Austin Way Magazine - GreenGale Publishing - There is a place beyond the crowds, beyond the ropes, where dreams are realized and success is celebrated. You are invited.
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/692367
Austin's tight real estate market is challenging homebuyers to be creative, especially those who want to stay in the urban core. Craig and Kate Chick were drawn to Central Austin's historic Tarrytown for their growing family (they now have two children), but with limited options, they took a chance on a 1960s ranch-style home that was begging for a facelift. Built as a duplex, its past renovations were painfully evident in the mismatched flooring and oddly placed, light-blocking walls. The couple tasked builder Jason Miars and architect Chris Sanders with transforming the unsightly midcentury dwelling into a light- filled, family-friendly home close to downtown Austin, where they both work. The unusual site presented early hurdles for Sanders. "The home had a pretty signifi- cant footprint, so we didn't have any square footage that we could expand outward," explains the architect, who actually had to reduce the first floor in order to build out the second story. The other problem was privacy. The couple wanted generous outdoor space for al fresco entertaining, but three of the sides faced the street. Rather than opting for bluntly protruding wraparound balconies, Sanders penetrated the building's envelope with open-air lounge areas and took advantage of its wooded border. Determined to incorporate sunlight into all the rooms, Sanders centralized the home office, kitchen, and enviable mudroom, and he cracked open the northern-facing roof with dormer windows that invite a soft glow into the sequestered spaces. Sunlight flows liberally through the connected common areas that surround its center, courtesy of floor-to-ceiling windows. Although the homeowners describe their style as traditional, Sanders was quick to note their interest in a more modern aethetic. To merge these styles, the family enlisted interior designer Christen Ales. "We pushed them to keep the decor timeless," recalls Ales, who cast traditional furniture silhouettes with punchy upholstery and dangled modern artwork above existing antiques. The architect intentionally left exposed roof joists and textured wood surfaces to "roughen up" the clean lines. The color palette is toned-down but fresh. Pops of blue-gray and yellow are set to a warm backdrop of knotty oak flooring and Sherwin-Williams Dover White. Ales appointed the space with kid-friendly materials like the FLOR carpet tiles in the living room and hard-wearing vinyl on the cocktail ottoman and breakfast banquette. Hints of glamour include snazzy light fixtures, many from Currey and Co. After a yearlong renovation, the family are now settled into their airy four-bedroom abode. "We love being close to down- town," Kate Chick says. "It was never an option to move out of Austin's urban core." . A young fAmily cAlls on Architect Chris sanders to work his mAgic on An outdAted fixer-upper in tArrytown. By MiMi FauCett photography By MerriCk ales Ranch, Reimagined AUSTINWAY.com 119 clockwise from top left: The exterior of the Tarrytown home; the upstairs area centers around an open play area for the children; the dining room features a custom table from Weego Home; the upstairs terrace provides a peaceful retreat; outdoor entertaining space was important to the Chick family; a vinyl-covered breakfast banquette provides another dining option.