My Houzz: Color, Kitsch and Crafts Abound in an Austin Home
This Texas family home goes for a bold look with stylish vintage finds, eclectic artwork and DIY projects
The couple and their children are seen here in front of a floor-to-ceiling gallery wall. The couple bought the home in 2013, drawn to its open layout and natural light. They embraced rather than replaced the existing forest green marble racing stripes on the floor and the intricate ceiling moldings. The home is filled with things of meaning to the family, and Perkins draws decorating inspiration from her upbringing in a 128-year-old Victorian house and her frequent visits to flea markets as a child.
The previous family had lived in this house for over 30 years. “They had raised their children here,” Perkins says. “They had the pool built with an extra-large shallow end just for children. They invited us over with the kids and taught us how to maintain the pool ourselves and walked us through and told us all the nuances.
“I think it thrilled them that they knew we were planning to spend the next 30-plus years of our life in this house raising our kids and creating memories. They would be glad to know we are enjoying the house with our family as much as they did.”
The previous family had lived in this house for over 30 years. “They had raised their children here,” Perkins says. “They had the pool built with an extra-large shallow end just for children. They invited us over with the kids and taught us how to maintain the pool ourselves and walked us through and told us all the nuances.
“I think it thrilled them that they knew we were planning to spend the next 30-plus years of our life in this house raising our kids and creating memories. They would be glad to know we are enjoying the house with our family as much as they did.”
In the formal living room sits a pair of Milo Baughman T-Back lounge chairs passed down from Perkins’ parents. Perkins re-covered them, and while she loves the fabric for its vibrant colors and how it coordinates with the tufted green sofa, she laments its ubiquity. “It’s everywhere now!” she says. Her parents have additional classic chairs in their garage that she’s looking forward to re-covering one day.
Dora Maar vase: Jonathan Adler; browse more modern vases
Dora Maar vase: Jonathan Adler; browse more modern vases
“I love outsider art and things that look like a craft project, like popsicle stick planters, toothpick picture frames and memory jugs,” Perkins says. “My favorite objects to collect are those items that you look at and can’t decide if a child or a genius made it.”
The “Arts & Crafts” sign came from the Antiques Weekend in Round Top. “There were actually two of them, and I put a picture up on Instagram of the sign when I bought it, and a friend from Chicago messaged me asking if there was another, so I went back and bought the mate,” Perkins says. “I shipped it off, so one lives in my game room and the other is in a basement in Chicago.”
The large papier-mâché bust came from Room Service Vintage in Austin. “I know nothing about it besides it looks like a neon Mark Twain and I love it,” Perkins says.
The “Arts & Crafts” sign came from the Antiques Weekend in Round Top. “There were actually two of them, and I put a picture up on Instagram of the sign when I bought it, and a friend from Chicago messaged me asking if there was another, so I went back and bought the mate,” Perkins says. “I shipped it off, so one lives in my game room and the other is in a basement in Chicago.”
The large papier-mâché bust came from Room Service Vintage in Austin. “I know nothing about it besides it looks like a neon Mark Twain and I love it,” Perkins says.
These matching armchairs also came from Round Top. The chair on the left reclines. Boehk built the bookshelves behind them.
“I’m a thrift store and flea market kinda gal, so I don’t have a set budget,” Perkins says. “It all depends on what the dealer’s ‘best price’ is. If you decorate with my aesthetic of found, foraged and flea markets, your money goes a lot further. I’m [also] big on trying to make it or do it myself.”
Every year, the family adds a new family portrait to this gallery wall. “When we started having children, we decided every year we would commission a family portrait by a different artist,” Perkins says. “We have worked with some amazing ones like Ashley Goldberg and Tuesday Bassen. My favorite has to be the ones my sister Hope Perkins did of my children dressed as a bullfighter and flamenco dancer.”
This space, referred to as the “game room,” is a family favorite. “It’s definitely the most eclectic, but it is where we all spend the most time as a family,” Perkins says. “I do not have a studio, so I tend to work from that room at a large paint-covered table. At any given time there might be one kid in a ’50s floral lounger watching TV and another sitting at the table with me crafting. My husband works from home most of the time so he pops in throughout the day from his bedroom office.”
The table holds projects in progress and the colorful markings of a well-loved and -used piece.
Perkins’ craft projects can be found throughout the home. “Faded mass-produced thrift store art is never safe when there is a bottle of neon pink paint and some patterned stickers around,” she says.
Built-in bookshelves hold the family’s library.
A colorful patterned rug warms the marble floors.
One of Perkins’ biggest splurges was this Jonathan Adler velvet sofa. “I’ll always take more Jonathan Adler,” she says.
Lampert Grand sofa: Jonathan Adler; see more velvet sofas
Lampert Grand sofa: Jonathan Adler; see more velvet sofas
Perkins considers herself a flea market aficionado and always goes with her gut when shopping vintage. “I jokingly tell people that I scheduled my wedding around a flea market, but I’m not really joking. I’ve been going twice a year to antiques weekend at Round Top and Warrenton for almost 15 years,” she says. “I’ve only missed it twice, for the birth of my children.”
A 1970s glass and brass dining table is paired with French chairs with a hot air balloon pattern on them. Underneath is a colorful kilim rug. The portrait of Michael Jackson was painted by someone who sold their work at a gallery for disabled adults.
“I love all these items and they all spoke to me individually,” Perkins says. “They come together because I love them all, and somehow that makes it all work.”
“I love all these items and they all spoke to me individually,” Perkins says. “They come together because I love them all, and somehow that makes it all work.”
A small wet bar features mirrored walls, faux marble countertops and a small sink. The black-and-white striped wallpaper is removable. The bar stools are from Salvation Army, and Perkins painted the seats.
Find midcentury-style bar stools
Find midcentury-style bar stools
A patio furnished with bohemian-style furniture overlooks the pool.
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
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My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
Browse more homes by style: Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
Who lives here: Jennifer Perkins and Chris Boehk; their daughter Tallulah; son Baxter; fish Goldie and Lapis; cats Georgie and Brie; and dog Ella
Location: Austin, Texas
Size: 3,000 square feet (278.7 square meters); four bedrooms, 2½ bathrooms
Year built: 1980s
The interior decor of Jennifer Perkins and Chris Boehk’s 1980s home is constantly evolving as they put their distinct stamp on it. Perkins works as a freelance writer and creative content designer, Boehk as a market researcher.
“I’m not big on listening to design rules or keeping up with home decor trends,” Perkins says. The couple’s first home had what she describes as a “midcentury tiki vibe.” In decorating this home, she decided to take cues from several eras, design styles and continents.
Perkins works with a Christmas tree company, and in August, she says, “it starts to look like a candy corn tree forest in my house.” At the end of the summer she clears off all the étagères, mantels and bookshelves to make way for pumpkins and Santas. She once took down an entire gallery wall and replaced it with vintage Halloween-themed pictures. When it was time to switch it back, she chose all new pictures to put on display.
“The best part about this process is that my house is different all the time,” Perkins says.