Baylor Street: Inspired

The Baylor Street house is a classic little 1910's bungalow built on a pier and beam foundation stilted off the side of Castle Hill in the historic residential Clarksville neighborhood in downtown Austin. The front of the house faces east, with about 60 steps taking you from the front door down to street level. The morning sunrise views and light are unparalleled.

At the time that I moved into the house, things in my life had been all shaken up and all of my horizons were new. I was seeking a few things: to create a sanctuary that could hold space both physically and emotionally as I processed the changes I was going through, to get involved personally by building some of the furnishings, and to capitalize on the natural world and daylight that living at the top of the tree line provided.

I looked at nomadic military camping gear as a source for inspiration, specifically at the intentionality of the material. The color palette chosen to fade into the natural world, and the strong and durable (design translation: tactile) materials that serve many functions. The materials need to withstand the elements (rain, wind, heat), be durable enough to endure being continually packed and unpacked, and also breathable enough as to not make the experience inside insufferable.

Separately, I find I am constantly looking at Japanese architecture and interior design as a source of inspiration, specifically looking at the design of the ryokan, baths and the interiors of the Imperial Palace. I find the simplicity of the materials and colors used, the construction and proportion of the spaces and the way light is capture and played with incredibly powerful and beautiful.