{"id":415105,"date":"2026-01-18T15:10:14","date_gmt":"2026-01-18T15:10:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/415105\/"},"modified":"2026-01-18T15:10:14","modified_gmt":"2026-01-18T15:10:14","slug":"tour-an-austin-home-thats-filled-with-art-and-purple-moments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/415105\/","title":{"rendered":"Tour an Austin Home That’s Filled with Art and Purple Moments"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Some people lose sleep at night thinking about the cost and inconvenience of renovating. Homeowners Kevin, a graphic designer, and his wife Danielle, a pediatric urologist, were struggling to get shut-eye without it. For years, the couple, who share their Central Austin, Texas, home with their two daughters, lived with their primary bedroom on the ground level next to their very noisy neighbor\u2019s party porch. When they couldn\u2019t take it any longer, they decided to embark on a two-year-long remodel that hinged on moving their primary suite up to the second level. BRF Homes<\/a>, architect Brian Gille<\/a>, and interior designer Annie Downing<\/a> were tasked with helping them find some zen in their new bedroom and beyond. \u201cOf course, by the time we were finished, the neighbor sold their house and moved out,\u201d says Downing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The designer didn\u2019t have to search far for inspiration: the couple\u2019s extensive (and very colorful) art fueled the project. Nailing the palette was such a big part of the process that, later on, it came as a total shock when Kevin revealed he\u2019s color blind. While he can make out the differences between tones, Danielle took the lead on selecting hues. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of purple. She loved purple,\u201d says Downing. Ahead, as the designer gives us a tour around, she reveals how she made the tricky hue work, plus why she\u2019ll never not splurge on good lighting.<\/p>\n

\"blueCeiling Paint Color, Brassica by Farrow & Ball;<\/a> Wallpaper, Phillip Jeffries<\/a>; Dining Chairs, George Cameron Nash<\/a> and Chelsea Textile<\/a>s; Chandelier, Blueprint Lighting NYC<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Purple is a notoriously hard color to decorate with. What\u2019s your advice for pulling it off?<\/p>\n

It is a hard color but I love it because it has so many different tones\u2014I feel like it can be warm or cold. It complements so many things well. You can throw greens in there, chartreuse, and I think it goes well with black.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"kitchenStools, Doorman Designs<\/a>; Stool Fabric, The Lawn<\/a>s; Pendants, Allied Maker<\/a>; Art by James Michalopoulos<\/a>.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

\"lilacPaint Color, Brassica by Farrow & Ball<\/a>; Wallpaper, Seemakrish<\/a>; Light, Urban Electric<\/a>.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

The lilac bar is a fun addition to the kitchen. Was this nook on their must-have list?<\/p>\n

They actually had a little bar before, but it was behind closed doors. We removed the doors and were like, \u2018Let\u2019s do something that you don\u2019t have to hide!\u2019<\/p>\n

\"wallpaperdWallpaper, Trustworth Studios<\/a>; Paint Color (inside cabinet), Whirlybird by Farrow & Ball<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Speaking of disguising things, you were sneaky about adding storage to the powder bathroom\u2026<\/p>\n

We made a note during construction that we wanted a hidden cabinet with push-latch doors. (I was trying to avoid a classic over-the-toilet cabinet.) The bat print wallpaper<\/a> is an old archival print from Trustworth Studios. Austin is known for its bats under the bridge, so it was sort of an ode to the city. And the clients had a sense of humor.<\/p>\n

\"openGreen Sofa, Design Within Reach<\/a>; Coffee Table, The Lacquer Company<\/a>. <\/p>\n

How did their art collection factor into your plans?\u00a0<\/p>\n

We had a whole catalog of their art (around 75 pieces), including all the dimensions. What was hard about it, though, was we only had photographs because they had stored it all before we walked through their house. Some of the paintings turned out to be more vibrant in person, and we were like, \u2018Whoa, this needs to be moved.\u2019\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"wavyRug, AVO<\/a>; Chairs, Scout Design<\/a>; Chair Fabric, Brook Perdigon Textiles<\/a>; Loveseat Fabric, Pierre Frey<\/a>; Coffee Table, Rachel Donath<\/a>; Yellow Encaustic by Gerardo Zarr; Multicolor Abstract Art by Laurel Shear<\/a>.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

The formal sitting area and family room are back to back: is that a layout you often opt for?\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The house has a pretty big open floor plan, which I feel like is becoming less desirable than it used to be. They wanted this space to serve as their main TV area, but also a place to host when people come over. It was a challenge, making this room read as both comfortable and formal.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"redTable, O&G Studio<\/a>; Photograph, Robert Pollidori<\/a>; Light, Danny Kaplan<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Where did you splurge?<\/p>\n

I\u2019d rather buy nice lighting than a chair. In the kitchen, the pendants from Allied Maker have a pretty wood component when you look closely. The fixture in the entryway is Danny Kaplan and it\u2019s ceramic. The finishes can make a huge difference.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re gonna save somewhere, where is it going to be?\u00a0<\/p>\n

This might be controversial: rugs. They used to be like buying a car but now you don\u2019t have to break the bank. We find some really good rugs on Etsy all the time.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"darkWall Paint Color, Fair Isle Blue by Benjamin Moore;<\/a> Bed, Sunday Shop<\/a>; Rug, Kush Rugs<\/a>; Curtains, Helene Blanch<\/a>.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

\"lilacHardware, Matilda Goad<\/a>; Paint Color, Calamine by Farrow & Ball<\/a>. <\/p>\n

What was their vision for their new (most importantly, quiet) primary bedroom?\u00a0<\/p>\n

The colors stemmed from the painting above the bench. The way they described it, they wanted a moody cocoon. The closet is small, but the clients wanted to make it fun. <\/p>\n

\"floralWallpaper, Abigail Borg<\/a>; Mirror, Rachel Donath<\/a>. <\/p>\n

How were you able to find a balance between whimsical moments and sophistication details?\u00a0<\/p>\n

In the guest bathroom, for instance, we paired the Abigail Borg wallpaper with old sconces that the client had with these little striped shades on them. Then we curved the edges of the vanity and tried to make it look a little bit more custom.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Were there any unexpected twists or turns during the remodel?<\/p>\n

They had a huge book collection but someone broke into their storage unit and stole their books during our project. That was so hard. We had planned for bookshelves lining the hallway. And then the factory that was holding one of their beds burned down!\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"blueCurtains, Caryn Cramer<\/a>; Paint Color, Inchyra Blue by Farrow & Ball<\/a>; Desk Chair, Hay<\/a>; Lounge Chair, Lulu and Georgia<\/a>. <\/p>\n

What was the most exciting material you got to use in this house?\u00a0<\/p>\n

I love that we were able to do a leather insert on the desktop in the study. They both wanted to be able to sit in there, so we created this desk that\u2019s double-sided and added a brass detail on the shelving for warmth because the house was feeling so contemporary.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What design decision felt like the biggest risk?<\/p>\n

The high gloss paint color in the office. I was afraid that it wasn\u2019t going to go with the rest of the house; that it would feel like one random room that was super traditional but it worked out!<\/p>\n

Lydia Geisel has been on the editorial team at Domino since 2017. Today, she writes and edits home and renovation stories, including house tours, before and afters, and DIYs, and leads our design news coverage. She lives in New York City.<\/p>\n

Julia Stevens is a Domino contributing editor. Basically, she\u2019s a professional online shopper. She started at Domino as an intern and spent seven years in the style department curating products for our gift guides, trend roundups, and product reviews and on set styling the beautiful homes we get to share. Off hours, you can find her scouting New York\u2019s newest design shops and restyling her shelves<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Sign Up…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":415106,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[56],"tags":[228,226,227,20142,229,88],"class_list":{"0":"post-415105","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-arts-and-design","10":"tag-artsanddesign","11":"tag-core-home","12":"tag-design","13":"tag-entertainment"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/415105","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=415105"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/415105\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/415106"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=415105"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=415105"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=415105"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}