20 Nov Truly Vanguard: Contemporary Design In The Beautiful Hill Country
For an active family with two young boys, this custom, Hill Country home with a contemporary feel marries interior with exterior, to create an ideal environment for family time, recreation and entertaining guests. A true collaboration between Austin-based architecture firm, Vanguard Studio, and interior design firm, Laura Britt Design, this home delivers in both form and function.
When it came to the exterior of the home, the clients loved the warmth of wood, stone, and ironwork, as well as the old feel of a barrel tile roof. However, they also wanted the home to tie into the Texas farmhouse vernacular of the region, which led to the use of metal roofing on the project, in addition to incorporating native Texas limestone. Larger, more cleanly cut pieces of the stone were used to give the home a farmhouse feel, but also a certain elegance. Steel and glass doors and windows by Millenium were incorporated to add the contemporary, open feel of the entry and main living areas. The living room opens completely to an expansive outdoor living area, providing multiple lounge spaces, outdoor dining area, kitchen with bar seating, swimming pool and tennis court for the entire family and guests to enjoy.
An open plan ties together the living room, kitchen, and breakfast room, facilitating family interaction. With a house full of food lovers, double islands in the kitchen, one in a beautiful Mother of Pearl quartzite and the other in a contrasting butcher block, provide ample space for preparation of gourmet meals. When it came to furnishings, the clients were very interested in incorporating several family heirlooms into the design, including their dining room table and chairs. “We wanted to create a dining space that cohesively blended these special pieces with new, more contemporary components, such as the custom Tai Ping rug that draws inspiration from the floral needlepoint dining chair seats,” said designer Laura Britt.
Modern pieces and family heirlooms are used throughout the home. Each piece reflects the family’s interests, nothing is just “for show”.
In the media room, a custom Kyle Bunting rug complements a Roche Bobois sectional, accented with custom pillows and draperies in complementary Romo fabrics. Wood herringbone wallcovering makes a perfect backdrop for the client’s impressive record collection. “One of our primary goals when designing is to create spaces that are a reflection of our clients: their life experiences, what they value and how they live. Working with clients who live so passionately was one of the key ingredients in the success of the overall design,” said Britt. Hathaway echoed this sentiment. “The clients were intimately involved in helping us mold the design of the home to their vision, which I think we both accomplished together- as a team. It was a great collaboration with the clients, as well as their interior designer, Laura Britt Design. I’m very excited to be part of such a great team effort, where the whole far surpassed the sum of the parts.”
