Meet the Prominent Designers and Architects of Tribeza’s 2023 Interiors Tour

Presented by SWBC Mortgage – The Breed Team & Heritage Title of Austin

By Liz Harroun
Lead photo by Ryann Ford

There is something intimate about seeing inside someone’s home. You learn more about their lifestyle, their deep preferences and even their quirks. The Tribeza Interiors Tour allows you to peek into some of the most noteworthy homes in Austin to gain inspiration for your own home.

Meet the Designers:

Britt Design Group | HouseMill Design | Glynis Wood Interiors
Avery Cox Design | Kopfer Taylor Interiors | CG&S Design-Build | Amity Worrel & Co.

Laura Britt & Shaunn Quayle

BRITT DESIGN GROUP

Photos by Ryann Ford

A must-see home on Lake Austin owned by Torchy’s Tacos founder Mike Rypka, this expansive 13,000-square-foot home features incredible details. Laura Britt and Shaunn Quayle of Britt Design Group created a fun entertaining space that suits the Austin chef, with a wide assortment of areas that support various interests and elements of his lifestyle.

“Mike is a trained chef and successful entrepreneur who loves to cook and entertain,” says Laura. “The large cooking area includes a deep fryer so the hood above is commercial-sized. Mike requested a walk-in refrigerator and freezer similar to what he has in his Torchy’s restaurants. We added a mudroom and walk-in pantry for day-to-day functionality. The beverage center hosts a coffee system, refrigerator with a glass front and ice maker, as well as a large mirror that illuminates the flat panel TV.

Another highlight is the “chill room,” which includes a custom walk-in humidor housing the homeowners’ rare and valuable cigar collection. The 100-square-foot humidor is ensconced in glass and includes marble floors as well as walls, shelving and ceiling made of Spanish cedar. Adjacent sits an Eames chair upholstered in mohair fabric and an opulent crystal foosball table, purchased from Mass Beverly in Los Angeles. “It was way-way over budget, but the minute I saw it, I knew Mike would love it,” says Laura.

Some other incredible design highlights include Rypka’s art collection with other pieces curated by Laura Britt, including a colorful mural in the kids’ game room — a collaboration with the original Torchy’s Tacos graffiti artist. Britt also custom designed the master bedroom headboard, bed and bedside tables. A special shoe closet was designed to house his growing funky shoe collection.

Outdoor amenities include a pool area refinished with large seating and a cigar porch as well as a Zen garden and koi pond. The team added a pool deck shading device as well as new solar screens to limit heat gain and glare in the home. In addition, the house is pre-wired for solar, and for electric cars.

Whitney Fair & Lauren Ramirez

HOUSEMILL DESIGN

Photos by Molly Culver | Portraits by Whitney Runyon

Originally built in 1941, this home was considered large for its time, but new ownership by a growing family meant it was a new season for adding square feet and maximizing the existing space. The homeowners sought out Maci Homes to help remodel and rebuild the space, along with Studio Momentum for architecture services and HouseMill Design for interior design and decorating services. When the remodel was completed, it added over 1,000 square feet to the preexisting 2,400-square- foot floor plan and spruced up the yard and pool areas.

Since this is a family home, it was important for HouseMill Design to combine form and function, thinking through storage opportunities, layout options and kid-friendly material choices. HouseMill Design maximized storage and space by creating a wall of built-in cabinetry with bench seating for the dining table in the kitchen area. Without a formal dining room, this change was critical because the layout of the dining and kitchen areas of the house were limited by the original footprint of the home.

The living room, with newly vaulted ceilings and dormer windows is a real showstopper in this home. Because HouseMill Design was engaged from the very beginning of the project, they were able to ensure that some of the clients’ favorite existing furnishings had a home in the reimagined space. For example, they omitted built-in bookcases from the original plans and instead advocated for perfectly sized niches in the living room on each side of the new fireplace to slide in the bookcases the clients already owned and loved. Without a formal entry room, HouseMill designed custom cabinetry that includes two tall narrow cabinets for hanging coats with a decorative wall-mounted coat rack and shelf positioned above a bench seat with drawer storage underneath. All of this is against a vibrant wallpaper backdrop for a splash of color in an otherwise neutral area of the home.

Glynis Wood

GLYNIS WOOD INTERIORS

Portrait by LeeAnn Funk

Originally built in 1938, this home was meant to merge the old Austin feel with a new remodel that was done in 2017. Glynis Wood of Glynis Wood Interiors was hired to do just that. They kept the old stone and original wood floors from 1938 and then took it down to the studs for the remodel. Additions included a master suite and custom master bathroom as well as adding the kitchen and three bathrooms upstairs.

“Some of my favorite features are the glass vestibule box leading to the master suite, decorative and subtle lighting throughout the home, and unique wallpaper and tile,” says Glynis. “It was a seamless process between the builder, architect and designer since the team had experience working together on previous projects.”

Avery Cox

AVERY COX DESIGN

Photos by Lindsay Brown

This unique project in Austin’s historical Clarksville neighborhood is for a home of only 768 square feet, a 1920s bungalow that was saved from demolition and then restored and reinvented by Avery Cox for a modern-day bachelor. The client was a native Texan and renaissance man with impeccable personal style and a deep love for cooking and hosting elaborate five-course dinner parties.

It was challenging to optimize for entertaining and cooking with limited square footage while maintaining private space and creating enough storage to realistically accommodate daily life. No crevice was unused. All millwork and furniture layouts evoke the feel of a large elegant space within a tight footprint, and full washes of color to establish depth and separation of space.

Key restorations included refurbishing existing windows and hardwood floors as well as stripping away layers of materials to reveal and keep existing shiplap. Notable design elements include a vintage back bar that was found at Round Top and fit in the space by a hair. It houses the client’s fully stocked bar and collection of depression era glassware. The dining table is made of a single slab of marble, and modern and vintage elements come together in the kitchen for a functional yet beautiful space.

We love the balance between contemporary design elements and old-world style, with strong roots 1920’s design that give the home a speakeasy feel. This bungalow is now always brimming with joyful gatherings, freshly cut flowers and the occasional swing band on the front porch.

Beth Powers & Karmyn Papavasiliou

KOPFER TAYLOR INTERIORS

Photos by Paige Newton

Kopfer Taylor Interiors (KTI) took on this project for a lively young couple who moved to Austin five years ago and built their home in the heart of Zilker. KTI was engaged early in the build process, allowing them to spend valuable time getting to know the fun-loving couple and understand their goals for the home.

“The Norris project was a party from start to finish!” says lead designer Beth Powers. The selected finishes are classic yet playful, inspired by the clients’ Southern roots. The home features interior and exterior Old Bayou brick (a nod to Katherine’s home state of Mississippi), playful wallpapers in the bar and mudroom, a full Calcutta gold primary bath, a pink utility room connected to the lush primary closet and a full outdoor living and dining space wrapped around the pool and spa. There is even a hidden sports court in a tucked away corner of the backyard.

Their vast art collection influenced the overall aesthetic for each space, creating a foundation for color and patterns. The furniture is a blend of antique, vintage and new pieces. The home is a balance of whimsy and restraint, showcasing new and old in a relaxed way perfect for the active family.

Stewart & Dolores Davis, Owners

CG&S Design-Build

Photos by Ryan Davis

“The happiest house in Rollingwood” is how Sara Hadden, Architectural Designer at CG&S Design-Build, refers to this bright, colorful home located in Austin’s Rollingwood neighborhood. It certainly stands out against the mid-century modern homes that surround it.

CG&S Design-Build’s client Genie Norris, being a color consultant, painted the façade in bright cheery colors: Indigo, Avocado, Scarlet and Pink. Genie’s love for color started with her interest in old textiles introduced to her by her mother. And it was a specific 1970s quilt that inspired the renovation journey that she and her husband have been on for the past several years. Genie and Randy approached CG&S Design-Build to do a whole house renovation: new outdoor living and pool as well as a third story “crows’ nest” to enjoy the downtown view.

There are so many wonderful details about this house. The first thing you notice when you enter is the striking stair in the rainbow hallway. The stair features red spindles and patterned treads while the door rooms are painted in different colors. The new living room has built-in cabinetry adorned with vintage fabric. Genie’s furniture is also reupholstered in bright and fun fabrics. Hanging in the dining room is a unique hand-made chandelier engineered by baskets and plastic bottles.

CG&S Design-Build opened up the kitchen and hallway area — the kitchen now relocated — and new, large multi-sliding doors open to the new covered patio, pool and outdoor kitchen. There’s a banquette tucked in the corner inspired by the restaurant Randy grew up in, and the new mudroom and vintage laundry is painted in an array of cheerful colors and wallpaper. The two second-story bathrooms are fun and quirky, featuring cassette tape wallpaper in one and a vanity sink that was repurposed from a vintage laundry washing table Genie found in another. Also on the second story is her husband Randy’s office, painted a rich blue with Missoni inspired carpet and a Murphy bed with its own hidden details. Level three, which is the home’s flex space, is intentionally simple with white walls and simple floors. The standout of the space is the bright red stair spindle detail. “I think the results speak for themselves,” says Sara. “This project was executed with the high level of detail and craftsmanship that our clients expect and deserve. Add to that the effort and vision of our talented architectural color theorist client, and the results are unique and fun, just like her!”

Amity Worrel & Andrée Chalaron

AMITY WORREL & CO.

Photos by Lindsay Brown

This south Austin home was purchased in the summer of 2021, and the homebuyer immediately hired Amity Worrel & Co. to start injecting personality into the white rooms. “This client is the definition of bold!” says lead designer Andrée Chalaron. “For her, the more pattern and color, the better. Every room in the house is wallpapered except the powder bath, which is usually the likely place to find it.”

All surfaces that did not call for wallpaper were painted in bold pinks, purples, chartreuse and black. They added paneling, custom cabinetry, arched doorways, drapery and custom shades throughout as well as a screened porch and awnings to the exterior. Much of the furniture is vintage or was custom made to address the lead-time challenges the industry has been facing.

The wallpaper is unique to every room and was even unique to this home as this was the first house to feature Counterpart Studios, a local wallpaper brand. Snakes and rhinestones by Fort Lonesome (a local chain stitch embroidery specialist) cover the entry, dining and kitchen. The spacious center hall runs the length of the house, and this dreamlike space is where people gather to admire the view and where the children often play. A leopard runner ties all of the spaces together, with walls filled with the client’s extensive art collection and her “witchy” accessories that bring the rooms to life. A custom mural is painted on the burgundy-stained concrete porch floor. The home — layered with pattern, color and personality — is a feast for all of the senses.