“Our vision for our home was to create an inviting, modern space that was functional for our family and entertaining,” says homeowner Allison Rush. The Rush family chose Omni Custom Homes for the task, who connected them with Ed Urbanek of Ed Urbanek Designs for floor plans and elevations. Urbanek focuses each of his designs around his clients’ individual preferences and lifestyles, and he immediately began bringing their vision to life.
“They wanted a contemporary home, and they have a really nice site with beautiful Hill Country views,” Ed shares. The site required a linear, wide plan, so Urbanek developed a sprawling 120-foot-wide, one-story modern ranch solution. With 4,700 square feet, the home includes plenty of space for the busy family with four bedrooms, outdoor entertainment areas and a separate pool house/casita. The front elevation is balanced on either end with columns of windows that provide natural light throughout the home while softening the stone and stucco exterior. But Urbanek had other plans, “There is something almost spiritual when the ceiling rises up to view the life-giving light from the heavens.”
Knowing that the Rush family enjoys hosting friends and family at home, Urbanek created multiple connections to outdoor spaces throughout the U-shaped courtyard design, which includes both the main house and pool house. The pool house does double duty as a guest casita and includes an outdoor kitchen with a walk-up bar, and an indoor/outdoor seating area with pocket doors. The game room and living room, both located in the main house, also connect directly to the pool area. Durable and attractive Ipé wood decking seamlessly connects the entire space, and colorful pool lighting adds to the ambience.
Another courtyard welcomes the family at the entrance to the home, with the combination of stone walls and a contemporary wood slat fence that provide a buffer from ambient street noise and frames the Mondrian-inspired glass entry doors. Following the idea of creating multiple connections between interior and exterior, this courtyard also connects to the study on one side and the laundry room on the other and serves as a cheerful outdoor respite while providing privacy from the street. With ample seating and a dramatic open fireplace, it’s the perfect place to settle in on chilly Hill Country nights. Even in spaces that do not directly connect to the outdoors, clever placement of windows provides plenty of natural light and interesting views.
Lori Caldwell was the Interior Designer for the project and focused on bringing warmth to the modern home through a palette of cool greys and navy accents. “People often think of modern homes as cold, but they can be very warm with creativity and good design,” she says. The exterior of the home is very rectilinear, and mixes stucco, stone and wood with a metal roof, all in colors that are carried throughout the interior spaces. Oxidized steel is incorporated into the landscaping and adds warm rust colors to the palette, which are picked up in artwork and exterior fabrics. Modern materials are carried through to the interior. Caldwell incorporated happy pops of color, interesting fabrics, graphic wall paper and the homeowners’ extensive art collection to provide texture and visual interest all throughout the home. “The lines are very clean, straight and modern — we enjoyed working with the palette and bringing it to life with the materials that we selected,” she says.
Many of the selections are high-shine, such as the modern acrylic cabinets, lamp accents, chrome plumbing and polished concrete floors. Then there are several noteworthy design details: a freestanding bath rub in the master suite is accented with a velvety blue accent wall that also provides privacy for the shower area; a dramatic arrangement of wall art over a metallic nature-inspired table immediately greets guests upon entry to the home; and a crystalline wine pantry between the dining area and the adjacent kitchen displays the couple’s collection of vintages and provides a sense of separation between the two spaces.
The kitchen is clean and functional with shining porcelain subway tiles and gleaming white cabinets against one wall, while an adjacent wall features a bank of warm wood cabinets. Generous storage allows clutter to be tucked away, and the space is flooded with natural light thanks to the light monitor overhead.
When asked about a favorite part of the home, the owner touches on both function and form. “We have so many favorite things! One of them is the functionality. We don’t have any wasted space. We also love how the game room and living room open up to the outside living area and pool to create one large entertaining space. Another feature we love is the front courtyard: this allows for large windows in the front of the house that provide natural light throughout.”
“This is probably one of my most enjoyable designs to date,” shares Urbanek. “It was just really fun designing it and working with a couple who has great taste. Lori really brought it to life with the design choices she made. It is a wonderful environment for a family to grow up in, and everyone came together to craft the Rush family’s home and dream.”
The happy family could not agree more. “We didn’t really have any surprises. We are so happy with how our home turned out. It’s beautiful, unique and exactly what we had envisioned,” says Mrs. Rush.
HOME DESIGNER Ed Urbanek Designs
210-698-5422 | www.edurbanekdesigns.com
BUILDER Omni Custom Homes
210-616-2454
INTERIOR DESIGNER Lori Caldwell Designs
210-408-2870 | www.loricaldwelldesigns.com