Designer Vickee Byrum had a good head start in helping her clients reimagine their three-story abode near downtown Austin. She had teamed up twice before with the owners, empty nesters who relocated from outside the city to enjoy downtown views and a walk-to-dinner lifestyle. In reuniting to collaborate on this project, Byrum sought to enhance the structure's architecture while conjuring evocative and inviting interiors. "The first time I saw the home with my clients, we christened it a jewel box among the trees," the designer recalls. "Every piece selected for the home was to be standalone beautiful, and we're grateful every artisan with whom we shared our vision embraced our goals."
A contemporary gem with expansive windows, sumptuous surfaces and a third-floor master bedroom, the residence captures views of heritage-oak treetops. "We decided to make only a few changes to soften the structure, because it was so well done," Byrum says. In recent years, the previous homeowners had initiated a total renovation carried out by a Dick Clark +Associates team that included architects Mark Vornberg and Kevin Gallaugher and residential designer Matt Garcia, who has since founded his own eponymous firm, along with structural engineering firm StructuresPE. For this project, Gallaugher returned to the residence with architect Kim Power, also with Dick Clark + Associates, to install handrails on the flat roof, add exterior stairs leading to the new rooftop deck and ensure code compliance for the new owners; construction manager Monty Jacobs of Jacobs General Contracting also helped with the new rooftop deck. "Adding a rooftop perch provided unobstructed views of downtown and allows the couple to enjoy sunsets and cocktails," Byrum says.
The scenery of the neighboring trees is also visible through floor-to-ceiling windows in the combined living, dining and kitchen area on the second floor, above the garage. The open space exudes warmth with an abundance of wood features, including walnut-clad cabinetry, a fireplace wall and mahogany window frames. To mitigate, if ever desired, the brightness of the natural light streaming through the windows, Byrum
and the homeowners incorporated sheer off-white linen draperies. "We tried to work with color, sheen and texture to bring a sort of glow to the space," the wife says. Similar window treatments help conjure a luxuriously tranquil and soft feeling in the master bedroom, alongside elegant silk bedding, a Moroccan rug and a brass chandelier.
Posts
0 Comments