An Austin House’s Style Is the Very Definition of ‘Bring the Outside In’

Name: Cesi Kohen and fiancé
Location: Austin, Texas
Type of home: House
Size: 1,369 square feet
Years lived in: 1 year, renting

Tell us a little (or a lot) about your home and the people who live there: We share our three-bedroom home with our two fur babies. My fiancé and I both work from home — he as a software engineer, me as an architect. We devised our space as per our needs; his one requirement was to have a feature wall for meetings, thus we built in a deep blue board and batten wall accompanied by frames above. I needed a separate work space and a thinking space; my desk sits in a closet under a chandelier; a large cane daybed and cane millwork is in my thinking space; I have added wall moldings as well as a medallion to carry the design through.

Our bedroom — our escape from life and work — has an accent wallpaper featuring a monochromatic forest scene. Two rattan pendants hang from the ceiling on either side of the bed completed with a cane DIY headboard. We have installed chair railing throughout keeping it in theme with our moldings.

The vaulted living room, the public face of our life, is designed to carry outdoors inside. We have a large window overlooking the dense trees outside. The window is flanked with a plant rail above. Two rattan chairs and rattan plant holder with various greenery turn into velvety dark green accent wall. The dark green wall is broken by a green leafy wallpapered fireplace that has a custom mantel. Twelve-foot vaulted ceilings hold rows of paintings and posters from the floor to the ceiling.

As you go through the house, the colors become more neutral and monochrome; our living space being the most vibrant and our bedroom the most calm. We kept with the greens and blues of the nature.

What is your favorite room and why? The living room is my favorite. We have art hanging in 24″ x 36” frames that go up 12 feet high, accentuating the space. Your eye can follow up and can land on something different every time you try to take in the details.

Describe your home’s style in 5 words or less: DIY-infused boho, French coastal; living room gallery

What’s the last thing you bought (or found!) for your home? A jasmine candle! I try to hold on to a feeling with every sense.

Any advice for creating a home you love? Figure out how you want to feel in a particular space and utilize everything that makes you feel that way whether it be color, texture, or material. If you can bring colors from the outside, even better. Don’t be afraid of juxtaposing textures and materials.

This submission’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.

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