Travis Ridge

Southern Living, Aug 1999 by Thomason, Julia H

AS WE INTRODUCE TRAVIS RIDGE, OUR 1999 AUSTIN IDEA HOUSE, WE ARE DELIGHTED TO PREMIERE OUT OWN LINE OF FURNITURE, THE SOUTHERN LIVING COLLECTION. THE RELAXED, YET ELEGANT, FEEL OF THE HOUSE PROVIDES THE PERFECT BACKGROUND FOR FURNITURE DESIGNED FOR LIVING IN COMFORTABLE SOUTHERN STYLE.

YOU'RE WELCOME

Native Texas plants and traditional Southern selections create a cottage garden outside the front door. Live oaks help give depth to the front, and ornamental peppers add a regional touch. "The idea was to keep the cottage charm while adding native Austin flair to the landscape," says landscape designer Chris Drymala.

Exterior building materials, including brick, stone, and stucco, contribute to the European ambience. The dark gray roof tiles, which are staggered to resemble slate or weathered shingles, add character and reinforce the feeling of age.

The mesquite wood front door opens to the spacious foyer. The credenza is a Southern Living piece designed to work as the anchor of an important grouping. Lamps and old architectural prints complete the handsome arrangement.

COME ON IN

In the light-filled family room, the relaxed seating group centers around a massive limestone fireplace. Though this material is rarely seen in some parts of the country, it is used often in Texas. "We use a lot of limestone in our houses," says builder Bob Tresch, "because it's native to this area." Once the fireplace was installed, Bob had the stone retouched for a weathered look.

Recesses on the sides of the fireplace hold entertainment centers patterned after an old French armoire. The windows on those walls were placed high to allow plenty of unbroken wallspace for the furniture pieces.

The vaulted ceiling adds the drama of exceptional height to the family room. "Different ceiling types identify each special space-kitchen, breakfast room, family room-as to its function," says residential designer David Gostecnik. "The wonderful beams in the family room, with their scroll brackets and metal straps, were designed on the job by builder Bob Tresch."

PICTURE THIS

A progression of expansive arches frames the vista through the family room windows toward the Texas Hill Country. "Such a massive space could have been tremendously boring," says David, "but the arches and ceiling details are a way of creating interest." The glistening floors in the three continuous rooms are wide plank cherry.

Wooden chairs with slat backs and khaki coromandel slipcovers encircle the round dining table in the breakfast room. The same fabric was chosen for the window treatment.

WHAT'S COOKING?

The kitchen ceiling is clad in longleaf pine. The cabinets have an off-white painted finish matched to the limestone surrounding the refrigerator and ovens. The island holds a bar sink with disposal. A commercial-style range and warming drawer are just some of the state-of-the-art conveniences.

THAT'S ENTERTAINING

The living and dining areas are combined into a single generous space. The overall effect is one of comfort without clutter. "We used small doses of things for a classic, timeless look," says designer Charlotte Taylor. "This allows the warmth and personality of a client to come through." Natural fabrics and colors enrich the seating group beside the stone fireplace. The window wall at the rear is composed of fixed pairs of French doors flanking two operable doors in the center. The French doors used throughout the house are 8 feet high, to be proportionate with the 10-foot ceilings.

The window treatments for the wall of French doors suggest an elegant way for you to use a relatively small amount of drapery fabric: Pewter swing-arm rods support panels of gold-embellished chamois silk that are sewn from just two widths of cloth. "They give the effect of full draperies that are opened back," says designer Stephanie Smith. The deep cove molding is embellished with a light coat of textured pewter glazing.

Charlotte and Stephanie chose low furniture for the center ofthe room to preserve the openness of the space. They used a draped sofa table to separate the living and dining areas. The rectangular custom table was padded with batting and then layered with antique French linen sheets. Because it's so convenient to the dining area, the sofa table can also function as a buffet.

Distinctive dining room appointments include ceramics inspired by the 17thand 18th-century tradition of hand painting on tin glaze. Our lighted china cabinet is also displayed with books and groupings of decorative porcelains.

AN ELEGANT RETREAT

The large bay window in the master bedroom contains fixed transoms positioned above tall windows that accentuate the room's high ceiling. With its northern exposure and majestic views of verdant hillsides, the light-filled bay easily holds a seating group. A black handpainted tray table, designed by artist Susan Welsh of Atlanta, lends a lighthearted touch. Linen draperies bound in patterned silk line the windows, and soothing gray-green walls provide restful background color. For a true collected look, you can easily mix antiques with our pieces, as shown by the placement of an interesting old iron-and-limestone writing table beside the bed.