February 22, 2024
I love interior design almost as much as garden design. And so every January I look forward to stepping inside some of the most inspiring and beautiful homes in Austin, done by local interior designers, on the annual Tribeza Interiors Tour. I’m grateful to the homeowners for bravely and generously opening their private spaces to the public. I always find something in each one to appreciate, and sometimes a house wows me from the front door to the back.
Here’s an overview of this year’s tour, which took place on January 21st, minus the Renner Project house, which did not allow photography.
Heather Scott Home & Design
Designer: Raquel Skrobarczyk
At the first home, the foyer was dramatic with large-scale floral wallpaper and a black background. I admired the herringbone brick floor too.
Heather Scott Home & Design specializes in interior decor that’s both eye-catching and wholly liveable. There’s nothing fussy or excessively formal about the rooms crafted by this Austin-based team; instead, clients benefit from designers who closely listen to their needs and preferences, using that info to offer aesthetic schemes that are as Instagrammable as they are authentic. For Heather Scott Home & Design’s showcased home in the Tribeza Interiors Tour, expect rich jewel tones, modern-meets-baroque light fixtures, lots of statement wallpaper, mid-century-inspired furniture, and floods of natural light.
The powder bath featured colorful and whimsical wallpaper with Hunt Slonem‘s bunnies.
A grand, elegant primary bath
A mint-and-pink little girl’s bedroom
Brass bow detail on a sconce
Amity Worrel & Co.
Designers: Amity Worrel & Allison Beyer
On last year’s tour, I was fascinated by the imma-do-me, witchy-goth vibe and statement wallpaper at the Amity Worrel house. So I was delighted to see that Amity had a house on this year’s tour too. It did not disappoint! I walked into a small sitting room with comfortable-looking furniture upholstered in beautifully patterned fabrics.
A gorgeous chair
Here’s the official description:
Trends can be fun to experiment with from time to time, but Amity Worrel–an Austin-native interior designer who launched her career in New York City before returning to her hometown–prefers to focus on timeless style with personal touches. In the Amity Worrel-designed home that tour guests will visit, they’ll see wall motifs ranging from clean neutral tones to intricate wallpaper, unique shelving structures to hold books, spirits, and vases, pretty and practical cabinetry, and a lively blend of patterned furniture that looks creative and polished rather than busy.
Lovely drapes appeared in nearly every room.
The powder bath — a pattern and color lover’s fever dream
The primary bedroom was patterned too, yet restful with a more subdued color palette.
This dog pillow on a chair had everyone fooled.
I liked that the primary bath was not over-fussed. I mean, it does have a Venetian-style chandelier and wallpapered ceiling and beautiful, free-standing tub. But it still feels real.
Dresser detail
Another bedroom had a granny afghan on the bed, a pink velvet settee, and luxurious cranberry drapes — sweet and cozy.
I think that’s a Frame TV above the dresser, where a round tray with scalloped edge echoed round woven mats.
Cabinetry in the attached bathroom — more cranberry. On the walls, the unmistakable Moon Snake Rhinestone paper by Austin’s own Fort Lonesome.
A taxidermy ostrich chick caught my eye on an office bookshelf.
An intimate dining room was tucked behind a half screen with a Moroccan pattern.
Interesting light fixture!
I loved this sunlit hall with gray-tiled floor, pretty rug, and colorful art.
An upstairs bedroom was warmed up with red pillows, a blanket, and chair fabric.
Griffin-like creatures on the lumbar pillow!
Back downstairs, everyone was admiring this arched and backlit bar…
…which adjoined a home cocktail lounge.
A dyed cowhide rug and more mythical creatures on the chair fabric were pretty fabulous.
What a place to entertain — like having a personal cocktail lounge.
Hall bath
Around the corner, a disco-ball game room contained three pinball machines, a TV, and an LED stock ticker display running along the ceiling (not pictured).
Top banana
3 Fold Design Studio
Designer: Page Gandy & Allison Gaskins
The next house went for broke in the foyer with eye-dizzying wallpaper.
Here’s the Tribeza description:
For sustainable interior design with touches of mid-century modern and art-gallery chic, 3 Fold Design Studio is the place to go. Lead designer Page Gandy and her team aren’t afraid to play with color, pattern, and texture contrasts, and highlights of the home that they’ve designed in the Interiors Tour include a jewel-toned closet with a romantic wallpaper background for the vanity station, a sleek white kitchen with warm natural wood shelves and rose-gold accents, and a whimsical bedroom with power-clashing textiles and a colorful cubic art installation on the wall.
I appreciate bold wallpaper, and this house had plenty of it.
More wild wallpaper in a bedroom
The home theater was serene by contrast, with spruce-green walls and ceiling and black leather sofas. A taxidermy elk on the wall dominated the room.
Skelly Build
Designer: Diana Skellenger
Next up was the personal condo of the designer at Skelly Build. Where the home office meets the stairwell, two different wallpapers meet up: one a pink floral and the other a gray paper with an intriguing pattern…
…scissors, coffee cup, roll of film, and iPhone with a cracked screen, all rendered with a botanical design. It’s Office Baroquen by Flavor Paper.
Downstairs, a pink-and-sage-green nursery mixed floral patterns on the walls and drapes.
Mash ’em up, more is more
Another child’s bedroom has colorful wallpaper with African animals.
The primary bedroom gives ’80s vibes. Cloud wallpaper on the ceiling is a nice touch.
The Interior Collective
Designer: Anastasia Casey
The final house was the home of the designer, Anastasia Casey. She turned an ordinary neighborhood house into a warm and welcoming home with updated English style.
Across from the living room, a sitting room/office was made cozy with richly textured, woven wallpaper.
Bunnies of a different sort at this house
Here you can see the wallpaper a little better. The room was beautiful.
The kitchen had an old-fashioned, appealing cottage vibe.
Green cabinets with green checkerboard backsplash
Kitchen table, with airy cafe curtains at the windows
Kitchen vignette
Another woven wallpaper in a powder bathroom — so much better than a white box
The laundry room, with a farmhouse sink and lots of storage
Counter vignette
Plaid wallpaper and moss-green paint in a bathroom
And green paneling and plaid wallpaper on the ceiling in the primary bedroom
What a fun day, seeing the creative choices Austinites are making in their home decor. I’m already looking forward to next year’s tour! And organizers, if you’re reading this, thank you for extending the touring time from 5 hours to 8, which allowed plenty of time for lunch and leisurely explorations of the houses. Much better!
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Digging Deeper
Attend the third annual Budding Out Plant Sale & Festival on March 16th at the John Fairey Garden in Hempstead. Rare and distinctive plants from the garden’s nursery and from select plant vendors will be for sale. Additional offerings include art, ceramics, jewelry, food, music, and presentations. Admission: $5 for members, $10 for non-members, children under 12 free. Hours: 10 am to 4 pm; members get early admission at 9 am (memberships available on day of event).
Come out to Austin’s Mayfield Park on April 6th for the Mayfield Park Gardening Symposium & Fundraiser, 8:30 to 11 am. This annual benefit for the park includes a raffle, plant sale, and garden speakers.
Come learn about gardening and design at Garden Spark! I organize in-person talks by inspiring designers, landscape architects, authors, and gardeners a few times a year in Austin. These are limited-attendance events that sell out quickly, so join the Garden Spark email list to be notified in advance; simply click this link and ask to be added. Season 8 kicks off in fall 2024. Stay tuned for more info!
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