Matthews Library Industrial Home Office, Austin

A home office can be outfitted with built-ins to double as a library.

Now here's what I call color therapy. Sure, neutral spaces are a great idea if you wanna remain timeless and unattached to a specific color scheme. The downside is that no color at all can often becoming more boring than beautiful. Here's where a single burst of color, large in scale, hung on a cream wall comes in. Obviously, the art adds some energy to the space; however, this also works as a building block for slowly working color into the room. If I were styling it for a photo shoot, I'd bring out the blue and the yellow by adding in 5-10 objects sporting those two colors: a small patterned pillow on the club chair, tabletop accessories and organizers on the desk, then maybe a few graphic objects on the bookshelves. Starting with art is always a safe bet for incorporating color. Just remember this quote: "Good art won't match your sofa."

Pull your settee up to a desk to create an intimate workspace for two or to simply have more breathing room while you work solo.

...while the white interior, with carefully chosen furniture, art and accessories, appears fresh and cool. The combination is the perfect antidote for the hot Texas climate.

This room balances softer details with sleek shapes, natural materials, and steel detailing.

Randolph chose to place these windows high to take advantage of the light without having to look straight into the windows of the adjacent home. "I love to be involved during the construction process," he says. "The day before the sheetrock was to go in, I was on site and could see that these raised dormers would be an improvement to my original plans; because the workers were there, I found out the cost of creating them was minimal." The change was made on the fly, and these added angles bounce the light and add dimension to the ceiling. The painting is by local Austin artist Will Klemm.

Here is another wall of books that integrates larger openings for displaying objects other than books. They are horizontal, vertical, and square, enabling different things to be on display.

Architect Hugh Randolph says his mom taught him to be curious and to have empathy, which has helped him look at things from the point of view of his clients — an "invaluable skill," he says, for any architect or designer. Randolph grew up in a house that had a revolving collection of literature, history and art books and plenty of access to art supplies; this makes sense, as his mom is a skilled visual artist. Design tip from Mom: Creating a lively, lived-in household is more important than achieving a show-house look. Encourage all members of the family to read and play by filling the home with books of all types, art materials and plenty of conversation areas. Display artwork in both expected, high-traffic areas and unexpected places like bathrooms and walk-in closets; you never know when an impressionable young mind will be impacted by what they see.

In the OfficeA comfy settee makes a good desk chair and gives the space a much homier and personal feeling.

ceiling drywall around windows and bookcase

Love the dark wood against the white

So dramatic with high ceilings and light