March 24, 2025
Home & Real Estate,
For her first Austin-based project, California-based designer Lindye Galloway merged the best of both locales for a family’s custom Hill Country haven.
The dining room is the epitome of comfortable sophistication.
Interior designer Lindye Galloway in the Austin kitchen she designed.
“They wanted warmth, but they also enjoy a minimalist approach, so we had to have a little layering effect of the different areas.” –LINDYE GALLOWAY
Austin undoubtedly has its share of talented interior designers, yet one local couple discovered a pro online and reached out to her as their custom Hill Country house progressed. During the start of the process, the homeowners would periodically partake in virtual sessions with Lindye Galloway, the founder and chief creative officer of Lindye Galloway Studio, to ask questions. “It was a fun way to start the relationship because I already had so much intel on who they were and their family and everything,” Galloway recalls.
At one point, however, the couple realized they needed more than just the occasional chat to make their home everything they wanted, so they asked Galloway to visit and handle all the details moving forward. And, though Galloway had worked on projects nationwide from her California base, this was to become her first in Austin. As it turns out, the couple wanted “a California vibe”—which Galloway defines as “natural, grounded and neutral”—mixed with an Austin feel. Since the project was already under construction, Galloway knew she had to act fast.
The homeowners, who are parents to two young sons and entrepreneurs working from home, did not have many requirements. “They wanted to be able to have their own spaces and something where they could feel connected to the home while working, but not in the mix of bedrooms and all of that,” Galloway explains. “They wanted warmth, but they also enjoy a minimalist approach, so we had to have a little layering effect of the different areas.” And, with close family members who live nearby, the couple also desired a family-centric home where they could all gather.
Galloway says she designed the living room so adults can sip on cocktails while kids relax on the sectional and watch a show. A black custom metal frame with glass inserts visually separates the kitchen.
Galloway labels the homeowners’ wet room “really interesting and different.”
While the boys are young, they are sharing this custom bunk room with cleverly hidden storage in the steps.
As a canvas for the California-meets-Texas vibe, the trio first decided on a palette prioritizing contrast. While they agreed to cover the floors primarily in white oak, the designer suggested other accents with vibrant colors and darker tones. For example, the kitchen island and lower cabinets were stained a dark brown-black, which matches a boxy black steel frame she had made to visually separate the kitchen from the rest of the open-concept area. “Some of the woods we use have a little bit of an Austin vibe without being rustic. So that was really why we went darker on the chairs and the counter stools. But then we still mixed in some light elements elsewhere.”
She also intentionally chose perceivably “heavy” furnishings, like the leather and burnt orange velvet chairs in the living room and tables with weighty bases. Even in the primary bathroom, a sturdy, free-standing stone tub anchors a glass-enclosed wet room. “We went with more substantial pieces that ground into the space more,” she explains.
Galloway also used great thought when choosing various textures and materials. To make visual breaks in the space, she employed open shelving in the kitchen and glass inserts in some of the oak cabinetry. “We don’t want to have a whole kitchen wall full of just closed cabinetry, so we added the glass so they had a see-through moment and kind of gave them a breath.” Galloway did the same in the woman’s office, where brass screens allow her client to see what is stacked on the shelves while adding a unique visual element.
Metals are using sparingly throughout, and most are brushed or matte. “Hardware and lighting, I feel like are really what brings a room together,” Galloway says. “Those are such important pieces to really kind of make a statement in a room, even if it’s a more subtle one.”
The home also features primarily custom-made furnishings with low backs so they would not disrupt site lines to the backyard. While we might not have many homes with ocean or mountain views here in Texas, even the California-based designer appreciated this home’s beautiful, oak tree-filled yard and sparkling pool. “When you walk in a home, you really want that fantastic shot that just brings you into the home and then right outside,” she explains. Mission accomplished.
DESIGN DETAILS
TYPE
Single-family
LOCATION
Austin
DESIGNER
Lindye Galloway Studio
GENERAL CONTRACTOR
David Wilkes Builders
RESOURCES
ALLIED MAKER
Kitchen lighting
ARTERIORS
Bathroom lighting
NATIVE TRAILS
Bathtub
SOLÉ SHADES
Office curtains and blinds
Photography by: Photographed by Chase Daniels
