food. “We pivoted because it was too good not to have servers,” says Steele.
While the structure’s shell improvements were made by THOUGHTBARN, Tiny Grocer’s 3,500 square foot space necessitated significant build-out. Steele hired Side Angle Side, an Austin architectural firm co-founded by Arthur Furman and Annie-Laurie Grabiel.
The principals met Steele during the pandemic, when they remodeled her home. Although they’d never tackled a commercial project of this size, “adaptive reuse represents the direction we want to move in,” says Furman. “It’s important in Austin, instead of tearing down old structures and building new ones that are inferior.” Adds Grabiel, “Steph felt comfortable with us, although she was still heavily involved in the project. She has an eye for design, we were honestly just supporting her vision.”
Steele’s design acumen is a reflection of her work experience. After 24 years managing Whole Foods stores in the Bay Area and Austin, and over a decade of running large format stores, she became director of operations for the Bunkhouse Group under founder Liz Lambert, which eventually led to a stint as project manager and general manager for McGuire Moorman Lambert Hospitality’s Swedish Hill bakery.
“I’m drawn to simplicity in design, and I like natural elements like wood, as well as steel and concrete,” says Steele. “We wanted to pay homage to the space’s previous life by keeping the original brick walls and adding reclaimed bricks to the patio.” The ethos was an ideal fit for Side Angle Side, as well. “We typically choose neutral materials that speak for themselves,” says Grabiel. “We weren’t looking to make this slick or fake a mid-century interior.”
For the grocery, Steele wanted a “clean palette, so the products themselves are the art component of the space.” Petrified Design created the Kelly green window display shelving while carpenter Mike Wallgren built the rest of the millwork.
Side Angle Side exposed the ceiling’s open web joists and added metal decking. The industrial vibe is echoed in the original concrete floor, which was polished. Painting the exposed brick walls white warmed the space and lent a feminine touch that also balances the bistro’s leather banquettes and chairs.
The decision to incorporate a 37-seat restaurant came late in the design process, says Furman. “It led to the best part of the project, a 1,500 square foot outdoor dining area and garden with an additional 74 seats. It’s turned out to be the focus of the design.”
Feel Nature at Home
Moontower, one of Austin Home’s Best Builders, is boldly exploring the future of healthy, eco-conscious homes through all-natural, carbon-negative building materials with our sister company Cross Cabin Build & Supply. Reach out to feel the difference in a natural home.
Photography by Casey Woods
Architecture by Cross Cabin & Moontower
Construction by Moontower
The patio, previously an asphalt loading dock, also “supports Steph’s vision of creating a new community space to replace the post office,” says Furman. “It encourages people to linger. We really value the history of this building and we’re doing our part to ensure it will be around for future generations.”
Steele, for her part, couldn’t be happier with the outcome. “It was a great experience working with [Furman and Grabiel] again. I felt like we found a common language in design, and the entire development is a gift to the neighborhood.”
Tiny Grocer/Bureau de Poste Bistro
ARCHITECTURE + INTERIOR DESIGN
SIDE ANGLE SIDE
MILLWORK
MIKE WALLGREN
WINDOW DISPLAY SHELVING
PETRIFIED DESIGN
BRUSH WITH NATURE
1
Evan Horn
Originally from Dallas, Texas, and now based in Austin, Evan Horn’s artistry is deeply connected to the natural beauty of Texas. Working from his studio, a geodesic dome filled with orchids, Horn sculpts clay sourced from local creeks and rivers, infused with limestone and juniper.
The studio’s regulated humidity sustains the ideal environment for Horn to shape the clay into Möbius-like forms, including his piece “Love’s Mirror,” by hand for weeks. Horn once shared with Philip Neimeyer, owner of NorthernSouthern Gallery, that forms like “Love’s Mirror” serve as manifolds, conduits for air or spirit. Through his art, Horn rejuvenates the traditional ceramic vessel, seamlessly intertwining it with the everyday natural beauty of Texas. evanhorn.com
2 Elizabeth Chiles
Elizabeth Chiles transforms photography into an avenue of experiential discovery, using weaving as a metaphor for collaboration within both body and landscape. Through this lens, she artfully captures the innate sensuality of existence, revealing the dynamic interplay between human adaptability and environmental influence.
Inspired by the beauty of plants and trees, Chiles explores encounters that illuminate the essence of living beings, underscoring the profound interconnectedness of humanity and nature. In “Weave(calypso),” viewers are prompted to contemplate the intricate relationship between body, spirit, and natural surroundings. elizabethchiles.com
Our new arts contributor, Nicholas Campbell, is the founder of Campbell Art Advisory and Campbell Art Collective. Having worked as an independent art advisor in the United Kingdom since 2010, Nick moved to Austin with his wife, Kelly, in 2022, and now lends our city his inimitable taste in art.
Here, Nick highlights four exceptional local artists who embody in ways abstract and literal a visceral connection to nature through their work.
3 Tom Jean Webb
Tom Jean Webb, born and raised in the United Kingdom, was captivated by the stunning landscapes of the American Southwest from a young age. This fascination shines through in his art. His latest creation, “Dirt and Magic,” showcased in the solo exhibition called “A Mother and Her Sun” at Ivester Contemporary. It reflects Webb’s enduring connection with the natural world.
With a playful appreciation for the Southwest’s beauty, Webb’s art captures nature’s essence in vibrant palettes and intricate details. This exhibition signifies a notable progression in Webb’s artistic journey, exploring deeper concepts of existence, optimism, and the artist’s bond with his environment. Webb’s work encourages mindfulness and celebrates the power of nature, prompting viewers to embrace life’s mysteries and appreciate its inherent charm. tomjeanwebb.com
4 The Haas Brothers
Nikolai and Simon Haas, commonly known as the Haas Brothers, were raised in Austin, and despite not currently residing in the city, they maintain deep roots here. Their enduring connection is evident through their representation by Lora Reynolds Gallery, one of Austin’s finest art destinations. Visitors are likely to encounter the Haas Brothers’ distinctive blend of humor, cleverness, and playfulness in their objects and furniture.
The “Sharon Stone”, a hand-carved Stein Shine lamp, is a prime example of their imaginative craftsmanship. Utilizing materials such as brass, porcelain, plexiglass, resin, and fur, the Haas Brothers draw inspiration from natural landscapes, science fiction, and psychedelia to create wonderfully captivating pieces.
Each creation, from stools resembling furry pets to tables adorned with irregularly shaped legs and feet, tells its own unique story and brings joy into the lives of viewers. thehaasbrothers.com
PHOTO BY CASEY DUNN
OUR NATURAL REVOLUTION page 40 DOWN TO EARTH page 50 EASY, BREEZY page 58 BEST REALTORS page 60
BEST MORTGAGE BROKERS page 62
An abode in East Austin melds Japanese garden inspiration with Southwest flair, creating an oasis that both calms and inspires.
OUR NATURAL REVOLUTION
Austin design is dissolving the imagined boundaries between our homes and nature.
WRITTEN BY KAREN ZABARSKY BLASHEK
A few years ago, architect Kevin Alter was hosting a well-known designer from Colombia here in Austin. He took him on a site tour of Cuernavaca Residence, an award-winning house that his firm, Alterstudio Architecture, designed in 2016. The two spent a few hours there, navigating the boardformed concrete hallways that framed long views of the surrounding cliffs.
As they were getting ready to leave, the guest turned to Alter in surprise and confessed that he had forgotten to look at the house. He had been
so focused on the rocky hillside framed through the windows, the effect of shadows appearing and disappearing through the trees, that he hadn’t paid attention to the building itself.
“I thought it was the nicest thing anyone had ever said about my work,” says Alter.
What they experienced in that moment was the complete symbiosis of man, shelter, and nature.
Nature is often pinned as something separate from us, especially when we think about our homes and how we design them. But as Austinites
I CAN’T DO ANYTHING AS BEAUTIFUL AS THE MEANDERING LIVE OAKS THAT ARE EVERYWHERE IN AUSTIN, BUT I CAN CERTAINLY ENGAGE THEM IN MY WORK.
- KEVIN ALTER
know best, the lines drawn between our realm and that of the flora and fauna around us are imaginary, or, at the very least, man-made. And as our understanding evolves of how our way of life impacts the environment—and how it impacts us in return—how can we go about designing homes to be truly one with nature?
A handful of Austin’s preeminent design authorities are tackling these questions in practice. Some use new technologies, while others revive and reinvent ancient construction archetypes. There are those who embrace the uncontrollable, while others push the limits of design. Whatever the method, their work is leading us towards a vital recalibration for our modern era: back to our intrinsic connection with nature.
Cuernavaca Residence
ARCHITECT
ALTERSTUDIO ARCHITECTURE
INTERIOR DESIGN
CHUPIK DESIGN
PHOTOGRAPHY
CASEY DUNN
OWNER
AMY
PHOTOGRAPHY
LIKENESS STUDIO
REDEFINING NATURAL BEAUTY
“Nature does what it does. You can’t control it, and it’s beautiful if you let it be what it wants to be.” This is the mantra of Amy Hovis, Principal of Eden Design and recent owner of Barton Springs Nursery, a design-driven garden center that specializes in native plants, and will soon be re-launched under Hovis’ label, Point of Interest Nursery.
Through her practice, Hovis wants to reframe what constitutes luxurious landscape design. It starts with a shift away from perfectly manicured yards that pedestal outward perception. “If you have a lot of lawn and it looks good, you’re doing something wrong,” says Hovis. “You may be overwatering or using chemicals.”
Instead, environments that are more wild
THINGS POP UP THAT YOU DIDN’T IMAGINE. WHEN YOU INVITE NATURE BACK IN, THE MAGIC ARRIVES THAT FIRST DAY YOU PLANT.
-AMY HOVIS
and natural, that are full of life with critters, beneficial insects, and host plants, define the new generation of outdoor beauty according to Hovis. Each of her projects is grounded in rejuvenating the soil and planting vegetation that keeps oxygen in the ground. After laying a foundation of health for the earth and seedlings, she shapes an outdoor world buzzing with movement, scents, textures, and surprises.
“Things pop up that you didn’t imagine,” says Hovis. “When you invite nature back in, the magic arrives that first day you plant. The aesthetic comes from creating a beautiful environment where you coexist with nature. Give it love, and it will love you back immediately.”
One homeowner, for example, put her yard’s destiny in Hovis’ hands. She said she really wouldn’t spend much time in her yard and just wanted it to look nice. Hovis, of course, took this as a challenge to make her client’s outdoor
space so alive and magnetic, that it would be impossible to ignore.
To that end, Hovis and her team designed a meandering walkway that would force entrants to the home to slow down and experience their surroundings. In place of a lawn, they introduced a wave of inland sea oats that would attract birds, and Gregg’s mistflower that would attract butterflies.
Beyond conducting this symphony of plants, Hovis interplayed with the architecture and interiors of the homes to pull her client outside. An outdoor perch was built that architecturally echoed the interior dining area. An ornamental tree was planted squarely through a framed view to the outdoors.
“I know I’m in a huge place of responsibility to not only educate my clients,” says Hovis, “but to help them feel the passion I have towards nature. It’s my job to get nature back in.”
Barton Springs Nursery
HOVIS
PUTTING THINGS IN PERSPECTIVE
“The thing that’s so interesting about architecture is the way that it’s engaged with everything else.”
To Kevin Alter, the residences he designs alongside partners Ernesto Cragnolino and Tim Whitehill remind him of a primed canvas or a frame, very much in the spirit of Modernism. “All great Modern work was always engaged in the landscape,” Alter says. He references Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s work as embodied in his sketch elevation of a Wyoming home called Resor House, where the architectural lines float like a delicate picture frame around the true star of the show: a dramatic horizon of mountains and trees.
“Architecture is a conversation with the landscape,” Alter says. “I can’t do anything as beautiful as the meandering live oaks that are everywhere in Austin, but I can certainly engage them in my work. A thermal barrier [like a wall] doesn’t have to be a spatial barrier.”
Alter navigates this dialogue masterfully in ways both profound and subtle, such as turning glass corners without mullions. “Corners of rooms are very powerful,” Alter says. “They define the precinct in which we operate. Taking away those elements that we use unconsciously to define where we are in the world can make a big impact.”
Blurring these boundaries, Alter says, can also put into perspective what is exceptional and important. For a home on City Park Road, for example, Alter positioned the primary living space to frame two opposing views: one of the magnificent Austin skyline and another, directly across from it, of a small planted interior courtyard.
“Anytime you normalize something, if it’s what you get every day, your jaw stops dropping,” says Alter. Although the building is beautifully built and detailed, the most powerful aspect of the room is being caught between two worlds, between intimacy and great extravagant vistas. And one makes the other better.
“It’s that way with so many things in life,” Alter says. “Seeing what’s different helps you appreciate what is special about each.”
MERGING FUTURE AND PAST
Inherent in biophilic design is a sense of reciprocity, an awareness that as we take from the land for our own shelter, we should be generous and reparative in return. Bercy Chen Studio, the only AD100 honoree from the Lone Star State this year, brings this value forward by focusing on fundamentals.
“In order to build towards our future,” says principal and co-founder, Thomas Bercy, “we need to look towards the past.” This understanding begins with a study of indigenous architectural typologies, solutions that have been proven over centuries to use minimal materials, create something appropriate to the landscape and climate, and implement passive cooling and heating effects.
IN ORDER TO BUILD TOWARDS OUR FUTURE, WE NEED TO LOOK TOWARDS THE PAST.
- THOMAS BERCY
He and his partner Calvin Chen found inspiration in one of the oldest housing archetypes in North America, the pit house, for a project they completed in 2012. Dating back 15,000 years, this structure is partially built into the ground and is resilient in the most extreme weather conditions. It was given modern reinterpretation in Edgeland House, a visually stunning residence that seamlessly blends into its surroundings.
In addition to keeping its inhabitants comfortable inside, this home was built with the mission of healing the land and ameliorating the scars of the site’s industrial past.
Other innovators across the city rely on new technologies to address the same hurdles. ICON, for example, is known for 3D printing homes using concrete, and building new digital platforms for more efficient and sustainable construction.
At SXSW this year, ICON announced CarbonX, a novel building material that is, according to the company, the lowest carbon residential construction method that can be utilized at scale. They also introduced CODEX, a digital catalog of over sixty ready-to-build home designs aimed at providing high-design, highperformance residential architecture at different price points.
“The architectural designs reflected [here] illustrate how 3D printing will revolutionize our homes, emulating nature’s curves, and forms without increasing costs,” says Bungane Mehlomakulu, Director of Building Science and Performance at ICON. “These homes are futureready, marrying resilience and energy efficiency while reducing embodied carbon footprint over the life of the building.”
HEALING PROPERTIES
“It’s all about resolving the conflict between man, dwelling, and nature,” says interior designer Kristin Kilmer, “and realizing that it’s not a conflict at all.”
After navigating her own turbulent medical issues induced by her physical space, Kilmer understood all too well the impact that our environments can have on our health. In her own words, “our inner world reflects our outer world.” She began to infuse health and wellness research and best practices into decisions about furnishings, finishes, lighting, and circulation in her clients’ homes.
Now, for more than a decade, the Austinbased healthy home designer, who also works extensively in California and consults throughout the United States, has been a vocal advocate for shaping spaces that live in harmony with our environment, in order to allow our bodies to heal.
Kilmer uses a proprietary system based on the elements of earth, air, fire, water, and metal to design interiors that are healthy for both environment and inhabitant. From particular air filtration systems, to plants that purify the air, to natural wood floors and wall coverings that clear toxins, every dimension of Kilmer’s design lays the foundation for a healthier place to call home.
Amy Hovis has experienced this holistic health impact firsthand. She says that shifting her design practice to solely focus on landscape design, after
years as a commercial general contractor, changed her brain and how she’s able to problem solve.
“[When you are outside,] you see how systems are working together,” says Hovis. “You see the bigger picture. Now it’s my job to make those connections and play in that world. It has freed me up for bigger thought and more care.”
AUSTIN’S ROLE
Our city has a singular relationship with nature. In a place that has a nationally renowned treesaving ordinance and special permits aimed at protecting the endangered Barton Creek Salamander, we have a rare opportunity to lead the way in breaking down barriers between ourselves and the natural world through architecture and construction.
Kevin Alter’s challenge to our local design community is to stretch the physical boundaries of architecture as close to nature’s bounty as possible.
“Identify the salient aspects of a place,” he says, “the most powerful ones, and then get really close to them.” He challenges designers to think outside of established constraints, like building a different kind of foundation instead of a slab on grade that can touch the ground more delicately and subsequently get closer to a tree than is ordinarily possible.
“It will radically change the experience,” Alter says. “How [the building] touches the ground, how it touches the sky, and how it frames the circumstances.”
Amy Hovis wants to embolden designers and builders to push the limits of design excellence, and hold ourselves to an international standard.
“Do something you’ve never done,” Hovis says. “Get your clients involved. If we hold true to that, we can be the place that embraces nature in such a way design-wise, that every city wants to do the same thing. We have the resources and designers to do this. Let’s rally together.”
CONSERVING AUSTIN’S SOUL
“Water, terrain, and vegetation define Austin’s landscape, forcing the urbanization process to follow the rules dictated by nature,” says Juan Luis de las Rivas Sanz in the opening to Miró Rivera Architects’ monograph. “It is a landscape city that fights to find an agreement between growth and resistance to change, between transformation and conservation.”
As our streetscape and skyline evolve, perhaps holding on to this innate, inimitable relationship Austin has with nature through design will in some intrinsic way help us hold on to the soul of the city. We can embrace sustainable materials and building practices, encourage future-facing design that transforms our relationship with trees, cliffs, and lakes, and understand that the health of the earth mimics our own. Together, we can showcase our values as a city, and at the same time, push the industry forward.
According to ICON, when paired with their wall system and robotic construction methods, their CarbonX formula is the lowest carbon-emitting residential building system ready to be used at scale. In their 2024 paper co-authored with MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub, studies show that the embodied and operational impacts of 3D-printed homes are lower than those of stick-framed construction.
DOWN TO EARTH
An East Austin abode connects a constellation of courtyards to seamlessly intertwine indoor and outdoor living.
WRITTEN BY SARAH ARCHER
PHOTOGRAPHY
CASEY DUNN
Angelina Street
ARCHITECTURE
+ INTERIOR FINISHES
ELIZABETH BAIRD
ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN
INTERIOR DECORATION
LIZ MACPHAIL INTERIORS
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT SHADEMAKER STUDIO
GENERAL CONTRACTOR MIARS CONSTRUCTION
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER FORT STRUCTURES
When architect Elizabeth Baird first visited her client’s site in Central East Austin’s Rosewood neighborhood, she was underwhelmed by the existing structure, but immediately knew the scale of the property made it a gem hiding in plain sight.
“The original building was brick, from the 1960s, and the lot was overgrown, nothing special, really,” she says. “But when I stepped onto it with the real estate agent, we were both amazed by the sheer size of the lot, which in this neighborhood is kind of unheard of.”
The homeowners, who work in the tech industry and were relocating to Austin, realized how special it was. “They loved how close it was to downtown where they work, and they talked about how, with their demanding jobs, they wanted to come home to an oasis.” That was back in 2019, before the world turned upside down.
But throughout the pandemic, she and interior designer Liz MacPhail forged ahead, working closely with their clients to create a distinctively modern home where nature and design are integrated. A geometric silhouette offers a subtle nod to the postwar architecture that populates the surrounding landscape.
From the start, Baird’s clients had a clear idea of what they wanted. “They filled up my questionnaire with really great descriptions,” she says. “They were trusting and up for making big design moves, clear about their likes and dislikes, and made swift final decisions, which always makes for a great final product.”
One inspiration photo the homeowners sent to Baird was of a small Japanese-style courtyard on the property. Having just returned from her honeymoon in Bali, Baird was intrigued with the idea of breezeways, open connections, and strategies for making the most of the outdoors, even in the city. “Nine months out of the year, and the weather’s pretty reasonable [in Austin] and you can be outside,” Baird adds.
The house is designed around a large, lush courtyard, with other smaller courtyards in architectural pockets connecting the property. “Although it’s slight, the [Japanese] inspiration does appear in some of the smaller outdoor spaces,” Baird says. “There are small north and south courtyards at the stair and on the way to the primary wing, and the sunken court between the primary wing and the pool. These have lush greenery with carefully placed rocks and gravel infill that give them a zen meditative feel, thanks to the landscape architect who also helped interpret the inspiration photos.”
The new design started as a single-story home, but Baird and the project team eventually added a partial second story to the main house with a bedroom and bathroom, a separate casita with an upstairs home office, and a pool. The couple even had a baby during the process, so in every sense the footprint of the project was expanding.
Inside, a color palette that offers a subtle nod to traditional southwestern aesthetic is made contemporary with the addition of some eyecatching jewel tones. Baird says she wasn’t trying to make it seem overly regional in character. “I was originally inspired by mid-century modern design—many of the existing homes in the neighborhood are from the 1960s,” she says.
Ultimately both she and her clients chose a particular adobe brick for the facade that gave the entire structure a sense of earthy warmth. “I just fell in love with the dusty peachy undertones of the brick and the variation within them, and
so did the clients,” said Baird. “It was more interesting to me than a uniform colored brick that was a typical red, gray, or white, so we went with it, and the final colors of all the exterior materials responded to this.”
Fine details and sumptuous materials make the house feel simultaneously understated and luxurious. Sculptural lighting, caramel-colored oak floors, and velvet-upholstered furniture in garnet and jade hues give the space a certain chromatic boldness, with rounded forms that hint at Art Deco style.
“We considered Japanese inspiration when we were designing some of the smaller interior details such as the custom screen door between the primary bath and closet, and some other elegant wood details,” says Baird.
Drawing inspiration from the natural variation in the color and texture of the adobe brick outside, Baird wanted to pull some of that
INSIDE, A COLOR PALETTE THAT OFFERS A SUBTLE NOD TO TRADITIONAL SOUTHWESTERN AESTHETIC IS MADE CONTEMPORARY WITH THE ADDITION OF SOME EYE-CATCHING JEWEL TONES.
THE PRIMARY BATHROOM FEELS
ALMOST BOTANICAL
CLAD IN HEATH CERAMICS TILES IN MORNING DEW, WHICH ECHO THE HUES OF REAL PLANTS IN A NEARBY OPEN AIR ATRIUM SHOWER.
crafted feeling inside. “Taking cues from [the brick], I used a lot of natural materials like steel and wood, and I pulled in a little bit of green here and there, which for me is kind of unusual.”
The primary bathroom feels almost botanical clad in Heath Ceramics tiles in Morning Dew, which echo the hues of real plants in a nearby open air atrium shower. A colorful, custom stained glass panel from Bespoke Glass shields the atrium for privacy. Large, nearly floor-toceiling windows let light and views of the landscaped grounds inside.
“I love modern, clean lines,” Baird adds. “I think sometimes those things can be cold and severe. So we were just trying to really bring that warmth inside with the materials. It’s lean, there’s a lot of light, and it’s very serene.”
A hilltop home in West Lake Hills invites air, light, and sunshine to flow through its halls, with a mid-century twist.
PHOTOGRAPHY
EASY, BREEZY
RIDGECREST RESIDENCE
ARCHITECTURE
CLAYTON KORTE
INTERIOR DESIGN CHARLOTTE CAROTHERS INTERIORS
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE WORD + CARR DESIGN GROUP
WRITTEN BY ANNA MAZUREK
ANDREA CALO
“The best thing about the inside of this house is that it’s so connected to the outside, almost as if you’re in a tree house,” says owner Patrick Beathard. “Every room, especially on the south side of the house, has an amazing view of the trees and hills of Austin.”
During the renovation of their 1970s Ridgecrest home, expansion and preservation were the central focus for Beathard and his wife, Charlotte Carothers, who also served as the interior designer of the project. The couple, who share the hilltop residence with two children and two dogs, wanted to maximize the property’s views of West Lake Hills and the distant downtown Austin skyline.
Architecture and interior design firm Clayton Korte handled design and doubled the interior of the mid-century modern home. The original two-bed, two-bath house had a detached casita that was demolished. “As part of the new design,
FLOOR-TO CEILING WINDOWS ACCOUNT FOR ALMOST 42 PERCENT OF THE EXTERIOR.
we expanded and connected the footprint of the casita to the main house, [and] added the second story,” explains Amy Smith, the project architect from Clayton Korte.
The home grew to include five bedrooms and seven and a half baths while maintaining the original feel of the home by keeping the lower ceilings and prominent glass walls to bring the outside indoors. Floor-to-ceiling windows account for almost 42 percent of the exterior. This feature, combined with an open floor plan in the kitchen, dining room, and living room, ensure the view from every vantage point can be enjoyed barrier-free. The linear layout, along with the exposed lines of the wooden ceiling beam system, visually draws the eye outdoors.
Smith’s biggest challenge during design was preserving the home’s exposed beams while also concealing fire sprinklers, an HVAC system, wiring for lights, and plumbing. To accomplish
this, she used the roof overhang and designed the new beams with a space to conceal lights and fire sprinklers. All furr downs were eliminated as part of the revamped HVAC strategy to keep the ceiling beams fully exposed.
“Everything [in the interior] was redesigned except for the original ceilings from 1970 when the house was originally built,” explains owner and designer, Carothers. She matched these ceilings in the addition to the house.
A second entry with a courtyard was added on the foundation of the casita with a glass-walled atrium featuring a two-story limestone wall and a solid white oak tread staircase with a stainlesssteel stringer and guardrail. The master bedroom and bath are tucked around the corner along with an office while the upstairs has two bedrooms with private balconies.
The modern interior is inviting with custom gray blend terrazzo flooring in the main living areas and white oak floors in the bedrooms, office, and stair atrium. Carothers focused on using a neutral color palette paired with colorful accents including art and furnishings such as the teal Holly Hunt kitchen bar stools upholstered in Moore & Giles leather. “The juxtaposition of the warm white oak cabinetry and cool terrazzo flooring necessitated a pop of color,” says Carothers about the kitchen. “The teal chairs connect with the color of the swimming pool water that is just on the other side of the wall of glass windows.”
The most eye-catching use of color is the pink and blue-hued collage Fromental wallpaper featuring the El Capitan mountain range in the powder bath. “The collage wallpaper was something that Charlotte had to convince me to do, and now it’s one of the coolest features in the house,” Beathard says. He also loves the media room’s custom abstract cowhide rug from David Alan Rugs that compliments the chocolate brown sofa and landscape wall art. “The oak cabinetry, wood ceilings, fireplace, and the relatively small space make it a very warm and comfortable place to hang out,” he adds.
The rear of the house centers around an existing pool, hot tub and outdoor kitchen with a front-row view of the hills. An outdoor lounge area was added along with an exterior pool bathroom featuring custom blue terrazzo flooring to compliment the pool’s hue. The plane of the interior floor perfectly aligns with the height of the exterior deck, swimming pool, and spa for easy entertaining and emphasizes the feel of living in a modern tree house.
“When I’m outside, I’m always amazed that the breeze seems to neutralize even the most overbearing summer heat,” says Beathard about the home’s location. “Whether inside or out, the elevation, one of Austin’s highest points, and the isolation always create such a peaceful environment.”
AUSTIN’S BEST REAL ESTATE AGENTS
Nanette Labastida
Nanette’s 18-year career in Austin Real Estate, combined with a deep connection to the music world has allowed her to truly be able to express her unique style in working with artists and creatives.
After a stage 4 cancer diagnosis in 2022, Nanette got really clear on the importance of living authentically and with joy in every possible moment and has been able to embrace that energy and infuse it into her work and her clients.
With beauty and health as a driving force and a love for architecture, mid-century modern design, and color, she can curate a business and a lifestyle that brings joy to her and all the people she meets along the way.
Lilly Rockwell
Lilly Rockwell is an award-winning Broker Associate at Compass, known for her exceptional dedication to her clients and commitment to representing their best interests – even if it means advising a client not to sell or buy. With a background as a former newspaper reporter with the Austin American-Statesman, Lilly brings a unique perspective and a deep understanding of Austin’s local dynamics to her real estate practice.
With a stellar track record of five-star reviews on Google, Lilly’s reputation for excellence precedes her. As the Team Lead for the Rockwell Residential Group, she leads a small team of real estate professionals who share her unwavering commitment to client satisfaction.
A proud Native Austinite, Lilly has lived in various neighborhoods throughout Central Austin, giving her a comprehensive understanding of the city’s diverse communities. Currently residing in South Austin with her husband, Lilly is an active member of the community, as a regular runner with Gilbert’s Gazelles and singer with the SoCo Women’s Chorus.
For a real estate experience defined by expertise, integrity, and a genuine passion for helping others, Lilly Rockwell is your trusted partner for achieving your real estate goals.
As an Austin agent for close to 20 years, Laurel has gained a reputation for providing outstanding real estate services to home buyers, sellers, and investors. Growing up in a family of real estate developers and home builders, she has a unique insight into all aspects of the real estate market. Laurel’s unique approach to home selling has earned rave reviews from her clients. By leveraging the variables that affect a home’s price, she helps clients get the maximum value for their home.
Whether she’s helping first-time home buyers work towards the path of home ownership or helping seasoned buyers find their dream home and build their wealth through real estate, her commitment to her clients is unmatched. She believes your home should be a reflection of yourself and should enhance your lifestyle. Her goal is to help people live their best life in Austin.
Laurel Prats
AUSTIN’S BEST MORTGAGE BROKERS
We polled homeowners and industry pros to create this list of the top Mortgage Brokers in the Austin area.
Beth Thompson, Cornerstone Home Lending 512-314-7337 thompsonteam@houseloan.com houseloan.com
Jeff Wilkinson, Austin Capital Mortgage 512-891-0778 jeff@austincapitalmortgage.com austincapitalmortgage.com
How These Lists are Made
Using an online survey, Austin Home solicited public nominations, asking voters to nominate up to three real estate agents or mortgage brokers they’ve worked with or know to be outstanding. Austin Home then tallied the results, selecting the top percentage of vote recipients before submitting the list to our fact-checking process. Companies do not and cannot pay to be a part of the list. We recognize that many good real estate agents and mortgage brokers are not included on these lists; this is only a sampling of a huge array of talented professionals within the region. We encourage all consumers to do their own research before selecting a Realtor or mortgage broker. Austin Home uses best practices and exercises great care in assembling content for these lists. It does not warrant that the data contained within the list are complete or accurate. Austin Home does not assume, and hereby disclaims, any liability to any person for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions herein whether such errors or omissions result from negligence,accident, or any other cause. All rights reserved. No commercial use of the information in this list may be made without written permission from Austin Home. If you see an error in the information listed, contact editor@austinhomemag.com.
Real Estate Agents and Mortgage Brokers: Congratulations! If you’d like to display this accomplishment with a plaque, please visit austinhomemag. com/plaques.
SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING DESIGNERS
Meet Ma’ayan Lifshitz and Sarah Eisenstadt, sisters and co-founders of Austin’s newest landscape design firm, Burlage Circle. A few years after immigrating to the U.S. from Israel, this pair found their way to Dripping Springs, where they settled into ranch life and prepared to make their mark on the residential design scene. Their practice is rooted in a deep respect for extreme weather patterns and drought preparation as they push to redefine the future of landscape design in Austin and beyond. Read more about Burlage Circle at austinhomemag.com.
