Modern Luxury Interiors

Austin High + Low

Written by Nadia Dabbakeh | Original Article

Designer Mark Cravotta creates a luxe Austin abode using the most humble of materials

In Austin’s hip Bouldin Creek neighborhood, distinguished by rolling hills and enormous live oak trees, sits a very modern home that designer Mark Cravotta has infused with a palpable warmth. “I worked closely with architect David Webber of Webber + Studio, and the client is the owner of the IT company that services both of our firms,” says Cravotta about the unique project. “We’ve worked with him for close to 20 years now, and when he came to us and said, ‘I can’t possibly afford you guys, but I want you to design my house,’ we said, ‘Of course.’” And they made it work.

Starting with a very modern exterior, made of white metal cladding that features raised stripes—a micro trend suddenly gaining popularity across the country—Cravotta put a lot of thought into “pulling humble materials and putting them together in a thoughtful way.” He started with the interior envelope of the space, created predominantly with Baltic birch plywood coated in a clear glaze, which is what cabinetmakers use for the inside of cabinets. The floors are poured concrete, and together they evoke a relaxed, almost rustic warmth. “It is a concrete and glass house, which would tend to make it reflective sounding, acoustically, but because of all the wood, such a pleasant acoustic material, it feels and sounds nice.”