A sprawling, steel-and-glass garage in Austin, Texas, is the result of a two-year collaboration involving a trio of local firms—Shiflet Group Architects, Mark Ashby Design, and Dalgleish Construction. The multi-level structure, sited within a grove of trees, merges engineering smarts with ’80s design. Case in point: the neon-studded basement, where a rare, candy-red 1980 BMW M1 appears to effortlessly hang along the wall.

The homeowner's own affinity for ’80s design played a large role in defining the interior aesthetic. “The goal here was to tip our hats to the movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and luxuriate in that theme,” says Michele Lorenz, creative director at Mark Ashby Design. “For example, we used an Andy Warhol–printed wallpaper in the bathroom and covered the iconic Le Corbusier sofa and lounge chairs in a Porsche red leather."

Structurally, the 8,300-square-foot garage presented a daunting challenge, considering the need to carve out a basement within the solid limestone bedrock. David Dalgleish, founder of Dalgleish Construction Company, recalled digging 18 feet into the ground while preserving the existing trees on the lot.

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collaboration between architect, designer and builder—achieving a look that also represents the client’s keen sense of modern minimalism." layout="" credit="Photo by Clay Grier" photoUserId=""/>

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Project Credits:

Architecture: Shiflet Group Architects, David Shiflet and Sam Burch / @shifletgrouparchitects

Interior Design: Mark Ashby Design, Michele Lorenz / @markashbydesign

Lighting Design: Studio Lumina / @studio.lumina

Neon Lighting Design: Ion Art / @ion_art_atx

Construction: Dalgleish Construction, Adrian Fudge / @dalgleish_construction

Landscape Architecture: Madrone Landscape Architecture

Photography: Clay Grier / @claygrier

This Epic, 17-Car Garage in Austin Tips its Hat to “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”