Name: Joel Mozersky, interior designer
Location: Windsor Park — Austin, Texas
Size: 1,700 square feet — 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms
Years lived in: 8 years — owned
Joel Mozersky never meant to stay in his house for eight years, but time flies when the designer is busy. Joel not only converted his 1955 ranch house into a cozy retreat, but he also completed a celebrity list of interior design projects in Austin including Uchi and the Belmont. Of course we jumped at the chance to take a peek at Joel’s house to see how the well-known designer, along with his partner Ted, their cat (KooKoo) and their three dogs (Alfie, Peggy and ChaCha), really live.
Even though Joel Mozersky designed the tour buses for the Dixie Chicks, Emily Robinson’s home and the set for Real World in Austin, Joel is a down-to-earth guy. His modest sized home has only been slightly remodeled from its original 50’s glory, but it is decked out in accessories that make a statement. The assortment of vintage lamps, classical figurines, turtle shells, and sometimes kitschy art could only have been gathered by someone with a keen eye and a true love of collecting.
The California ranch style home already featured original cork flooring and unique built-ins. Joel rearranged the floor plan by using the second living area as a spacious dining room and the former dining area as a sitting room. It’s the perfect space for guests to comfortably chat with the host while he prepares dinner or drinks. The kitchen had been updated by the previous owner with concrete countertops, but the knotty pine cabinets remain (with glass panels installed). Joel opted to back-paint the glass fronts rather than expose any kitchen cabinet clutter.
The color palette throughout the home is earthy with pops of accent color and an emphasis on texture. Don’t miss the custom coffee table with marabou feathers and topped with brass roosters engaged in . . . well, a cock fight. Did we mention that there is humor in the details of Joel’s house? Yet, the styling of each piece is precise, as you might expect from a designer. We love the artwork mounted on the front of the dining room shelves to add more dimension to the display. Most of the vintage furnishings and accessories were inherited from Joel’s “glam-ma” or purchased at local re-sale shops. The result is an eclectic mix of classical icons, 70’s glam, safari relics, and granny chic which is essentially “glamma-tastic”.
Apartment Therapy Survey:
My/Our style: Eccentric.
Inspiration: Vintage furniture.
Favorite Element: Art by friends or relatives.
Biggest Challenge: Small rooms.
What Friends Say: It’s very “me”.
Biggest Embarrassment: Small bathrooms, but it’s a 1950’s house, when apparently big bathrooms were not a priority.
Proudest DIY: I converted by garage into my office, but I did not actually do it myself.
Biggest Indulgence: Vintage accessories.
Best advice: Buy what you love.
Dream source:1stDibs.com—the best of everything.
Inspiration: Flea markets and vintage stores, like Uncommon Objects and Room Service.
Resources:
- Appliances: Bosch
- Hardware: Original 50’S
- Furniture: Vintage stores
- Accessories: Inherited from my “GLAM-MA”, vintage and flea market finds
- Lighting: All vintage
- Rugs and Carpets: Sea grass and antique rugs
- Tiles and Stone: Original 1950’s pink tile in bathroom, concrete countertop
- Window Treatments: Custom
- Beds: Custom
- Artwork: Vintage, some are painted by my grandmother and the rest are by friends
- Paint: BEHR “Guesthouse”
- Flooring: Original 1950's cork and Italian porcelain
(Thanks, Joel!)
Images: Misty Adair
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How cute that he calls his grandmother his "Glam-ma."
I used to live in one of those Austin 50's homes with the original pink tile in the bathroom. Ours had pink AND black tile, and the bathroom was the reason we bought the house!
What a cute house. I love the cork floors one of my favorite flooring materials.
There are some seriously beautiful pendent lighting fixtures here.
I like the warmth, the mix and many of the pieces in this home..but the white statues are a little much for me and distracting, dare I say Liberace.
The counter top is really thick was that a intentional design?
Wow, there are some really amazing pieces here.
That bathroom is horrendous!
When I was little I called my grandma Glam-ma!
I am totally jealous of those huge windows. And the cockfight on the coffee table is hilarious!
My old neighborhood! I'm guessing the house is in the Delwood part of Windsor Park. Love how they kept a lot of the original features. Favorite things: Cork tiles, dining room light and the greyhound painting over the bed.
I wonder if the window coverings might be glammed up a bit. Not sure about the roll-down shades. I like the bust collection a lot, very unique and interesting. I feel all the objects in the dining room take away from the drama of that dining set and pendant. Also maybe a rich color in there? The backpainted cabinets look cool, I wish the rest matched them somehow. Good work.
I adore the light fixtures. And thank you for not doing away with the pink bathroom. I love it!
That bathroom is amazing. A very deft approach to staying true to the original house, while adding one's own point of view and design aesthetic. This is one of my favorite house tours ever!
This house is so "Austin" to me. I love Uchi, too.
The light fixtures and lamps throughout are wonderful, and there are some beautiful textiles here. I could stay awhile in this place! The only things that rub me the wrong way are the (sheepskin?) pillows on the little purple love seat. I know that they're grey, but against all the warmer tones in the home and the bright pillow in between, they just look kind of dirty. Maybe it's just the lighting?
Overall, pretty neat house. I'm glad we live far enough apart that I don't have to compete with you for vintage finds!
I've been a silent observer of AT for almost a year now and just had to post because I'm so completely blown away by this house tour. You've incorporated so many elements I've long lusted after, as well as many unexpected touches (e.g. how well you made that pink bathroom work). Your place is gorgeous from top to bottom and has given me much inspiration. Thank you!!
Effortlessly cool.
Any info on the monochromatic painting above the sofa? Looks very much like a vintage 70s piece I own...Great space btw!
I'm torn on this one. I love the living area - the rug, coffee table, and especially the dog who looks like he enjoys posing. I also really like the pendant lamps over the kitchen counter - I like most of the lighting, actually.
The bedroom is not over or underdone. I like it.
But the bathroom...eeekkkk!!! I know its probably got some kind of retro cool factor going on, but I could never relax and take a bath in a pepto pink bathroom. And it clashes so much with all the other colors in the house! I've turned down many an apartment in the Boston area because of the pepto pink or baby blue bathrooms.
~Amanda
http://justanothertreehugger.wordpress.com/
LOVED IT. Effortlessly cool is right. That kitchen should so not be cool...but it is. Gorgeous and witty.
This is my very favorite AT House Tour ever! I LOVE this home, love absolutely everything about it, and love what Joel has to say about it. I keep coming back to AT hoping for a House Tour this great, and here it is: Attainable, affordable interior design fabulousness created by talented people in the real world. Thank you!!!
One of my faves so far. The art and lighting really make it for me.
Your house and what I am trying to do with mine have two things in common: cool old light fixtures and a pink bathroom.
Love those lights and view from the bedroom window.
I'm speaking up for the pink bathroom. I love the house, and was just commenting to myself how it's so Male, when up pops this sweet little pink bathroom with the stylish shower curtain.
Love the face pillow on the sofa too.
hey i just love those roosters sculptures never saw one like these they are awesome.
FRD Girl
I really like this place.....kind of a sophisticated boho-chic. My only complaint is using a runner as a living room rug. You need an area rug, not a rug intended for a hallway.
My neighborhood! I toured this home on open house a few weeks ago. Besides looking fabulous, it has a really good feel.
Joel! You are my personal style doppelganger! I'm an interior designer, as well, and have always loved the glam of the 70's, but wanted to find a way to make it fresh and comfortable without feeling dated. You did it- bravo!
If you ever want a designer friend in DC, holler!
"My only complaint is using a runner as a living room rug. You need an area rug, not a rug intended for a hallway."
Uh, it's called "being creative." Just because it's meant to be a runner, doesn't mean it has to be used as a runner. I'm pretty sure that Joel knows the difference between an area rug and a runner. He just doesn't care. That's what's so cool.
Also, I LOVE that pink bathroom. Vintage is good, people! Embrace it. You can't hate McMansions, yet love
McBathrooms.
I love the runner rug under the coffee table. With all the slim rectangular shapes in that room (window, sofa, coffee table, painting etc) it's exactly right.
Bravo, creative license! I second that emotion.
Well. It's so amazing.
You see, it's must an artist's house,right??
So beautiful,so amazing,so creative, so ....
All i want is just to live in this house!!!
those modern ceiling lights are a stroke of genius in that rustic kitchen!
not for me at all....too much too much
really cool!
love it love it LOVE IT! I never thought of using a runner as the rug by the couch, but it really plays with dimension and makes the room seem bigger - brilliant! Very artistically and smartly done - a small house can get clutter-y really fast, so I like that their collections are well edited and placed well throughout the house - instead of overwhelming, it's interesting.
MarshallO--
Post YOUR home and let's test your theory.
Very "Jonathan Adler" like. Super nice.
I love the pink and grey tiles in the bathroom. I wish more people would just embrace these older bathrooms from the 1950's. Usually, the craftsmanship and tile work is top notch. I had a whole new bathroom put in my house about 6 years ago. The tile work and new fixtures are nice, but they are not holding up that well. Since then, I have noticed that some of these 1950's ranches with the original tile look better than my 6 year old stuff. There has got to be something said for the kind of craftsmanship they did back then.
Why so hostile, MarshallO? Are you okay?
I see this house as being tremendously cool - a real feast for the eyes and curious mind. VERY few collectors can pull of stuffing their house with their endless objects and actually pull it off.
Peeking in on this and praising it? This is therapy.
This home is so very cool!! Love that is reflects so much personality of the owners (and Glam-ma). Thanks for sharing you home, Joel!
On the whole, gorgeous. Great lighting fixtures. The kitchen still looks like a work in progress, however. Re the bathroom -- that tile is exactly the same as in the bathroom (and, yes, there was just one) in the 1950's house where I grew up. Very enjoyable tour.
I think the greatest compliment I can give you is that your's is totally not my style and I love it! Wonderfully, welcoming.
I guess it just really depends on whether or not you like the "disjointed styles, cultures and periods" motif; everyone has a right to an opinion of whether they like a home or not and should not feel goaded to show his or her own home in order to justify a personal opinion or prove that their own home meets whatever standards of good design someone else has set.
MarshallO's post was not excessively hostile, but maybe the word choice wasn't great. He just doesn't like the home. It's not my favorite either. But if it suits the owner, then great. It does, to me, look like the person who decorated the home (the owner?) picked out a lot of furniture, lighting and art pieces that he or she liked -- which is great, as we should surround ourselves with things that make us happy -- but without regard to how their colors, styles and placement within the room and on the walls might fit together cohesively in the space.
If a cohesive style were no longer popular, then a lot of good designers would be out of a job, plenty of us regular folk would be shopping for a new look, and blogs like AT would probably have 90% fewer posts than they do now.
I love it because they made it theirs. Whether it is my taste or not it doesn't matter - it would be a fascinating place to visit and inspiring for me to ensure one day I make my house MINE one day!! It takes work and love to create a home like this. Has tons of history and tells a story!
Growing up in Dallas during the 80s, there were a couple of houses in the neighborhood that looked just like this. It was usually older ladies with money and wild taste. Amazing how well that's been replicated here.