Name: Paul and Katharina Schuster
Location: West Lake Hills, Austin, Texas
Size: 2,750 sq. ft.
Years lived in: 3 years
It's a family thing around Paul and Katharina's house, as evidenced by the wooden blocks and sippy cups left strewn about by their three kids. It's about a fun, relaxed lifestyle where friends can come over to watch movies in the sunken media room or strike up the band on the built-in stage. Their home is comfortable and easy to be in, but it's also composed of concrete and steel and is all about modern efficiency. The house employs a variety of green building methods and was built at an angle to preserve the existing trees on the property. In fact, Austin Modhouse was featured as part of the 2008 Austin Cool Tour to exemplify and promote green building practices.
The Schuster's property was selected by Katharina based on school ratings and Google maps and was purchased site unseen. The couple was living in California and decided to move to Austin to build their dream house rather than deal with the local building costs (and long commutes). Paul, whose background includes everything from metal artistry to running a catering company, is a self-taught home renovator. He was involved in the project from design to construction. Paul documents his building projects and modern family lifestyle in his blog Austin Modhouse. He is currently refurbishing his Airstream trailer (again) and working on an "off-grid" house in Wimberly. Hopefully, AT will get a glimpse of that project down the road.
AT Survey:
My/Our style: Family Modernism, a blend of practicality and mid-century Modernism.
Inspiration: We were greatly inspired by the Ralph Rapson Greenbelt house. We really studied the Dwell contest ideas and used the best ideas for efficiency, new materials and building techniques. We even contacted some of the architects.
Favorite Element: The stairs with their cantilevering treads against the Polygal wall, especially when illuminated by the setting sun. Also, the screen room, the home theater, the master bath (also listed as my biggest embarrassment)... do I have to pick just one?
Biggest Challenge: Noise abatement. We recently installed the Flor tiles and Mio molded panels to help with that. The media room is actually built into the side of a small hill with the green deck over it to insulate the room and contain sound.
What Friends Say:That it is larger than it appears in pictures and a great place for a cocktail or three.
Biggest Embarrassment: White grout in the master bath.
Proudest DIY: The suspended box bookshelf and railings that my friend CMoore and I did ourselves.
Biggest Indulgence: The Duravit Starck tub (years ago I used to hang out at the Starck club, now I lounge in a Starck tub).... or the high definition projector for the home theater... if electronics count for furnishings in a home theater and I think they do.
Best Advice: Contractors don't always know what is best and it's OK to ask for opinions from others.
Other Inspiration: Deaton house (Denver area), Bill Massey, Eichler, Cliff May, The Incredibles (movie).
Green Construction: The translucent wall panels (along the stairs) are made of Polygal. The exterior panel has three skins and there is an interior panel with two skins, so we have a total of 4 air gaps. The wall sections are SIP panels (structural insulated panel) and ours were made in Georgetown by Transcon. Our house was the first off their assembly line.
Appliances: Delonghi stove, Whirlpool fridge, Porsche designed vent hood
Furniture: We have a blend of mid-century period pieces and garage sale finds, sprinkled with budget buys from Ikea. The stools in the kitchen were salvaged from the trash (of a school) and we stripped off the institutional green paint.
Lighting: Sam's Club, but we are hoping to swap those out.
Flooring: We have "poor man's terrazzo" (recycled bottle glass mixed into the top layer or "cream" of the slab and then ground down with a diamond polisher to expose the glass and stone aggregate) on the first floor. I actually picked up the recycled glass bottles at the local center, then sorted and cleaned all the pieces for the project (very messy job). We just stood on the side of the wet concrete and showered the glass pieces over it. The second floor has bamboo flooring that I installed myself and glass tile in the bathrooms. All the tile was sourced through Austin Modhouse (Paul imports and sells tile from China).
Rugs and Carpets: Flor tiles cut to fit on the stairs and the rest are from Ikea and Target, I think.
Window Treatments: Windex! -- some tinting and blinds from Austin Blind Faith
Beds: The master bed is one that had to be modified from a platform bed we already owned. Our bedroom is not square, so it required a headboard that would square the bed to the wall of glass. I used Neopolitan Plyboo and incorporated floating end tables. The home theater room regularly accommodates four guests using the sectional and some roll up mattress we found at Urban Outfitters.
Artwork: Sharon Kyle-Kuhn, Caroline Wright and photography by Paul Schuster (me).
Other: Kitchen cabinets are Neopolitan Plyboo and the counters are Caesarstone in Apple Martini. The recycled cardboard 3D wall pieces in the dining room and media room are from Mio Culture.
Water Efficiency/ Other Green Features: We have rainwater collection barrels and gather water on our pool cover to use in the vegetable garden. The koi pond, another DIY project, has recirculating water and is fed by condensate.
(Thanks, Paul!)
Photos by Misty Adair
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Beautiful house - I love it!
I have been looking at those Mio tiles. Do they really help with noise bounce? According to the website, only the ones in your kitchen are "accoustic" tiles, but I love the ones in the media room. Do you think both work equally well?
view 2 Green Acres's profile
What a dump. I hate to see people living like this.
view SwedishChef's profile
The house looks great!
designSTUDIO designed the project. Check us out at our blog:
http://designstudiomodern.typepad.com/blog/
view designSTUDIO's profile
2 green acres, I can't say either tile is really making that much of a difference, however... the moment we dropped that 4x8 section of plywood over the table, there was a difference. the tiles are fun to look at and should help reduce the noise travel, the in door fridge ice feature is LOUD.
the tiles on the media room ceiling are likely not absorbing any sound, but do help to break up the flat surface of ceiling. something was better than nothing.
view austinmodhouse's profile
Holy yum! I am smitten.
view J Dandy's profile
Swedish Troll is more like it.
view btoddster's profile
Somebody, please show the SwedishChef a dump.
view wally3's profile
I had just assumed the swedish chef was being sarcastic, either that or just had one more cheese souffle collapse and felt the need to lash out.
view austinmodhouse's profile
I loved this house! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!
I'm moving to Austin soon, and I'm going to find this house, and I'm going to find my way inside and .. live in it. LOOOOOOOOOOOOVE! *cackles madly*
In all seriousness though, I live in Los Angeles right now and I'm moving to Austin in about 10 months. I get really excited when I see house tours from Austin that are really design-forward, as I have no idea how much of a design community is out in Austin (as there is in Los Angeles).
view Khatam's profile
Khatam---Austin is definitely design-forward with a huge, and constantly growing---design community. Let us know when you get here and we'd be happy to furnish you with a list of our favorite places!
view adrienne breaux's profile
I really like this. I love the way you used industrial materials throughout without making it seem industrial.
Also liked seeing the Rapson Greenbelt as inspiration. It was my clear favorite from the Dwell competition and I've never been able to understand why it didn't win.
view Daniel Michael's profile
I love that this home is very kid friendly without being overrun with copious amounts of kid "gear". Some of the architectural elements are also to die for!
view alllebasii's profile
SwedishChef has himself some ironic wit, y'all. Crack open a Lone Star and just relax.
Uh huh! Austin is the bee's knees. That's for sure.
AT needs to bring their cameras on out here to Houston sometime. We've got some stuff worth diggin' out this way. I reckon, though, it's pretty much because we go to Austin as often as we can and just rip them folks off! We're shameless plagiarizers!
The Missus and I have been volleying emails back-and-forth since we feasted our starving eyes on this here bad-boy. I'm pretty sure we'll just end up being the Mellencamp to ya'll's Dylan though.
view jef613's profile
There's definitely some really cool aspects of this home. From the exterior, it's awesome. The entry and staircase/railing are really unique and I love the tilework in the bathrooms (hate the PVC under the sinks though!!) The upstairs room with the red couch looks forgotten somehow and doesn't fit in, decor wise with the rest of the house. The outdoor space is super sweet and I like how a lot of their "original" artwork is displayed everywhere.
view burnttoast's profile
There is so much I love here:
1. I love, love, love all the natural light.
2. The kitchen in lust-worthy. It is so bright and cheery. I could happily cook there for hours.
3. It feels happy and lived in.
4. The stage!!! The kids must love that.
Overall, it just seems like a well thought out home. Great job @austinmodhouse.
view GirlInATower's profile
Toddler drum set = totally freaks me out. I hope you hide the sticks. The noise would be bad enough in a "normal" house, but with such an open floor plan and the acoustic issues you have mentioned...yikes.
I do love the kids' shower, the master bath tub, and the outdoor areas--a lot. I think the interior is perhaps too open for my taste, but there are some nice touches throughout and I appreciate the efforts to be environmentally conscious.
view sally305's profile
I agree with burnttoast. the plumber should be punished for not using chrome P traps, would have gladly paid the difference. swapping them out is on my long punch list.
and the red sofa set upstairs was an afterthought. that room is where the kids hang out and play/ watch tv, and I have an office tucked behind those sliding doors. the baby has already taken an ink pen all over it, I didn't cry as I see it as a temporary furniture.
view austinmodhouse's profile
"the plumber should be punished" (austinmodhouse)
With crack spackle?
view KatSD's profile
Love this home!! Where on earth did you purchase the shower head in the kids' bath? We're currently doing a bathroom remodel and that fixture really caught my eye.
view maverick1212's profile
Amazing. Simply amazing.
view ecw0389's profile
What a fun tour! The stairs are brilliant. It feels like a very happy place to live. Thanks for sharing. :)
view alisonK's profile
i love yalls house! -- totally chalked up the 'yall', ha!
i remember coming across your blog from the links of someone else's design blog a year ago, and you guys were still building i think.
its great to see everything up and running! i really like how your place looks like actual people live there VS an exhibit like a lot of other modern houses i've been to.
view pokinatcha103's profile
Very cool house. Would some day love to live in a modhouse!
view heat's profile
Love just about every single thing!
view KatSD's profile
Lovely! I too would love to know where the kid's bath showerhead is from. It is so fun!
view spanky's profile
The Incredibles house is incredible! I love everything about that house, yours is a wonderful real life version of it! It is an inspiration house for me also!
view patois's profile
Fab! What orange paint did you use in the kitchen? I gotta know!
view elizabrook's profile
thanks for all the compliments.
I sourced all the shower fixtures from hudson reed. I'm happy with the fixtures (especially for the price), the plumbers were not. but we've already noted that the plumbers just didn't "get it".
http://usa.hudsonreed.com/
view austinmodhouse's profile
I love the chalk board, the bathrooms, the eames rocking chairs. I'm so envy of you guys, you have two of them :S
I really love the place. Nice work :)
view wearaddiction's profile
I have some serious and painful house envy. This is my first ever AT post - you guys have some mad house design and decorating talent! Nice job. I'm inspired!
view milosmom's profile
One of my most favorite so far! Bookmarked this under "great bathrooms"!
Could you divulge the color you used on the "green wall" near the outdoor dining area?
Thanks!
view marta.c's profile
This is one the coolest houses EVER!
Michelle
http://cheeseloversinternational.blogspot.com/
view michelleinbrooklyn's profile
Great place. Where did you find that kitchen table?
view ralapack's profile
I am sorry that I may not be able to come up with the paint colors. I usually keep an envelope with all the chips but... I change wall colors often.
as for the kitchen table, the legs are from ikea and I made the top from kirei board
http://www.kireiusa.com/kirei_viewer/kirei.html
view austinmodhouse's profile
What a unique vision you have! Your home looks like it has a nice positive energy that flows through it and it simply oozes with character. Well done!
view shannont's profile
dayumm.
view treelovr's profile
Did you buy the Kirei board as is - 1" 3x6' and just installed the ikea legs? Love the entire house and especially love how handy you guys were with the remodel.
view somebodye's profile
the board is not near as thick as it appears, I mitered all corners and sort of folded the edges... sort of like a shadow box but upside down.... if that makes sense. it did come as a 3x6 slab.... just measured and it is 3/4 inch thickness.
we have not yet had to remodel the home yet, we built it new.
http://austinmodhouse.com/blog1/2006/10/blue_and_green_i_dont_think_so.html
view austinmodhouse's profile
I really enjoy seeing the entire house. I have been following the blog for a while now. You have a fan up here in little Denton, TX!
view whereismyrobot's profile
Being a designer and a mother of 5 grown children, I really appreciate your TOTAL consideration for your children in the overall design of this amazing home!
Sakinah
www.sajinteriors.blogspot.com
view sajInteriors's profile
I posted some details on how I made the kirei board dining table to the blog
http://austinmodhouse.com/blog1/2010/02/i_got_board_kirei_board.html
also, I feel compelled to point out that this house was furnished mostly from pieces we already owned, as opposed to things purchased for a house that have been selected using a design plan. we had almost no decorating budget and had to make do with what we had. the house itself was built with a schustering budget with a great deal of the labor provided by ourselves. and as we raced the financial meltdown to get this done, we managed to get the cert of occupancy in only nine months from getting the loan/building permit.
view austinmodhouse's profile
Very nice, but I don't see it as being "kid friendly."
I would have loved to see an open grassy area outside. Also, In the interior of the house all those hard edges look kind of dangerous (e.g. edges on the stage area and stairs).
view mema's profile
mema, we do have a large grassy field but I think it didn't fit into the interior design theme that AT seems to stick to. also, the large rooftop deck with grasses and sofas etc is right off the children's rooms.
the house is full of hard surfaces. we've not had any bloody accidents and I'm glad nobody has gone down those stairs in a non traditional manner. there is a baby gate built into the railing upstairs, blocks off the stairs. it is not obvious because I built it from the same material as the railing, so when it is open or closed, it is congruous.
I'm sort of the opinion that many mothers go overboard making their homes free of corners or non-rubbery materials. "what doesn't kill 'em makes 'em stronger" but then again I am a stay at home dad. btw, while typing this just now, the two year old just came along and purposely banged his head against the bamboo kitchen cabinet... kids, what can ya do.
view austinmodhouse's profile
Wow, now I think your home is VERY very nice! BTW, I agree "what doesn't kill'em makes 'em stronger". My hubby is a super attentive and loving stay at home dad, but my 1 year old has had her share of accidents so I understand that accidents occur in the safest of places (not saying my home is super child proof). :0)
view mema's profile
this house is supremely amazing!
i just want to go knock on their door and go see it for myself...do you think they'd mind? hahaha! jk!
LOVE this site and peeking inside people's homes...
just FYI for all the austin readers out there...great warehouse sale this weekend at Four Hands Home...
we SO cleaned up and got numerous exceptional pieces for a third/fourth of the original price!!!
link here:
http://www.casacullen.com/2010/02/local-austin-tx-four-hands-home-warehouse-sale.html
view CasaCullen's profile