Most Americans biggest lifetime investment is their home. Not only is it a financial investment, but it’s also where people spend the majority of their time. We sat down with Austin’s leading architect, Mark Richardson of Mark Richardson Architects, formerly known as Shiflet Group Architects, to learn how Austinites are transforming their spaces.
1. What are Austin homeowners looking for when designing custom spaces?
Most of our clients in Austin are chasing a sense of ease. They want homes that
feel grounded and restorative, but still built for real life—spaces that bring people together and support the way they live day to day. That might mean a dialed-in home office, a kitchen with thoughtful storage and great tools for cooking, a bar that becomes a late-night hang spot, a bathroom that feels like a spa (including saunas and cold plunges), or outdoor living spaces that pull life outside and make room for time with friends and family. They also want spaces for the things they’re passionate about—whether that’s a showroom-style garage for a pristine collection, a music room or studio, or a cozy library for the serious bookworms.
2. What are the biggest trends you are seeing in Austin architecture? We don’t
generally go after trends. Our goal is to design homes that feel personal and
lasting—spaces that actually reflect the people who live in them and the way they want to feel at home. That said, a lot of what’s resonating in Austin right now leans toward calm, natural palettes—warm woods, soft plasters, and materials that feel honest and lived-in—layered with moments of personality through color, texture, and pattern so the house still has some edge and soul.
3. What are your top considerations when designing a home or a remodel?
It really starts with two things: the client and the context. We don’t come in with a fixed aesthetic agenda—we listen to how people live, what they care about, and what they want their home to feel like, then shape the design around that. Just as important is the site itself, whether that’s a tight neighborhood lot in Austin or a wide-open ranch out west. Beyond the practical stuff—setbacks, zoning, trees, solar orientation, views—the goal is to make a home that genuinely feels like it belongs where it sits. Remodels follow the same mindset, we’re just working within a more defined set of constraints, using the existing structure as part of the design conversation rather than something to fight against.
Article by Laura Craddick
Photography by Likeness Studio & Menary Studio
Originally published in Austin Lifestyle