Interior Design Projects in Meridian – Austin TX

With about 800 homes, Meridian is a master-planned community on the edge of the Texas Hill Country in southwest Austin, Texas.

Meridian homes, constructed starting in 2006 by builders David Weekly, Brohn, Standard Pacific and more, boast a variety of architectural styles. Many lots back up to greenbelts, while others share a fenceline with the 18-hole Grey Rock Golf Course.

Mountain biking enthusiasts can access the South Austin Trail Network (SATN), a patchwork of 140 miles of single and double-track trails that will soon connect Austin with Buda, TX, 10 miles to the south.

Drive 15 minutes south on scenic 1826 and you’ll find your way to The Salt Lick, a landmark in the roadmap of Texas BBQ. Another 20 minutes and you’ll find yourself in the charming hamlet of Wimberley, TX, a true jewel of the Texas Hill Country.

Mitra Kitchen Remodel, Meridian

“Well….we love everything you’ve done so far, and we’ll trust you.”

Know it or not, this is the point every homeowner wants to get to – when they’ve built up enough trust with their interior designer that they’ll consider options outside their comfortable zone. And the results speak for themselves, as Tanya describes:

“Vincent and Erica wanted me to match the original stain on the cabinets – but it wasn’t possible. The original wood and stain (17 years old at that point) both change coloration at different rates as they age. As a solution, I proposed a grey paint, which they weren’t sure about at first. We decided to move forward, and they ended up loving the new color”

Mitra Kitchen Before and After - Studio 74 Interior Design in Austin, TX

Many kitchens in the Meridian neighborhood contain a workspace with shallow cabinets. Unfortunately, these types of spaces don’t align with how most families use their kitchens.

Working with the homeowners, Tanya used cabinet windows and a wine fridge to improve the aesthetics and functionality of the space.

 

Mitra Living Room Remodel, Meridian

It took about 3 days – but after sitting with it, the homeowners came back on Monday after taking a leap and painting the living room a deep grey, and delivered their verdict:

“OK…” homeowners Vincent and Erica said, looking up at the charcoal grey accent wall. “We love it.”

Tanya had taken a risk. Initially, the homeowners wanted a color for the accent wall. But that didn’t feel right, said Tanya. She proposed a dark charcoal grey. Erica was unsure, but based on the trust that had been built, agreed to see what it would look like. “It needed to be the dark grey. I would have repainted it at my own expense if they didn’t like it. But we never got there, because they loved the color.”

With 20+ years designing interior and exterior spaces, Tanya knew that the reclaimed shiplap on the stairs and the midcentury-inspired limestone bricks on the fireplace would shine if given proper contrast. It took a bold choice, and it worked.

Homeowners look to interior designers to expand their vision and realize a home that they love. And that’s not always a process free of tension or uncertainty. 

But the reveal of a bold choice, when shaped around the homeowners’ tastes, can be a joy to experience.

The shiplap wood on the stairs (and in a corner of the kitchen) was reclaimed from a barn. The 60″ and 50″ metallic flowers came from a the Design Market in Dallas. Both accents created visual contrast and texture that offset the modern charcoal grey of the living room wall. 

It was these thoughtful details and textures that helped Vincent and Erica feel like they had made the right decision. 

 

‘It was jarring.’ 

This is what Tanya realized about the dining room, which was out of scope and thus hadn’t been updated – it was the first room that a visitor would see walking into the home – however since the homeowners hadn’t wanted to update it, it created a noticeable visual disconnect when contrasted with the updates. 

Not wanting to add to the project cost, Tanya proposed some modest updates – while Vincent was out of town, Tanya and Erica chalk-painted the furniture. Tanya’s painters added charcoal accents to the room pillars to tie the design together. New artwork referred visual motifs used elsewhere in the home.

“It was really fun – with a little paint and sweat equity, we were able to do a lean ‘refresh’ of the front room that had a dramatic impact on the cohesion of the downstairs without ballooning the budget.” 

 

Pratolina Living Room & Powder Bath Remodel, Meridian

 As the second owners of the home, the homeowners wanted to a straight-forward refresh to feel at home, but knew it wasn’t their forever home.

Shown here, the living room had new lighting, paint, furniture, artwork and a custom-built recessed cabinet for storing dishes, glasses, and silverware.

Tanya’s carpenter created the 14′ recessed cabinets with mirrors instead of windows, creating an illusion of depth in the room.

“The real challenge was the flooring in this room – they wanted it to match, but the wood floors throughout the home weren’t manufactured anymore…” said Tanya.

Years of experience come in handy for this type of highly-detailed work. Tanya considered the height of the flooring, engineered vs. solid hardwood, material availability, and variation in how the updated wood would take to staining to ensure a seamless match.

 

 

One of the great things about remodels is being able to reference visual patterns or design elements throughout the home – this creates a sense of unity and cohesiveness in design.

For the powder bath redesign, Tanya was able to use the home recesses for floating shelves. The custom cabinets in the living room, as well as the shelves in the powder bath were made of the same wood and both floated to create minimal and functional storage while still retaining an elegance.

 

 

The bedroom received updated paint, artwork, furniture and lighting. Touches of greenery, such as the fig to the right, created a visual motif that can be seen in each of the rooms in the remodel.

 

 

Allen-Mirabal Custom Build Home, Meridian

“Have you ever done a custom build that only took 6 months? That was this one.”

The Mirabal’s Meridian home was the first Mirabal ‘forever’ home, and since Tanya is a licensed architect, she was able to create the architectural plans, get the permits, find the contractors, and act as general Contractor for the home construction.

With 6,271 sq ft of space, this home had many opportunities and spaces to create a home for the Mirabal family. 

“You learn so much being the general contractor,” said Tanya.

 

As general contractor, Tanya was able to create efficiency in the build process. For instance, she was able to catch an error made by the framing trades – they hadn’t framed the windows in line with the drawings at the front of the home. It was costly to reframe, but it’s much, much better to have someone on hand to identify in the early stages of a home build.

“As a general contractor, I learned that the order of work by the trades plays a huge part in the final execution of an interior design,” said Tanya.

For instance, if the HVAC installers come before the electrical lines are run, they might put ducting right in the path of lighting. This could create delays while the ducting is re-run, or (more likely) having to redesign the lighting path to accommodate the HVAC work. Either way, it’s a loss because in both scenarios time is lost and money is spent. 

 

“It sounds basic, but you need to make sure the plumbing comes up in the right spots. You’d be surprised how easy it is for that to go wrong” Tanya said of her experience as general contractor.

A lot of her learnings came down to how to manage a crew and ensure that drawings were followed exactly. 

The redesign or re-work required for plumbing errors can create a huge miss for budget or timeline (or both). 

Through this project, Tanya was able to add an array of skills, which she uses on every project that comes her way. 

Pictured, the master bath in the Mirabal home.Â