Find out how this home in Austin turned into a relaxing retreat from modern life’s stress by using earthy tones to blend with its natural surroundings.
Among a pervasive cluster of centuries-old live oaks in the city of Austin, Texas, a hidden gem lies calmly upon the land, leading a calm yet endearing sight, inviting everyone who passes by to take a moment to gaze upon this true masterpiece of a home, which uses earthy tones to blend in with its surroundings’ ambience.
The homeowners, a young professional couple, were rewarded for their patience with this project’s development with a unique and inspiring house, thanks to the beautiful combined work of the architect couple, Megan and Frank Lin, along with the help of interior designer Ann Tucker, home builder Brent Fannin, and landscape architect Brian Pearson.
“Designing this home within the trees was a powerful experience. We needed the house to float above the sensitive root zones, so we mapped the trunk diameters and set up critical root zones based on city rules— we also needed to map the trees’ arms, which go everywhere”
Frank Lin- Architect
The usage of earthy tones in this home is a clear attempt to make this home feel more in tune with its unique and natural surroundings, calming, natural tones such as brown, beige, and black, to make the home feel relaxing and perpetually connected to nature.
The dining room, for example, is a great way to acknowledge a feeling of minimal serenity that the home is supposed to emanate, which matches and complements beautifully the emotions that the earthy tones we previously discussed are meant to transmit as well.
The choice of earthy, wooden textures on the chairs, along with the smooth, black table, makes the room feel calm and refined, and the painting on the white wall makes the room feel much more sophisticated and connected to an artistic element.
In the living room, brown, earthy tones are much more prevalent and end up becoming more of a centerpiece to the room, capturing our attention immediately upon entry, bringing out that close-to-nature feel we have been talking about.
The impressive use of a complementary rug gives a more vibrant vibe to this living room, while simultaneously keeping the room calm, yet also a bit endearing through the usage of slightly contrasting colors, such as the clear white used in the furniture and decor.
The beautiful rug we talked about before is used to make a soothing transition between the living room and the kitchen, even though the kitchen uses much darker, earthy tones, which make for a slight difference between these two rooms.
The kitchen itself is very simple and minimalistic, choosing to focus on functionality and practicality over other elements, although it still manages to use earthy tones to look clear and soothing, matching the home’s overall aesthetic and vibe.
There aren’t any notable complementary elements like the rug we see in the living room, although there are still a few elements that serve as decorative elements, such as the flower vase and the plants we see on the balcony.
In the bedroom, earthy tones are still the main color palette, although a much more bold and unexpected approach was chosen for the bedroom, choosing much more unique pieces such as the round painting on the wall, paired with the small, yellow glass coffee table, and the brown leather chaise longue, which is beautifully matched by the textured brown rug.
The bed itself is very simple, yet it still matches the room’s aesthetic perfectly, leaning into the brown bedside table’s feeling of sophisticated comfort, which makes the bedroom feel that much more like a place to rest and spend some time relaxing and resting up for the next day.
This room has a bit of a different aesthetic from the rest of the home, namely because of its usage of a more artful rug with unique patterns and colors, although earthy tones are still a centerpiece of the home’s main vibe, which was maintained in this room through the furniture and decor.
The brown sofa is being paired with a grey blanket and a dark-green towel, which also contrasts neatly with the darker-toned brown chair that lies atop the aforementioned rug, which also serves as a means to create a contrast through the usage of color.
Did you feel inspired by the usage of earthy tones in this home in Austin? If so, make sure to explore Tapis Studio‘s extensive in earthy rugs, ready to be used for your next interior design project.
Source: Luxe
Photography by Chase Daniel
