THAT'S THE VIBE DESIGNER LAUREN JERDEN, owner of Lauren Allyn Interiors, went with for a longtime Austin resident’s downtown condo. Located on the 20th floor of the Four Seasons Residences, this eclectic pad features dark, dramatic tones in the media room, dining room and master suite, while geometric Cole & Son® wallpaper makes an appearance in both the dining room and powder bath ceilings.
“We wanted those two spaces to be fun and interesting, sticking with deeper, rich tones in the wallpaper with a masculine geometric pattern,” Jerden says.
The client, a venture capitalist who owns a private club on Austin’s East Side, wanted a place downtown he could retreat to — a space that felt like his own. While he wasn’t specific in terms of the brief, Jerden took inspiration from the style of his club. “I had been to a couple of events at his club and saw the style that he liked there,” she says. Additionally, he had some sculptures from the beloved Umlauf Sculpture Garden & Museum, as well as some guitars that he wanted easily accessible. He’s also involved with the Austin Film Association and has hosted many events for both the annual South By Southwest Festival and Austin City Limits and had plenty of posters. As the condo is centrally located, adding pieces that were very Austin felt like the way to go.
Jerden was hired in April 2018 from a referral, and during the seven-month-long design process, she completely transformed the 3,452-square-foot, three-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bathroom home. Due to the time constraint between purchasing the unit and move-in, Jerden did cosmetic updates, painting it and replacing the light fixtures — a simple but effective upgrade that anyone should consider when moving into a new space.
The condo features sweeping views of downtown, plus two patios and a converted bedroom/study with Chapman Woodworks cabinetry and a Murphy Bed fabricated by a local vendor. He has two children, and while they aren’t always staying downtown, it’s a clever “landing space.”
Throughout the home, there are certain design elements that express an obvious theme like metal and leather. In the dining room, the custom circular black honed granite table has steel legs; the mirrors in that space are framed in both metal and leather. In the living room, the Thayer Coggin angular sofa and adjacent chairs are metal and leather as well, plus there’s a Caracole® metal console in the media room, metal on the hallway console pieces and metal again appears on the Thayer Coggin accent chairs in the master bedroom.
The decision to go with such materials was to make the condo feel homey but primarily masculine. In the dining room, Sherwin Williams® Iron Ore adds a further punch of sophistication and drama, while a Noir Furniture LA glass chandelier, Vanguard® buffet and art piece, an editorial spread featuring his club, are the final touches. He’s a big entertainer, thus having large, comfortable spaces to spread out in the living and dining spaces was important, as well as on the outdoor patios which are located outside the master suite and off of the living room. The same dark palette can be viewed in those spaces as well.
In the living room, a Kyle Bunting rug is the perfect accent for the dark furniture pieces alongside an Arteriors coffee table and Interlude Home bar cart. This multiuse room can function as a family-friendly area or as an entertainment hub. The media room, which has a more relaxed appeal for family movie nights, features a multitude of SXSW and ACL posters, and includes a cozy sofa with textiles by Lee Jofa, Beacon Hill, Marcus William and Samuel & Sons. Finally, the master retreat with Vanguard nightstands, an Arteriors lamp, Visual Comfort bedside lamps, Eastern Accents bedding and impressive walk-in closet with luxe acrylic pulls rounds out the expansive home.
In terms of a executing a moody, masculine Austin condo, this design nails it.
Lauren Allyn Interiors
512-721-2833 | laurenallyninteriors.com