What’s yours will find you, as homeowners Kristen and Dirk Koester learned. Despite being happily situated in their Austin home with no plans of moving, they discovered ideal acreage in their neighborhood of Spanish Oaks that was soon to be developed. Perched on a bluff, the property boasted unobstructed views of the Hill Country and direct access to Barton Creek. It would also give the couple a chance to start from scratch and optimize a residence for their family of five. And so, they reached out to architect John Hathaway and interior designer Blair Burton, who worked with builder Kurt Duncan to bring their vision to life.
“It was just raw land, with no neighboring homes built yet, so it was neat that they got to really position the house on the site,” Burton recalls. That orientation involved pushing the structure back on the property near the edge of a scenic cliff and working around existing trees to create a wide layout that maximizes the views. The goal was a dwelling that embodies a European feel with modern sensibilities—“old-world bones with fresh skin,” Hathaway describes.
Home Details
Architecture:
John Hathaway, Vanguard Studio
Interior Design:
Blair Burton, Blair Burton Interiors
Home Builder:
Kurt Duncan, Emerald Crest Development, LLC
To soften the modernity of the architecture, Burton opted for brass touches and warm woods. In the living room, she installed beautiful white oak paneling around the fireplace, which anchors the seating area in comfort while echoing the adjacent kitchen’s cabinetry. “We drew in warmth and brought more attention to the heart of the home, incorporating elements that make it feel cohesive,” Burton explains. For another layer of coziness, she wrapped furnishings throughout the abode in buttery but versatile fabrics. “We are big fans of velvet, because it’s durable and it gives you that tactility,” the interior designer says, pointing to the living room’s rust-colored chairs and the cognac-toned sofa in the couple’s shared study. Because both clients are radiologists and require darkness to review medical images, Burton was able to play with a rich and moody palette to create a sophisticated workroom. The sofa, for instance, is backdropped by a beautiful navy wallpaper illustrated with gold hills and willow trees, while a deep, lacquered charcoal hue covers the surrounding walls and custom shelves.
Various shades of blues, greens and tans recur across the home, elegantly augmenting its connection to nature. Leafy colors that mimic the tree canopy outside thread through paintings and pillows—manifesting in the dining room as a set of emerald-velvet chairs. Because this space also serves as a passage between the kitchen and family room, the designer needed to find a way to designate it as its own moment. Dark-walnut-stained millwork differentiates it from the white oak found in the neighboring rooms, while also forming the ceiling’s grid design that contrasts the kitchen’s linear beams. While the convenient location of the dining room ensures it’s not delegated to special occasions—the children often do homework at the burnt alder table—the cook space has become the real star of the show. Its two waterfall islands mean that prep work can take place on one, and family and friends can gather around the other to eat meals, grab a snack or socialize.
“We wanted this to be a house the kids can enjoy and where their friends hang out,” Kristen says. In the same reasoning, the children had creative input when it came to their private spaces. The son’s room is decked out in leather, blues and grays, while the daughter’s is a gentle cloud of pale pink floral wallpaper and lush textiles.
The parents’ suite, on the other hand, needed to feel like their own separate sanctuary. Burton wanted to create a sense of coziness even under the vaulted ceilings, so she installed a woven, oatmeal-hued wallpaper behind the dove-gray velvet bed to anchor it in place. Throughout the room, she emphasized nature-inspired neutrals that allow the rolling vistas to take center stage. Much like the land it’s built upon, the home is a synchronistic blend of elements that will continue to invite enjoyment for years to come.
Dark-walnut-stained millwork and a Visual Comfort & Co. branching chandelier distinguish the dining room. Surrounded by Made Goods chairs, a burnt alder Taracea table sits atop a rug from Benson Carpets and Floors.
Tour The Home:
In the kitchen, Mykonos quartzite unifies the backsplash and island countertops, complementing the white oak cabinetry, custom plaster hood and Sub-Zero and Wolf appliances. Visual Comfort & Co. lights suspend above Lee Industries stools.
Dark-walnut-stained millwork and a Visual Comfort & Co. branching chandelier distinguish the dining room. Surrounded by Made Goods chairs, a burnt alder Taracea table sits atop a rug from Benson Carpets and Floors.
A living room wall of white oak paneling with custom molding backdrops Visual Comfort & Co. sconces and an Allison Stewart painting. Velvet swivel chairs from The Shoppe by Blair Burton, CR Laine armchairs and a Wesley Hall sofa provide tactile comfort.
Schumacher’s Indigo Garden wallpaper, a Visual Comfort & Co. fixture and CR Laine’s Alister sofa form an enticing reading nook in the study. The scene is framed by Benjamin Moore’s Kendall Charcoal on the millwork, walls and trim.
Breccia Lunare marble accents the bar’s island and countertop, where a Newport Brass faucet from Ferguson Home shines beneath custom shelving. The cabinetry and alcove plaster are saturated in Farrow & Ball’s Railings.
The primary bedroom’s neutrals, seen in the Thibaut wallpaper and dove-gray velvet bed from Essentials For Living, create a sense of serenity. Visual Comfort & Co. table lamps glow upon RH nightstands with an Arteriors light overhead.
Thibaut’s Spring Blooms wallpaper showcases an upholstered Arhaus bed in the daughter’s bedroom. A wool Jaipur Living rug, curved CB2 nightstand and slender Visual Comfort & Co. lamp add to the charm.
In the primary bathroom, Calacatta Amber marble composes the shower walls, while its niche and bench are made of White Rhino marble. Kohler fabricated the double showerheads.
Centered for a relaxing Hill Country view, the homeowners’ sculptural tub rests below an Oly chandelier. Visual Comfort & Co. sconces flank the distressed silver-leaf mirrors from Mirror Home.