When Andrew Bray of Mustard Architects envisioned a home for Jill Elliott in Fredericksburg, that vision entailed much more than just a roof and walls. Bray knew laying out a home to serve Elliott’s eclectic tastes and fashion-forward lifestyle would require many elements of intentional design.
“The décor and the furniture that she incorporates is just fantastic,” said Bray of the Vista Creek home. “There is a lot of texture (and) a lot of color. Every room has little vistas.”
Bray knew he had a high bar to reach when he began working with Elliott, owner of Blackchalk Home and Laundry and Haberdashery Boutique, and a local design expert.
Andrew Bray is a partner and architect with Mustard Architects, a Fredericksburg based architectural firm with a knack for merging modern design with deep-rooted respect for historical spaces.
“Jill has a great reputation,” said Bray. “She’s got a great eye, great design and context of how things are put together. To be asked to design her home, I was honored. And to collaborate with her was so fun.”
Beginning with the exterior, Bray and Elliott were highly selective in the placement of the home on the surrounding land, with careful eye to geographical context.
“The idea was, how do we take this house and create this refined modern house with texture and light that looks like it came from the ground,” said Bray.
The windows not only give light to Elliott’s eye-catching collection of furnishings, artwork and tabletop pieces, but also serve as a frame for a mountain, meadow or pool view.
Anyone approaching the home will note the transitions from granite to steel and the unique rammed earth walls which blend with the Texas sunset while providing inspiring color transitions through the evolving layers.
“Use of the rammed earth walls was a key design element that we looked at because Jill wanted texture, and not just stone and metal, rather texture that was tied to the land,” said Bray.
Elliott’s home is surrounded by red clay soil common to the area north of Fredericksburg near local attraction, Enchanted Rock State Natural Area, a large warm pink granite mountain popular with visiting hikers. The pink, brown and deep grey tones of the layered rammed earth seem to blend the home into its surroundings with ease. As each layer of the rammed earth walls were compressed under pressure, they revealed a natural stratum of color and texture echoing the landscape and anchoring the house site.
Inside the Elliott home, a large open space brings a welcoming atmosphere lit by the wide window vistas. The interior is focused on cozy spaces which encourage gatherings near the fireplace and seating areas.
The outdoor pool is a high point of the overall property and serves as a showcase for the various structural textures, all while preserving the warm and welcoming atmosphere crucial to Bray and Elliott's overall vision of the home.
While the Elliott home is inspiring and eye catching, it was not designed and built without some challenges, according to Bray, who mentioned it can be difficult to add refinement to a design while still giving livable elements and comfort to the home.
“Trying to be refined while also trying to provide a comfortable living environment,” Bray said were key challenges specific to the Elliott design. “The more minimal you want to become, the harder it is at times to pull those details off.”
Mustard Architects continues to refine its own design process, always adding new talent to the staff and new projects to its repertoire. Starting in 1993, Mustard Architects has grown to a team of twelve with a firm vision of forging meaningful relationships through thoughtful design solutions. Although their roots are in the Texas Hill Country, their projects take them to all corners of the state.
Bray says a diverse project portfolio sharpens the team’s skills and helps them work better together while enjoying the process, which creates better design.
“I feel our designs reflect the character or even the personality of our clients,” said Bray. “I don’t think we bring just one thing to the table. We listen, and then try to ask, ‘What fits the client?' That is where thoughtful design solutions are born.”
“There is a lot of texture (and) a lot of color. Every room has little vistas.” - Andy Bray, Mustard Architects
“Trying to be refined while also trying to provide a comfortable living environment,” Bray said were key challenges specific to the Elliott design.