Tour the Complete Project House in Austin!

A complete look at how the mid century elements in this new build come together to create a nod to the past.

Project House Austin is complete and ready to tour. Read on to see more!

original architectural rendering Project House Austin — Original architectural rendering

After an incredible year of creativity and collaboration, designer Christine Turknett of Breathe Design Studio, builder Michael Wray, owner and founder of MidCentury Communities, along with our Atomic Ranch team and sponsors, built and furnished a new mid-century-inspired home in Austin, Texas.

“Having been in countless Mid Century Modern homes across the country’s biggest mod hotspots, there’s this unique air that fills those old homes—the floorplan, the space planning, the way you’re meant to move through the house,” says Jickie Torres, editor of Atomic Ranch. “Michael and Christine captured that, managing to manipulate the space and scale to bring in that intimate and special feeling of an authentic mid century space.”

Project House Austin mudroom — The mudroom combines modern design with functional storage. Christine color-blocked the bench area with the same color as she used for the butler’s pantry cabinets and brought in Eichler Siding for a touch of warmth and texture. The large, mint storage cabinet lightens the space. Brass hardware from Emtek pops with a chic, but utilitarian, feel.

Authentic Touches

Michael studied Palm Springs architecture to help inspire the design of this project.

“Anshen and Allen and Cliff May were the most influential on this new build,” he says.

He pulled from their design ideas to create this post-and-beam structure that features more than 70 windows and timber membranes. The living room, for example, has an expansive wall of windows that look out onto the pool.

fireplace tile surround Project House Austin living room — Choosing a three-dimensional, floor-to-ceiling matte-blue tile, Christine made the fireplace the focal point of the main living room. “Originally, we weren’t going to extend the tile to the whole wall. It was going to be a rectangle to the ceiling, but I didn’t want to have drywall.” In doing so, an arrow was inadvertently created; it draws your eye up to the Eichler Siding paneling and black beams on the ceiling. “It was a great way to emphasize the ceiling height,” Christine points out. The Lumens chandelier is a charming update on a classic Sputnik style.

“In most homes, you get a ‘vertical portrait’ look, but in this house, you get a landscape look with a wide view,” Michael points out.

The Project House sponsors played a huge role in giving the home a mid century feel: “The sponsors were really great to choose from,” Christine says. “I’m so grateful for all the beautiful products they offered us. It forced me to push my boundaries and allowed me to include things I never would have thought to.”

exterior of complete Project House Austin — The Cliff May ranchos inspired Michael’s structural design for the casita. The roof provides an overhang for the front patio via a natural pine tongue-and-groove ceiling. “I love the contrast between the black and natural pine,” Michael says. “It gives it a distinctive look.”

A Unique Vibe in Project House Austin

The home combines retro features with Bauhaus movement and Scandinavian touches, so it isn’t a typical MCM home.

Although the casita paid homage to a classic mid century color palette and period furnishings, Christine wanted to switch it up in the main house and cater to more-modern preferences.

Project House Austin casita kitchen — Christine balanced the casita’s white kitchen with robin’s-egg blue appliances from Elmira Stove Works. “The classic, white slab cabinets allow the appliances to be the stars of the show,” Michael points out. Their retro blue color and style complement the custom backsplash tiles. Kardiel furniture in the living space is perfectly scaled and is bright and fun, with incredible details that pop without overwhelming the space.

“One of my favorite qualities of our design that I can’t help but love is to make spaces that are calming,” she says. “So, that drove a lot of the color palette, textures and furniture choices. It ‘softened up’ MCM, and that’s not typically what people associate with that period. But comfort is what people want in a home.”

The exterior has its distinctive features as well: “Most of the time, you put a house on top of a hill, but we created multiple elevation drops so the house sets into the hill,” Michael explains. “It makes it unassuming and gives it a sophisticated elegance. The site is also unique, with its 180-degree views of Bee Creek Canyon on Lake Travis. When you get a horizon line you can mimic with the home, itself, you can create a mid-century-inspired home that’s really special.”

dark blue cabinets wine fridge and desk in Project House Austin — The butler’s pantry in the main house is an example of where Christine went bold with her use of color. The space has multiple functions, including storage, a desk/study area and a bar area. “I wanted it to be moody in there, but it’s a pretty big space, so I didn’t want it to be all blue cabinets,” Christine explains. Bold hardware from Emtek adds a handsome detail. The white countertops from architectural surfaces break up the blue for a neutral surface to work on.

butlers pantry mint cabinets and colorful geometric tile Project House Austin — Christine incorporated a pop of mint in the bar area to give the main house some bright and airy spaces, while the open shelves display functional décor pieces that add color and texture. The architectural surfaces countertops are the same finish as is used for the rest of the kitchen countertops. The bathroom next to it has a bold design, with beige-and-yellow tiles on both the floor and the walls. The tiles all have the same shape, but they were installed to look like two different patterns.

Keep it Cohesive

With such a large home and a desire to bring new ideas to light with each space, it was a challenge to keep the theme cohesive.

“All the rooms have different identities to make them memorable,” Christine points out. “But with so many different rooms that we wanted to make unique, I still wanted continuity with color, texture, pattern, wood tone and silhouettes and to make sure everything was balanced throughout the spaces.”

Project House Austin open concept living room — The Kardiel furniture allowed Christine to mix neutral pieces with colorful accents. “I wanted to add color in the main house that wasn’t mcm-inspired. I love blues and pinks, but the coffee table is my favorite piece. While it reminds me of a retro piece, I chose an oak finish rather than walnut or teak.” The expansive Ply Gem windows look out onto the pool area and provide a beautiful and natural outdoor backdrop. The chic Flor rug offers a large-scale pattern that’s perfect for this open-plan space.

The casita is where Christine really played up the retro theme: She chose common MCM colors such as yellow, robin’s egg blue and orange. The furnishings and décor all pay homage to mid-century style. However, in the main house, she took creative liberties and mixed in Scandinavian influences with modern appeal and included colors such as pink and blue. Nevertheless, every space was rooted in the love of authentic retro design, with clean lines, classic motifs and timeless architectural features. “I incorporated well-known motifs but wanted to rethink them in the context of a new build,” she explains.

Expanding MCM

One of the goals of Project House Austin was to bring mid-century design to people in a new way.

“Some people might see it as a contradiction to have a new MCM home, but there’s value in starting conversations and experimenting with new ideas,” says Christine. “I wanted it to be an experience for people, and I didn’t play it safe.”

home office Project House Austin — Because the office consists mostly of wood accents and white walls, the dark-navy Flor rug helps ground the space. Key pieces, such as the Kardiel desk and bookshelf, keep the space organized and give it an MCM feel. “I wanted to keep it simple and not overpack the room,” Christine says. “Because Austin is a live-music capital, I wanted it to be a ‘funky’ space that plays off of that casual rock music, vintage vibe.” Pocket doors from Woodgrain don an elegant and striking modern design that makes a memorable impact in this room.

Another goal was to bring MCM design to more people: “Having new homes built in our beloved Mid Century Modern way gives more people an entry point,” Jickie Torres explains. “It’s access for those who don’t live in areas where they can find an authentic one or where their needs and/or budget just don’t fit into a historic home. As advocates of modernist style, we support and encourage new builds designed in the vein and spirit of MCM as ways of preserving and celebrating MCM history.”

media room in Project House Austin — Because the main living space doesn’t have a television, the design team made the media room the go-to hangout spot. “It’s a movie room for the kids to play in,” says Christine. “I designed it to be fun and retro but still clean and bright.” The ceiling fan from Matthews Fan Company adds warm wood to the space to balance out the colorful accents. The furniture from Valyou is cozy and chic and has all the right MCM hallmarks. Yet, it’s durable for a heavy-use room. Black-and-white artwork from Marmont Hill via Houzz adds an energetic touch.

Project House Austin kids bedroom green and white abstract wallpaper — The mint-colored wallpaper from Abnormals Anonymous inspired the whimsical look of the children’s room. “I loved the idea that it could be gender-neutral for people who want their kids to be able to grow into the space,” Christine says. The children’s furniture by Nico & Yeye makes an impression. Handmade and perfectly modern, each piece is vibrant and functional.

Project House kid's bathroom geometric tile — The children’s bathroom balances sophisticated, dark cabinets with a fun, colorful tile pattern. “We pulled the same wood colors from the primary bathroom,” says Christine. “The tile has a cool, MCM motif to keep it fun and light.”

Project House Austin bathroom blue tile — To create a twist on a retro look, Christine used vintage-inspired blue-and-white tiles from B&W Tile in the casita bathroom. “In authentic MCM homes, you see tile up to a certain point on a wall and then white above it,” Christine points out. “I wanted to keep that same color-blocking and do it with floor-to-ceiling tiles.”

Project House Austin laundry room — The original designs for the laundry room included white walls, but Christine decided this space needed a bigger pop of teal to complement the floor tile. “Laundry rooms are typically not people’s favorite space in the home. However, because you have to spend time in there, you want it to have personality and have it cheer you up.”

Project House Austin master bedroom with platform bed and large windows — Primary bedrooms offer an opportunity to create a relaxing sanctuary that will help relieve daily stresses. “It can exist in a vacuum on a certain level because it’s a private space, so this room is more subtle,” Christine says. “I wanted it classic, clean and timeless so it wouldn’t compete with the views.” The pendant lights from Lumens offer a dramatic effect hanging from the high ceiling, and they also bring in a bit of color. The Flag Halyard-inspired chair from Kardiel offers tons of great texture. The golden Flor rug lightens the vibe with its subtle geometric pattern and glowing color.

Project House Austin master bathroom floating cabinet — Floating cabinets comprise a unique and contemporary feature in the primary bathroom. “Most bathrooms in retro homes aren’t that big, so we had an opportunity to run with it and see what would happen,” Christine explains. The dark stain warms up the space, and the in-mount faucets give it a custom look. Gray-and-white tiles add pattern without getting excessive with color. “I wanted it to feel like an extension of the bedroom,” Christine says. Edge pull hardware from Emtek keeps the look sleek and elegant.

master bathroom with freestanding tub and walk-in shower — The soaking tub and shower portion of the primary bathroom is spacious, with wall-to-ceiling gray kit-kat tile that contrasts the retro, pale-jade penny tile flooring. The minimalist look is soothing, but it still has textural interest.“It’s the most relaxing space in the whole house,” says Christine. “We wanted to make it like a spa.”

bathroom black and white decor Project House Austin — The guest bathroom tile is a play on traditional subway tile. “The edges are rounded, and we were able to install them in an interesting configuration that allows the shape to be the focal point,” Christine points out. The dark vanity plays off the dark-gray flecks in the terrazzo shower flooring and emulates the moodiness of the guest room.

exterior entry with planters — Eichler Siding flanks the front entrance of the home as a textured feature wall, adding yet another authentic touch to this build. Along with the tongue-and-groove pine soffit, the natural wood materials help the dark-teal door from Escon Doors stand out.

entryway with blue door in Project House Austin — The dark-teal front door from Escon Doors welcomes guests into the entryway of the home, and the Eichler Siding accentuates the high ceilings. “It’s more refined than beams and gives the ceiling more personality,” Christine points out. “I wanted to get creative with the application of the Eichler Siding, and it was my solution to elevate the look of standard beams.” The retro MCM motif in the Flor rug balances the Bauhaus movement shapes in the overhead light fixture, providing a unique mix of styles. A Lumens chandelier punctuates the space with two-toned detail.

Looking for more MCM inspiration? Tour Project House Austin’s casita here. And learn more about Project House designer Christine Turknett’s design philosophy here. Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest for more Atomic Ranch articles and ideas!