For architect Francisco Arredondo, principal of North Arrow Studio, there are two types of clients: those who think they know what they want, and those who know what they want. “We like working with the ones that know,” he says. One such was Aditi, who was living in an early-2000s spec house in South Austin. Just Arredondo’s type, she came to him for a renovation with a number of specific goals and decisive design inspiration.

Before: Exterior

After renting the home for a few years, Aditi fell in love with the neighborhood’s walkability and character, but the house itself left much to be desired. “It didn’t quite fit her lifestyle or the things she values in a home,” Arredondo says. So what did she value, exactly? A connection between interior and exterior spaces, a facade that makes a home relatable to its neighborhood, and plenty of natural light while maintaining privacy.

Aesthetically, Aditi was drawn to the warmth, sophistication, and restrained minimalism of Belgian design—“particularly the work of Axel Vervoordt, Dieter Vander Velpen, and Marie Lecluyse,” she says—which she felt would give her home an overarching European sensibility.

After: Exterior

Getting the exteriors right was important to Arredondo, too. “We didn’t want to make a big statement,” he says. “It’s very important to us that our work, whether it be new construction or a remodel, fits within the neighborhood.” Whereas before the Austin home had vertical siding in a dull color, now it’s clad in yakisugi, a charred-wood finish that, in tandem with new large windows and doors, makes the exterior feel quiet, warm, and modern.

Before: Kitchen

After: Kitchen

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To make the house a better long-term fit for the owner, who has two young children, Arredondo and Emily Brown of Emily Lauren Interiors focused on making it live as large as possible. The team removed a wall forming a long entryway corridor to create a more open layout, and the new scheme features an inviting kitchen alongside living and dining rooms that feel much more connected to the backyard through an expansive sliding glass door and integrated steps.

Before: Living Room

After: Living Room

Before: Dining Room

After: Dining Room

Now, floor-to-ceiling glass suffuses the dining room with light. Tall cabinets line the space and can be concealed with pocket doors. “There was a lot of engineering with the builder to get the doors right,” says Brown. “When you add plaster to doors that are 9 or 10 feet, you get issues due to their weight.” Vintage chairs, drapery from The Shade Store, and a dining table from Maiden Home complete the room.
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The first floor felt cramped and short on storage, but is now “pristine and presentable” thanks to a suite of concealed built-ins and plaster pocked doors that tuck away everything from children’s toys to flatware, says Arredondo. Adding to its refined air are materials like warm-toned marble and Scandinavian white oak floors. The team also expanded the home slightly, adding a mudroom, pool bathroom, and pantry.

Before: Stairwell

After: Stairwell

Before: Primary Bedroom

After: Primary Bedroom

We added a curve so the light comes in more diffused.” The marble nightstands were custom-made, while in one corner is a Pierre Paulin Groovy chair.

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The office, a multipurpose space where Aditi takes meetings and hosts guests, was reworked to include a Murphy bed, sleek closet, built-in desk, and full bathroom, expanded from a powder room. “The bed doesn’t have visible handles, but we designed the slats to be big enough so she can grab onto them,” says Brown.

Before: Office

After: Office

The once utilitarian stairwell that leads to the second floor now offers a moment to pause, enjoy light filtering through, and take in the dynamic shadows it creates. “I love watching the light play on the plastered walls, and it’s interesting to see how it does so in different ways throughout the day,” says Aditi. Though the design team couldn’t change the height and width of the stair, new gentle curves and a skylight bring an entirely different personality to the space.

After: Office/Guest Bathroom

The powder bathroom in the office became a full bath with the addition of a new vanity clad in Arabescato Corchia marble and a plaster-finished shower. “It’s a unique challenge working in a curved room with materials that don’t bend,” Brown says." layout="" credit="Photo by Lindsay Brown" photoUserId=""/>

Before: Primary Bathroom

After: Primary Bathroom

Upstairs, the bedrooms and bathrooms are now as serene as the spaces below. And like the first floor, “part of the directive here was, how do we find more space in a house that’s already limited by its footprint?” Arredondo says. The solution? Carve into the attic. “Whenever we have the ability to add extra space that way, we do,” he adds. In Aditi’s daughter’s bedroom, a 15-foot light well was made possible through that smart move and spans up to the third floor. “It’s an incredibly special moment,” Brown adds. On a new third floor, they curated a kid-friendly zone with a playroom.

Before: Daughter’s Bedroom

After: Daughter’s Bedroom

The primary bathroom features plaster on nearly every surface, with color-matched microcement floors. Even the front of the vanity received its own coat of plaster. The home’s other bathrooms follow suit with details like vanities in curved marble and plaster showers; the pool bath is finished in zellige tile. “I feel transported from the city to a private retreat, which was exactly how I wanted the home to feel,” Aditi says.

Before: Kids’ Bathroom

After: Kids’ Bathroom

Before: Pool Bathroom

After: Pool Bathroom

More Before & After stories:

Three Creative Sisters Team Up to Remodel Their Mom’s Forever Home

Ann Edgerton Takes the ’80s Out of Her Texas Ranch House

Project Credits:

Architect of Record: North Arrow Studio / @northarrowstudio

Builder/General Contractor: Waller Build / @wallerbuild

Structural Engineer: Steinman Luevano Structures- Richard Luevano Jr.

Interior Design: Emily Lauren Interiors / @emilylaureninteriors

Plaster Installer: Terra Pura - Jon Mecham