Tour the kitchen and dining room to see a colorful, yet classic, reimagined MCM design in the latest installment of our 2021 Project House Austin series.
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By Laura Shimko Photography by Chase Daniel Styled by Whitney Smelser
At first glance, both the kitchen and dining room have many features characteristic of Mid Century Modern design.
In his work as the architect and builder for this project, Michael Wray sought to bring together the best of MCM while also allowing for modern necessities.
“We try to honor classic Mid Century architecture with classically ratioed transoms, floor- to- ceiling windows, timber beams and
authentic Eichler siding,” he points out. “However, we've modernized the spaces for current market expectations.”
For these two spaces, interior designer Christine Turknett used texture and color to create a take on Mid Century design that’s infused with contemporary elements.
“It was an opportunity to think differently,” she says. “Overall, what inspired me was the idea of rethinking MCM design in the context of a new build. I feel that there’s a lot of connection between the two, and I wanted to see how they played off each other.”
In her selection of pieces, Christine drew from the simple geometric shapes of the Bauhaus movement, as well as from Scandinavian styles.
“The Louis Poulsen pendants over the kitchen are transcontinental and iconic, but they also offer a conversation between American Mid Century Modern design and how Scandinavian design influenced that,” she explains.
FINDING BALANCE
To craft a fresh, yet recognizable, MCM design within the context of a newly built home, Christine focused on creating a balanced look and feel for both the kitchen and dining room through her use of color and textures.
She chose mint for the lower cabinets in the kitchen as a pop of color that also ties in with teal accents in the dining area, thereby unifying the two spaces.
“So much of the design was driven by the color palette, but I wanted to make sure it was balanced,” she says. “Even if the colors are different, they have similar tones that give the spaces more depth rather than the same shade everywhere.”
Instead of trying to minimize elements such as the exposed black beams, open floor plan and abundance of windows, Christine found ways to balance and work with these features.
She chose white upper cabinets to complement the high ceilings and the abundance of natural light and went with the oak flooring and Eichler siding on the kitchen island and dining room ceiling to add warmth.
“Part of my design philosophy is holistic: Let the architecture set the tone for interiors instead of competing with it or rejecting it,” she clarifies. “We did a lot of white in the interior to balance negative space. After all, the architecture has so much glass and so many windows, and I didn't want to distract from that.”
LOUIS POULSON PENDANT LIGHTS FROM LUMENS PUNCTUATE THE SPACE IN AUTHENTIC PERIOD STYLE.
TOP, LEFT: CHAIRS AND A WALNUT DINING TABLE FROM KARDIEL BRING WARMTH AND A DISTINCT MCM FLAVOR TO THE DINING ROOM. "I LIKE MIXING WOODS AND ADDING DEPTH THROUGH THE CONTRAST OF WOOD TONES,” CHRISTINE SAYS. “I DON’T WANT THINGS TO COMPETE.” THE TEAL RUG BY FLOR HAS GRAY ACCENTS THAT PLAY OFF THE GRAY FABRIC KARDIEL CHAIRS. EICHLER SIDING GRACES THE CEILING, THUS CONNECTING TO BOTH THE KITCHEN ISLAND AND THE EXTERIOR SIDING. TOP, RIGHT: EXPOSED BLACK BEAMS PRESENT A STRIKING, BOLD LOOK AND ARE ARCHITECT MICHAEL WRAY’S NOD TO CLASSIC MID CENTURY MODERN DESIGN. THE LARGE ISLAND, TOPPED WITH A COUNTERTOP FROM ARCHITECTURAL SURFACES, IS ANOTHER MAJOR FOCAL POINT. IT PROVIDES THE PERFECT SPACE TO PREP, ENTERTAIN AND ENJOY MEALS. “IT HAS A DOMINANT PRESENCE. AS A RESULT, I WANTED TO BALANCE WOOD TONES IN THE APPLIED EICHLER SIDING AGAINST THE WHITE COUNTERTOPS SO THAT IT DOESN'T FEEL TOO HEAVY OR ETHEREAL,” CHRISTINE TURKNETT ADDS. THE OPEN FLOOR PLAN— A CONTEMPORARY INFUSION OF FUNCTIONALITY— ALLOWS FOR PLENTY OF ROOM AROUND IT. “I'VE ALWAYS LOVED A CIRCULAR FLOW,” MICHAEL SAYS. “ACCESS FROM MULTIPLE POINTS MAKES KITCHEN AREAS, IN PARTICULAR, MORE EFFICIENT AND LIVABLE.”
ABOVE: JUST BEHIND THE ISLAND, WE GET A PEEK AT THE BUTLER’S PANTRY— ANOTHER ADDITION THAT REFLECTS CURRENT EXPECTATIONS. “THE BUTLER’S PANTRY SPECIFICALLY FUNCTIONS AS A HOME WORKSPACE AND WET BAR, ALONG WITH FLOOR- TO- CEILING CABINETRY THAT HELPS DIVIDE THE USES,” MICHAEL SAYS. WITH MATCHING MINT LOWER AND WHITE UPPER CABINETS, IT TIES INTO THE LARGE FRAMEWORK OF THE KITCHEN SPACE WITH A COHESIVE DESIGN.
OPPOSITE: THE ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN PLAYS TO THE CONTEXT OF THE HOME’S LOCATION IN AUSTIN, TEXAS. “MY FAVORITE ELEMENT OF THE HOME IS THE LINEARITY OF THE MAIN LIVING AREA AND HOW THE CEILING LINES FOLLOW THE HORIZON LINE OF BEE CREEK COVE, IN WHICH THIS HOME IS LOCATED,” MICHAEL SAYS. “FOLLOWING THE LEAD OF THE NATURAL SITE ONLY ENHANCES THE BEAUTY AND AESTHETIC APPEAL OF ANY HOME.”
WHILE BARELY VISIBLE FROM A FRONT VIEW
OF THE KITCHEN, THERE’S A SURPRISE POP OF COLOR AROUND THE SIDE OF THE ISLAND— THE MINT- COLORED LOWER CABINETS. CHRISTINE DECIDED ON A MUTED PALETTE TO BALANCE AND COMPLEMENT THE ABUNDANCE OF NATURAL LIGHT, AS WELL AS TO GIVE THE SPACE A TIMELESS FEEL. “COLOR CAN SOMETIMES BE INTIMIDATING, BECAUSE IT’S A BIG COMMITMENT. HOWEVER, I WANTED PEOPLE TO HAVE THEIR OWN SPECIAL SPACE IN WHICH THEY COULD FEEL HAPPY BUT THAT DIDN’T DOMINATE THE ENTIRE OPEN FLOOR PLAN,” SHE SAYS. “I WANT PEOPLE TO SMILE WHEN THEY SEE IT— AN UNEXPECTED JOY!”
MICHAEL DESIGNED WALLS OF WINDOWS AROUND THE DINING ROOM AS ANOTHER REFERENCE TO MID- CENTURY ARCHITECTURE, WHICH OFTEN INCLUDES FLOOR- TO- CEILING WINDOWS AS A WAY TO CONNECT INDOOR AND OUTDOOR SPACES. THE EICHLER SIDINGCLAD CEILING IS ANOTHER DESIGN CHOICE THAT BRINGS TOGETHER THE EXTERIOR AND INTERIOR DESIGN. "WE USED THE SAME MATERIALS FROM THE EXTERIOR BUT JUXTAPOSED THEM IN DIFFERENT WAYS: WHITE WALLS, EICHLER SIDING AND NATURAL LIGHT,” CHRISTINE POINTS OUT. A BEAUTIFUL PENDANT LIGHT FROM LUMENS CROWNS THE SPACE WITH CIRCULAR ELEMENTS THAT HELP BREAK UP THE GEOMETRY OF THE SPACE WHILE COMPLEMENTING THE ATOMIC PATTERN OF THE FLOR RUG.