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Houzz Tour: Luxurious and Comfortable Lake House
Step Inside a Harmonious Home Rich in Fabrics, Finishes and Craftsmanship
Houzz Contributor. Hi There! I currently live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected."
I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia. I've been writing about design online for quite a few years over at Hatch: The Design Public Blog.
Houzz Contributor. Hi There! I currently live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta... More »
This Lake Austin vacation home has a harmonious contemporary style that incorporates work from local artists, warm wood custom pieces, a wide range of textures, spectacular light fixtures, luxe rugs and miles of fabric window treatments. It's a far cry from how it looked when a couple with four young boys originally bought it. They were drawn to this home because of its proximity to the lake and its 400 feet of lake frontage. In other words, "Location! Location! Location!" swayed the couple, who were used to more traditional homes, to purchase this modern home. Their next move was to bring in designer Mark Cravotta to help them make it suit their needs.
Cravotta described the original condition of the house as "modern, but pretty commercial in its finish-out. The first order of business was to make it feel more like a home and less like an office, and bring the craftsmanship of the details up to par." Throughout the home, Cravotta changed many of the architectural details, curated art and furniture, and when he couldn't find the right pieces, he designed them himself.
Cravotta described the original condition of the house as "modern, but pretty commercial in its finish-out. The first order of business was to make it feel more like a home and less like an office, and bring the craftsmanship of the details up to par." Throughout the home, Cravotta changed many of the architectural details, curated art and furniture, and when he couldn't find the right pieces, he designed them himself.
The family wanted a second home where they could entertain a lot of people, provide a comfortable and beautiful sanctuary, and stand up to the demands of their energetic children. "Making sure that the fabrics and finishes were durable was a must and informed the selections," Cravotta says. "I'm a firm believer in the idea that form follows function, but being practical rarely means having to sacrifice luxury."
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| Cravotta partnered with David Wilkes Builders to execute the renovations and was thrilled with their work. The changes included cladding all the common-area concrete floors with 7" long-plank Iroko wood, painting the oak door casings and baseboards, and applying a level-5 flat finish to the sheetrock and re-painting it.
He also replaced the existing light fixtures. The one over the dining table is a Ramona Chandelier by Fuse Lighting. |
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| These window treatments span two stories, covering the upper windows as well as the lower windows and glass doors. "Some softness of an organic quality was called for — something natural and a bit unruly" says Mark. The drapes were a perfect solution, and their flowing fabric also provides a wonderful backdrop for the more rectilinear large pendant light from Pagani Studio. Because the house has such high ceilings, elements like window treatments and carefully chosen light fixtures were imperative; without them the upper reaches of the room would be overscaled and awkward dead space. |
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| The abstract botanical print pillow fabric is by Brentano and the sectional sofa is Holly Hunt.
Unable to find a cocktail table with the right scale and lines to fit into his furniture plan, Cravotta designed one himself. In order to add some storage, he added 3 practically hidden large drawers on each side. "The furniture maker I commissioned to make the table helped engineer a really clever system to open the drawers using hand-crafted levers and magnets." This keeps things sleek. Also keeping things sleek is the three-tiered side table that Cravotta designed. "The side table was inspired by a vintage metal and glass table I saw years ago," he says. |
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| Moving into the dining room, there are two more custom pieces designed by Cravotta: The Longhorn Buffet and The Quadrangle Dining Table. He designed the table to "balance the drama of the Longhorn Buffet with the grace of the Holly Hunt dining chairs." |
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| Here's a closer look at the dining table. "I needed something weighty enough to stand its ground without appearing too heavy," he says. Why did he name it The Quadrangle Table? "There is a groovy shopping center in Dallas where I grew up called 'The Quadrangle'. I never knew what that meant, but when I reflected on the table base, the name seemed to fit," Cravotta explains.
The fabric on the window treatments is by Galbraith and Paul. |
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| The moral of The Longhorn Buffet's story is that one should always keep a sketchbook and a pencil next to one's bed. "The Longhorn Console was something I literally saw in a dream. I woke up at 4 a.m. and started sketching. The idea was to have a massive piece of furniture that appeared to float above the floor effortlessly." |
Unfortunately, the original design from the dream was inherently unstable. Cravotta solved the problem by adding half-inch steel plates in the legs, bottom and top. "This framework allowed the wood to appear light by comparison," he explains. The father and his eldest son both graduated from The University of Texas, so the longhorn-shaped legs are a nod to their beloved alma mater.
Here is another shot that shows the steel plate and the grain of the wood. When designing a piece of furniture, Cravotta starts with the big picture, creating a scaled layout in order to understand the composition. "I generally start off trying to find furniture pieces within lines I love and respect, because there are so many wonderful lines to choose from, not to mention vintage and antique pieces," he says. "When I can't find what I'm looking for, I start sketching. From there a new piece is born."
Behold another Cravotta-designed addition: built-in bookcases. Like the buffet, they incorporate steel and wood, as do the new staircase railings.
The painting is by Austin Artist Court Lurie.
The painting is by Austin Artist Court Lurie.
Back to the staircase railing design: The existing sheetrocked pony wall surrounding the staircase "felt very closed-in," Cravotta says. In order to open it up, he designed a steel and glass panel system with a hand-hewn walnut handrail.
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| The bedrooms in the home continue the luxurious contemporary feeling. Here a Christian Liagre desk, more long window treatments and a painting by Arturo Mallmann are chic additions. This is a great example of how well-curated the home is; each piece serves a very specific purpose. The result is that the space is uncluttered yet made comfortable by plush textures. |
When the boys take over the common areas, their parents can retreat to their room, where comfortable chairs and a fireplace give them a sanctuary within their sanctuary. A Roman Ring Floor Lamp from Holly Hunt provides light for reading. The Josephine Chandeliers add organic curves overhead. Note how the window treatments and light fixtures enliven the upper reaches of this bedroom the same way they do in the living room.
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| A neutral palette focuses attention on the variety of textures and the artwork. The clients were already art collectors, and Cravotta helped add to their collection. What's it like to pull pieces for clients? "I try to learn what it is they're connecting with and then help them with their resourcing or supplementation," he says.
New to Austin, the couple was anxious to expand their collection by tapping into the vibrant local art scene. "Austin is home to some amazing and diverse artistic talent; I pulled 5-10 times the number of pieces as were ultimately selected, and together the clients and I made the picks that stayed with the home." I can't think of a better finishing touch than adding beautiful work by local artists. Thanks so much to Mark Cravotta for sharing this dream house with us. Next: Take photos tours of more inspiring homes |
Ideabook updated on May 27, 2011.
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Nothing about this house says "lake" - it could be in the middle of the any city. As debedwards implied, lake houses should (and most do) have a connection to a lake - including the interior; they bring the feeling of the lake inside.
Sorry Becky, as one who continues to see old charming lakeside cottages and lodges get leveled for modern McMansions (that are totally missing the lake-feeling design) I dissent. I wish I could invite you & Mark to visit my parents house. :)
So where is the suberb designed view of the calm surface of the lake? Bad job, thumbs down.
I have some age on me and don't ask how much. BUT, I can tell you what I see in this design. The old Texas oil boom of the 60s. Modern was the rage but people hadn't become comfortable with concrete, glass, and chrome structures. The blended the modern with details of the 50s and had spot presentations of details almost from the Regency era, gilded and white. It made a more relaxed environment with formal touches, presentations of dark grained woods, interesting grained textiles, and blended them all with the modern. That's what I see. I think it looks like a home. Great job!
So glad I took the time to read my Houzz post today. :)
Pam