Revived with contemporary classicism, a French Eclectic home has had its heritage restored through a curated mix of European design and craftsmanship.
Built in 1938, this interwar home in Austin, Texas, marks a highly romanticised period in American architecture, when returning soldiers built their homes in the French château style. The property, now owned by a young family, engaged Hunt Architecture to undertake an extensive renovation of the spacious 390-square-metre home, spanning two levels. The generous scale of the home accommodates a living room with a bar, a sitting room, an office, a powder room, a kitchen and a dining room on the ground floor. Upstairs, the private living quarters comprise four bedrooms and three bathrooms, including an outdoor terrace adjoining the primary bedroom.
Working within the residence’s original framework, the architects retained its architectural details. “The design for this home respects the historic character and proportions of the architecture while transforming the interior with modern details and rich textures,” Hunt Architecture architect Brittany Hunt explains. “We kept the existing traditional room proportions, original windows, solid wood floors and ornate trim in some areas to balance the more modern details and fixtures,” she adds. To retain its integrity, the architects collaborated with local craftspeople and furniture makers to ensure the home’s quality feels both distinctive and established in its place.
In the dining room, a Silvio Mondino Studio Chemistry Trapezi chandelier hangs over a Hunt Architecture custom-designed dining table by Syd Furniture, with a set of vintage Pierre Jeanneret dining chairs tucked under, with a Hunt Architecture custom-designed marble pedestal made by From Europe To You, with a Sphere Sculpture by Yoyo Balague, Spruce Upholstery window coverings from Canvas Showroom, and Croft door hardware.
Pictured in the kitchen are Henry Wilson bronze ceiling lights, a pair of Volker Haug Anton Longton bronze wall lights, a faucet by Waterstone Faucets, a California Faucet water filler, Sun Valley Bronze hardware, Sub-Zero and Wolf appliances, and vintage vessels from Gallery Rath.
Preserving its French identity, the home is marked by references to the sophistication of 19th-century Paris, blended with the client’s appreciation for Copenhagen’s modern simplicity, shaped by their global travels. “They wanted a home that blended the two. It was important that it felt warm, modern, unique and collected. We were fortunate that the client’s European inspiration fit well with the existing architecture,” Hunt says.
Cultivated with understated ease, a soft neutral palette evokes cohesion, enhancing the floor plan’s openness and creating fluid transitions between rooms. This gentle flow is reinforced by the original solid wood floors, repeated throughout both levels of the home, bringing warmth as a mix of monochromatic stones and cabinetry subtly colours the spaces. Layered with a seasoned collection of French and Scandinavian furnishings, ranging from vintage to contemporary, the home is rendered with a quality that feels inherited.
Crafted with a tender reverence for its heritage, Harris Residence has been restored with a refined allure that honours its ancestry while remaining bespoke to the needs of a young family.
Featured in the living room, a Living Divani sectional sofa is complemented by a Slagelse Møbelfabrik wingback chair by Alfred Christensen, Yucca Stuff coffee table, a vintage floor lamp, a House of Leon square side table, a Time & Style Monk side table, a rug by Armadillo, an artwork by M. Weiss, a vintage mirror, a Lawson-Fenning Alta Brass Dome pendant and antique vessels from Gallery Rath.
The sitting room features vintage furniture alongside a Studio Sunt side table, an Inata Alpaca throw, vintage vessels from Gallery Rath, a rug from Sumaq Alpaca Rugs, Joelle Somero artwork, an Ovature Bonnie Singles pendant by Matthew Holleman, and a pair of Lisa Allegra Philia sconces.
In the sitting room, a Hunt Architecture custom-designed coffee table made by Nicholas Woodall is surrounded by a vintage pair of &Tradition Petra VB3 lounge chairs designed by Viggo Boesen, a Pierre Augustin Rose sofa with custom pillows.
In the office, a Hermès Metiers chair is tucked under a Hunt Architecture custom-designed with an oak desk top made by Syd Furniture and blacked steel base by Petrified Design, a rug by Armadillo, De La Espada Capo lounge armchair by Neri & Hu, a vintage desk lamp, a vintage Lumina Daphine floor lamp, artwork by Amanda Carol, a vintage pendant, and Spruce Upholstery window coverings from Canvas Showroom.
A vintage Pierre Augustine Rose bust is placed on a vintage cabinet. Above is an artwork by M. Weiss, custom framed in steel by Petrified Design. In the background is a Hunt Architecture custom-designed oak pedestal by Syd Furniture.
