Tag Archives: Architecture

From Rustic Ranch to European Elegance- (UH Austin Feb/Mar 2013)

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From Rustic Ranch to European Elegance
By Mauri Elbel | Photography by Coles Hairston

Standing in the middle of this luxurious master bath suite, it’s hard to remember you are in Spicewood, Texas. Tucked within a sprawling Texas ranch home just outside of Austin, this space now exudes the kind of Old World charm that’s capable of transporting you to another place entirely: Europe.

From the marble mosaic tile floral borders imported from Italy that line the ceilings and baseboards, down to the Swarovski crystal detailing adorning the hardware, a series of eye-catching finishes whisk the viewer away on a lavish European holiday — a far trip from where it all began.

“Previously, this bathroom was very dark and masculine, and it looked as if it belonged in a cabin,” says principal designer Michelle Williams of Inside Story Interiors. “It was all dark slate and wood with a big Jacuzzi tub and tiny shower. It wasn’t at all my client’s taste.”

But when the new owners of this spacious Mediterraneanstyle home wanted to reconfigure their master bath to better suit their tastes, they knew exactly who to call. Having designed four other houses for the clients before, Williams was familiar with
the couple’s preferred aesthetic and knew a dramatic makeover was in order.

“Before, this bathroom was very rustic, but now it’s got an Old World European elegance,” Williams says of the remodel. “It is elegant and light and comfortable. And it makes you feel as if you are standing in an old European hotel.”

After Williams sketched up a design capable of winning over her clients, the Houston-based designer called on Austin-based CG&S Design-Build to oversee the project.
“I hadn’t worked with CG&S Design-Build before but knew what to look for in a company, and I knew they would do a great job,” says Williams, who sketched everything from the cabinets down to the tile. “We needed a skilled builder and
architect because we took down everything, from the floors to the ceilings. They truly did a wonderful job.”

To complete the look, the entire bathroom was gutted. Dark slate was replaced with unpolished travertine marble that now spans the floor and walls, creating a wet room area near the shower and tub. On surrounding walls, a Venetian plaster with a faux finish further the Old World feel. The once tiny and cramped shower was enlarged, and the oversized Jacuzzi tub was replaced with a freestanding tub that now serves as the focal point of the room.

“I love this tub,” says Williams. “It’s an oval tub that looks a lot like a clawfoot tub, but it is a little more interesting and unique.”

The pedestal tub, from Produits Neptune Canada, is surrounded by a custom apron adorned with glass tiles and topped with a honed marble slab. The roomy walk-in  shower is finished in natural stone and accentuated with intricate mosaic
tile detailing.

The redesigned vanity area boasts cabinets built to resemble antique furniture that flawlessly coordinate with pieces the clients shipped from their home in Europe. To achieve the antiqued look, the custom dresser-like cabinets were painted, sanded and glazed. A product containing crushed walnut shells creates a raised plaster design on the wooden doors, projecting a weathered charm. Two vessel sinks imported from Mexico rest gracefully on top, featuring mosaic marble squares.

While many of the materials in this bathroom are new, nothing feels that way. In fact, the finishes in the room look as genuinely aged as the one-of-a-kind distressed columns Williams found in India. While the columns were too short for the space, CG&S resolved the issue by building bases that stretched them to ceiling height.

“The columns in here give it that unique look, like they’ve always been there,” says Williams. “I love using something old in a different and unique way.”

A thermostatically controlled sub-floor radiant heating system provides warmth to the shower and bath floors. Cabinet hardware and towel bars are Carpe Diem with Swarovski crystals and custom finishes. Faucets on the sinks, tub and shower are
all from Santec, featuring Swarovski crystal handles. Lighting selections complete the look of luxury: Murray Feiss vanity lights mounted on the mirrors and an exquisite Schonbeck® chandelier that looms in the center of the room.

“You don’t expect to see a chandelier in the bathroom, but it again just gives the space that look of elegance; that exquisite feeling,” says Williams. “And Schonbeck® makes the best crystal chandeliers.”

Williams designed a makeup stool and curved bench, finished in a creamy velvet, to provide a pretty and plush addition to the vanity and dressing areas of the space. Williams even antiqued the mirrors which feature beveled edge pieces washed in acid to look older.

“I wanted the mirrors to look old and antiqued with beautiful character,” says Williams. “On the mirrors, in the intersecting corners, are wood medallions that were aged and finished the same as the cabinet.”

Despite the high degree of craftsmanship and detailing required for this project, it was completed within three months to accommodate the owners’ schedule. Credit for
finishing the project in such a short time frame goes to the solid design/build team at CG&S who had deliveries coming in during the last days leading up to
the project’s completion.

“My favorite part of this bathroom is the high-end finishes, but the more eye-catching a finish is, the closer attention to detail people will pay,” says Jon Strain, CG&S Design-Build’s senior project manager who oversaw the project from day to day. “From
the top to the bottom, this bathroom is loaded with high-end finishes. And without our very talented team, that level of detailing wouldn’t have been completed in such a quick timeline.”

The result: a cream-colored master bath suite that radiates luxury while remaining comfortable and elegant. “My clients absolutely love it,” says Williams. “The previous bathroom felt depressing, but this one is so light and elegant. Everything is so feminine and pretty. Being in there just makes you happy.”

ARCHITECT/BUILDER CG&S Design-Build
512.444.1580 | Cgsdb.com
DESIGNER Inside Story Interiors
281.358.8008 | Isikingwood.com

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Why Hire An Interior Designer- Charlotte, NC (Oct/Nov 2012)

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Written by Anne Marie Ashley
Traci Zeller Design /Dustin Peck Photography

Your home is distinctive; it’s a reflection of your personality and your lifestyle and hiring a professional to help you design the perfect space allows you to focus on enjoying it. Hiring an interior designer can take expression of your style to a whole new level while taking the pressure off to get the job done in your free time. We spoke with the experts at the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) for the Carolinas to get some tips on hiring the perfect designer for you.

How do homeowners hire the right designer? Designing the interiors of your home is as
personal as selecting your wardrobe, so choosing a professional that understands your style is key to loving the finished product. Have an idea of what you’d like your space to look like and use inspiration from magazines and design websites to get your message across to the designer.

ASID offers some key considerations when hiring a designer:
• Is the professional accredited as an interior designer? (If required in your state, be sure
the designer is licensed)
• Does the designer have experience in the type of project you are doing?
• Has he/she demonstrated creativity, talent and resourcefulness in their portfolio?
• Is the designer attentive, responsive and do they communicate well with you?
• Be sure the designer has a record of reliability and good work habits.
What can a professional interior designer bring to the table?

As ASID points out, when you hire an interior designer, you get the benefit of an experienced professional who can solve problems, help you avoid costly mistakes and, most importantly, create an attractive, affordable space designed specifically to meet your lifestyle needs. Interior designers offer a trained eye that can help you bring your vision to
life, possibly in ways you never imagined. They also provide specification and purchasing services for materials, furniture, accessories and art, some of which you might not be able to find on your own.

What should homeowners expect to pay for an interior design project? Designers, like other professionals, are different from one another in their combinations of talents, knowledge, experience, and specialties.

What and how they charge will vary accordingly. Here, ASID outlines the common methods or combined methods for residential designers, tailored to fit the client’s needs:
• Fixed fee (or flat fee) — The designer identifies a specific sum to cover costs, exclusive of reimbursement for expenses. One total fee applies to the complete range of services, from conceptual development through layouts, specifications and final installation.

• Hourly fee — Compensation is based on actual time expended by the designer on a project or specific service.
• Cost plus — A designer purchases materials, furnishings and services (e.g., carpentry, drapery workrooms, picture framing, etc.) at cost and sells to the client at the designer’s cost plus a specified percentage agreed to with the client to compensate for the designer’s time and effort.

ASID offers this final word about cost: How you choose to furnish your interior and how you work with your designer will have tremendous impact on the final cost of the project. Items such as antiques or custom-made furniture, and modifications that involve altering or moving load-bearing walls or beams will significantly increase the cost of your project, as will requesting changes mid-project or making excessive demands on the designer’s time. The more research and planning you do before you start, the more you will be able to help keep costs down during the project.

To find an interior designer in Charlotte, please visit www.asidcarolinas.org
or www.interiordesignsociety.org for more information.

Click here to view the article or visit www.urbanhomemagazine.com

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Sanctuary- Feature Home in Charlotte, NC (Oct/Nov 2012)

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Written by Nancy Atkinson
Photography by Jim Schmid  It was the house everyone in Charlotte was interested in but no one would buy. Until self-proclaimed “serial remodelers” Joy and Michael Palermo walked through its doors.

“We almost didn’t buy it,” said Joy Palermo. She described breaking down after their tenth walk-through of the house with architect Frank Smith and builder Ben Collins of the Salins Group.

Joy explained that the house had a nice exterior but was so quirky on the inside that it turned people off. “The rooms were dark, the flow was bad and one of the bedrooms had no windows,” she said. “The interior walls were 16” thick cement and could not be moved.”
But the biggest design challenge would be adding an upstairs wing with bedrooms for the couple’s four children – within their budget.

Thankfully, at the eleventh hour, the team created a plan to make the Mediterranean style home a perfect fit for the Palermo family. Joy, an interior designer who graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology, and her husband Michael, a banker who shares his wife’s love of remodeling and her sense of style, began working closely with architect Frank Smith on the design of the home.“I have always loved Frank’s style,” she said. “He and I discovered we both love the book Villa by architect John Saladino (known for creating serenely timeless interiors). We decided that’s where we wanted to go with it, and it grew from there.”

“We are so busy all the time,” said Joy. “I wanted to create an environment that made us feel really protected, a space that was cozy and soothing.”

Joy used a very calming color palette to create an overall feeling of symmetry. She mixed furniture and accessories from her other houses with new items selected specifically for this home.

“Antiques bought in Paris sit beside things from IKEA,” she said. “It’s a great eclectic mix of high and low, old and new, pulled together with the neutral tone.”

When asked about her favorite architectural detail Joy is quick to mention the courtyard with its new pool. “I love the courtyard,” she said. Previously unusable space, it was Frank’s idea to put in a pool. Now the family hangs out there all the time.

Joy laughs when she says the questions people ask the most are, ‘How can you live through a renovation like this with four children and how do you stay married?’ But the Palermos have renovated a total of five homes together in their 15-year marriage and they truly love the process.

“This house is unlike any of our other houses,” she said. “We have done the Southern thing and the Georgian thing, but this home is our little cocoon inside Charlotte. When you are here it feels like you could be anywhere in the world, even France or Italy. It is like you are on a vacation at home.”

And though she already has her next dream project in mind (a fisherman’s cottage in the Hamptons – done in all white) she admits this home could be a keeper.

“This house is beyond what I had envisioned,” said Joy. “It truly is one of those houses that is once in a lifetime – the house everybody wanted but nobody wanted. I am just so glad we saw the potential.”

Click here to view the article or visit www.urbanhomemagazine.com.

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Dare to Tango – San Antonio/Austin, TX Summer 2012 Issue

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Dare to Tango- The Year’s Top Color is Easy to Incorporate into Decor
Written by Dana Todd

Feeling brave? High energy? Daring? Playful? You might think these are the traits of a homeowner who would go so far as to include the vibrant orangey hue of Pantone’s color of the year, Tangerine Tango, in a home design project.

Surprisingly, some of Austin’s interior designers have discovered ways to incorporate the tangerine colourway in rooms that express modern sophistication, where energy and subtleness co-exist.

Heed the Siren Call of Subtlety Muted, subtle design may not be the first thought that comes to mind when you think about adding orange to your décor. The color, however, can be surprisingly subdued when used in conjunction with the appropriate accent colors.

“Tangerine is a great accent color, especially for contemporary design,” says Stephanie Villavicencio, RI D, ASI D, of Bella Villa Design Studio, who has assimilated the color into a few homes she recently designed. She used Sherwin Williams 6601, “Tanager,” for adding lush color in a dining room and living room for an added hint of a red undertone. “It’s not used as an accent in this instance, but it is a more toned down application,” she says.

When Villavicencio designed the living room of the Symphony Showhouse 2010 at The Austonian, she relied on a slightly brighter shade of tangerine on throw pillows and an accent chair to enliven the space. “Tangerine has been used throughout the years but is not like the avocado green of the ‘70s that obviously went out of style,” Villavicencio says.

“It is good for people who like bright colors because it is a lasting color. Still, when a color is this bright, use it in smaller portions through accessories. Then you can change it when you grow tired of it.”

Uplifting yet relaxing is how designer Sharon Radovich, Principal of Panache Interiors, describes the effect of an Austin home she designed for a couple who explicitly requested orange throughout the house. “It’s an uncommon color request,” says Radovich, who managed to work in tangerine in most rooms and the outdoor living space. Using hints of Sherwin Williams 6887, “Navel,” Radovich highlighted the recessed dining room wall, producing a modern, artistic backdrop for cobalt dining chairs and ultramodern pendant lights.

Working her way through the house with associate Julie Francis, the Panache team continued to accent inthe tangerine colourway, sometimes using quite a bit of it without jarring the subtle aesthetic. Even in large doses, such as in the upstairs entertainment room, they managed to keep the tone restrained, yet stimulating. A custom built pool table with orange cloth and “Fire Swamp” Maniscalco Aussie Dream glass tile on the legs, echoing tile on the fireplace surround, and racing stripes on the wall in Sherwin Williams 6886 “Invigorate” showcase color but still appear restful to the eye.

Splashes of tangerine introduce excitement into rooms without overcommittment. In the Austin home’s office, Radovich worked a tangerine compact sleeper sofa into the
corner with a matching bolster pillow, unifying it with lime green chairs snuggled up to a tangerine color-topped tripod table. A kicky tangerine and aqua rug completes the trifecta.

A kitchenette on the other side of the room showcases Anthropologie coral cabinet knobs and a recycled glass backsplash from EnviroGLAS.

Use Color Outdoors
Tangerine is easy to incorporate into outdoor settings, where it is naturally effervescent mingling with flowers and other natural elements. In the Austin home, Radovich used tangerine throw pillows and ceramic side tables as accents on the outdoor deck to provide continuity.

In a San Diego design project, she boldly hung tangerine curtains ready-made from Sunbrella fabric and coordinated with off-the-shelf seat cushions from HomeGoods to bring an exotic air to an outdoor patio. A dark rug and neutral walls, echoed in similarly colored furniture, help tone down the space to make it feel relaxed and not over-invigorating.

Neutral is often tangerine’s best friend, balancing the room and grounding it. Neutrals can enliven an Old World palette.

“Taupes and browns work best with a bright tangerine,” says Villavicencio, “as well as muted lime green.” Go Full-Color If a homeowner is reaching for the “wow” factor, tangerine can sizzle when paired with the right brights. Radovich uses this technique in entryways, where knockout designs are noticed.

In a sassy home renovation project, she painted an entry wall in a mango hue (Benjamin Moore “Mango Punch” 154) punctuated with equally vibrant colors on an Oggetti mosaic tile drum pendant light and tabletop accessories grounded with neutral floors and furniture.

Radovich has been using orange tones regularly in her work since 2008 and believes pops of bright colors, such as aqua, lime green and hot pink work particularly well with tangerine.

“These color combinations evoke tropical, spirited and slightly feminine feelings,” she says. With all these different ways to use and accessorize with Tangerine Tango, how did Pantone decide 2012 would be focused on this colourway? According to Pantone Institute’s Executive Director Leatrice Eiseman, the road to an annual color choice is based on her travels worldwide.

She says in the colourlovers.com community blog, “If I see a color that I think is ascending in importance, I make special note of it and then look for evidence in it gaining momentum…

There are so many creative design areas that must be considered including graphics, the world of art, product design, home furnishings and so on.”  With the recent recession fading into the past, she goes on to say in her online interview that tangerine is nearly the opposite of the “downer” gray of the economy, and its choice as color of the year is an opportunity to encourage hope.

Whether it’s a spicy and energizing mood you’re after, or you prefer warm and inviting tones, mixing in tangerine has the ability to transform the climate of your design.

Bella Villa Design Studio
512.443.3200 www.Bellavillads.com

Panache Interiors
512.452.7773 www.Panacheinteriors.com

Pantone Institute
1.866.PANTONE www.Pantone.com

To view more articles from San Antonio/Austin, TX, please visit www.urbanhomemagazine.com or click here.

 

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Casa De Corazon- Austin/San Antonio (Summer 2012 Issue)

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Written by Sharla Bell
Photography by Coles Hairston

With two unique directives, a retired chemical engineer and his wife, a high school teacher, challenged Winn Wittman, of Winn Wittman Architecture, to design their dream retirement home: “I want the house to look like the bones of the earth,” and “I want curves — I don’t want to live in a box — I’m going to be buried in one.” The finished creation, built on the couple’s 85-acre ranch in Lampasas, Texas, an Casa de Corazon hour northwest of Austin, more than meets these expectations with a beautiful, functional and totally original, master-planned space. That it manages to look organic and modern whilst bearing an uncanny resemblance to the rib cage of some prehistoric creature speaks to the vision of the clients and the talent of the architect.

Wittman believes in a thoroughly collaborative process when designing a home; he truly wants the homeowner to be involved every step of the way. When this couple met with Wittman, they brought a small tinfoil model with a swooping roof and explained their desire
for the house to look like ‘the bones of the earth.’ According to Wittman, “This was a very powerful metaphor for me as an architect, and we had lots of fun with it. In the end, that’s where the curved beams which start at the wall and form the roof structure came from.”

These curved beams, which were fabricated off site and erected in one day, not only give the house great character, but they are also energy efficient. When the curved beams go inside the home they transition from steel to a laminated wood beam, achieving a ‘thermal break’ so the heat of the exterior is not transmitted to the interior through the steel beam.

Although the beams are the dominant stylistic feature of the home and give it a rather modern look, the home also pays homage to the Texas ranch house. “We wanted the home to relate to the landscape, the context and the architectural vernacular style of the area. We wanted to re-interpret the Texas ranch house in a 21st century form.” To that end, the home is low flung with a simple dog run design, and the team selected chopped limestone and stucco for the façade, and zinc-coated sheet metal for the roof. The couple’s grown children come to visit often, so they needed a two-bedroom guest house, slightly removed from the main structure, connected by the covered breezeway.

Wittman and his clients also considered how the house would work with the expansive landscape. Located on 85 acres and essentially “off the grid, we had to be really sensitive to orientation and we wanted to take advantage of views. The location of the house was carefully selected to do both.” The main windows face north, which is best for sun and for views of the beautifully-rugged terrain. And because of its remote location, rainwater collection is also necessary.

The large butterfly roof slopes toward a central gutter, which directs rainwater to an underground cistern. The roof structure is also filled with six inches of soy-based foam which provides great insulation from the Texas sun. Between the thermal break in the beams, the insulation and the orientation, this house was built smart, with electric bills averaging about $80 per month.

With the curving beams and the swooping roof, Wittman clearly took to heart the edict that the couple ‘did not want to live in a box.’ But for all of the exterior’s curvaceous appeal,the interior is a study in clean lines and modern charm.

Simple, efficient and quite elegant, the main living space has an open design that belies the home’s relatively small size of 2,000-square-feet. Wittman called on Lytle Pressley of Lytle Pressley Contemporary to help furnish the home. According to Pressley, “The goal was to integrate the connected open areas into a seamless whole. Thereby, the kitchen, dining and seating areas flow harmoniously with one another. My job was simply to create a backdrop to the architecture that doesn’t compete with Winn’s vision.” To achieve this goal, they selected a neutral palette of grays, black and white.

Wittman then consulted with Emily Basham-Hoelscher of Urbanspace Interiors to help him bring some color, pattern and energy into the spaces; in Basham-Hoelsher’s words, the home “needed a little moxie. We wanted to infuse the space with just a bit of pattern and bright color, but in small bursts and spaced throughout so that it encourages your eyes to move around and take in the full space. This was accomplished with pillows and bedding from Missoni Home, along with a selection of different vases and sculptural pieces.”

Like Pressley, Basham-Hoelscher was concerned with giving the unique architecture its due. “The challenge was riding the line of enough color and pattern, and too much of it. In such a neutral space, and a space where the view to the outside and the architectural details are the major focal points, you have to have just enough accessories to add life but not too many to compete and feel out of place.”

While a neutral palette governs the main living space, the homeowners selected a riot of blue for the curvilinear bathroom that is tucked in the center of the home. When asked about the round motif in the room, Wittman explained, “The clients are very partial to curves, and in fact, selected our firm because we love curves, too. They would have had more curves, but the budget, structure and functionality didn’t really permit this, so we went all-out in the bathroom.” The round shower, spa tub, sinks, and even the accessories, attest to this fact.

That the homeowners love curves is also evident in the pool they designed with help from both Wittman and Ocean Quest Pools. Wittman explains, “The curved, negative edge is a big part of the drama of the pool when viewed from the home.” The pool is also a great place to take advantage of views. “Standing by the pool and looking out at the landscape, as framed by the steel arches, is a favorite spot of mine. There is something about the rhythm of the arches which is both contemporary and very classical,” adds Wittman.

An added bonus to the home is that it is incredibly fire resistant. “The home is primarily steel, with a steel covered roof, eaves and soffit, and the walls are glass and limestone
masonry—all very fire resistant as compared to conventional wood construction,” explains Wittman.

Locals driving by will often slow down to look at the home, which has earned a few nicknames, including ‘butterfly house’ and ‘casa de corazon’ (heart house). This writer prefers the latter. It seems only fitting that nestled inside the steel rib cage that was at the heart of this dream also lies the heart of the home.

Winn Wittman Architecture
512.630.2724 Winnwittman.com

Lights Fantastic
512.452.9511 Lightsfantastic.com

Lytle Pressley Contemporary
512.917.6369 Lytlepressley.com

Ocean Quest Pools by Lew Akins
254.933.8370 Lewakins.com

Rex Keele Construction, Inc.
512.556.6251

Urbanspace Interiors
512.476.0014 Urbanspaceinteriors.com

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