Lakemoore

Tucked away in a unique pocket of shady lots in Central Austin, a block away from the crystal-clear waters of iconic Bull Creek, this thoughtfully designed home exhibits a balance between clean, modern design and tactile, organic materials all the while situated in the natural beauty unique to Austin.

This newly-completed modern home on Lakemoore Drive is anything but stark. When Jen Murrill, principal designer at Wheelhouse Design, first came on board the project in fall of 2017, her intention was to layer in dimensional texture throughout to give the spec home a sense of uniqueness and crafted detailing. Murrill had worked with the builder, Guillermo Carrillo of LECASA Homes, on several other residential projects during the prior 12 years so it was a natural partnership with a collective, team approach: “let’s make this house really special.”

The 4900sf home, expertly designed by Cornerstone Architects, includes five bedrooms and five baths, and an expansive kitchen, dining, and living space - perfect for entertaining. “The house assumes a horizontal proportion with deep overhangs and opportunities to capture cross breezes,” states Ranjit Gupta, AIA, creating a solid foundation upon which to build the interior selections.

Spaces flooded with abundant natural light, Murrill took the design in a different direction than most. She believes “not all modern homes have to feel like a sterile white box.” Selecting finishes rich in color with visual and textural depth, the home feels inviting, approachable, livable. Carrying that theme throughout the home creates a sense of cohesion, whether lounging by the fire or retreating to a relaxing bath in the master suite.

The traditionally nostalgic fireplace was transformed into a contemporary feature as a long glass-enclosed fire box was selected over its wood-burning predecessor. “We surrounded the fireplace with hand-crafted Italian long brick, completing the look with a smooth-cut local limestone hearth and sleek walnut mantel, integrated in perfect proportion with the adjacent brick,” says Murrill. The result yields a beautifully textured, yet warm and inviting feature wall located in the heart in the home.

Built as a spec, Murrill and Carrillo collaboratively gave great attention to detail in the two areas of focus for most potential buyers – the kitchen and master suite. A true chef’s kitchen, the custom bookmatched walnut cabinets and impressive array of Thermador appliances ground the space, while the expansive island offers great opportunity for entertaining. The master suite is a true retreat, tucked away beyond the common spaces and with no living space above. The beautifully proportioned bedroom flows into the adjacent master bath, Murrill’s favorite room in the house. “The space was laid out perfectly, with large double vanity and luxurious bathing area filled with gorgeous natural light… it was a pleasure to design this room.” She layered natural walnut cabinetry with a fresh tile palette of warm white marbles, anchored with a richly patterned shower floor tile.

The floating staircase, with solid wood treads and custom vertical steel screen wall, is a perfect anchor to the dining space. It leads up to the second floor living area surrounded by three additional bedrooms with en suite baths. Carrillo includes, “we wanted the upstairs spaces to feel just as thoughtful as the rest of the home, so we included a custom walnut desk and mimicked its materials and lines in the art ledge and window seat at the top of the stairs.”

The simple, clean lines of the cohesive lighting selections and simple black hardware complete the sense of unity in the house, complementing the abundant black metal windows throughout.

For The 2019 Austin Modern Home Tour, on which the home was featured in February, Wheelhouse Design styled the space with furniture, art, and accessories to make the home look and feel lived in. After nearly two years, Lakemoore is finally completed with the new owner scheduled to move in soon.

ARCHITECT:
Cornerstone Architects
www.cornerstonearchitectsllp.com
(512) 329-0007

BUILDER:
LECASA Homes
www.lecasahomes.com
512-585-3654

DESIGNER:
Wheelhouse Design
www.wheelhouseaustin.com
512-289-0018

PHOTOGRAPHER:
Molly Culver
mollyculverphotography.com