It may be true, as the saying goes, that well-behaved women seldom make history. But smart rebels know that audacity gains more traction when it’s tempered with charm. Take Charleston-based designer Angie Hranowsky’s project for a young Austin family that wraps chic, innovative gestures in a setting of comfort and tradition. “I wanted to walk that line between edginess and timelessness,” says the designer.
Hranowsky was beguiled from the outset by the house’s well-crafted bones. “I came in the front door and thought, ‘Oh, yeah, we can make this really special,’ ” she recalls. “It’s a 1990s house, but well-built and proportioned, with great architectural details.” In other words, it was the perfect canvas for her fresh approach to decorating. To the clients, Texas natives who’d connected in Manhattan (“Texans find Texans wherever we go!” says the wife), the house marked both a return to their roots and a fresh chapter. They’d spent 17 years on the East Coast, building careers, starting a family, and absorbing a wide range of aesthetic influences. But city life had worn thin. “I could barely host a playdate without climbing the walls,” says the wife of their 1,000-square-foot apartment. The couple is highly social—their wedding party included 15 attendants apiece. They longed for a house where they could stretch out, play, entertain, and grow.
The first step was to invite light into their new interiors, which were shadowed by thick doors and oak floors. Hranowsky installed steel casement doors throughout and pickled the floors. “That was huge,” says the client. “Natural light now floods every room.”
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Equally important to the clients was ensuring no space would be unused, so Hranowsky conjured an unfolding sequence of rooms that reflected the full range of the family’s interests. It starts at the entry hall, which, on first glance, appears fairly traditional with its high-gloss paint, paneled walls, and elegant banister. But a swirling wallpaper and antelope-pattern stair runner wink at what’s to come: “that this house is going to be classic but cool,” says Hranowsky. She carried the dueling themes into the dining room, where details like klismos-style chairs and silver-leafed wall panels express elegant formality, while a deeply tufted emerald banquette makes the space feel as hip and inviting as a favorite supper club.
“I wanted to walk that line between edginess and timelessness.” —Designer Angie Hranowsky
Hranowsky is known for her buoyant color palettes, and this skill is on full display in the living room, where yellow walls envelop a swanky, dreamy space complete with a sofa upholstered in peach velvet, chairs in tan Serengeti fabric, and pillows in purple and pale seafoam green. For full-on immersion, she opted not to paint the moldings a contrasting color, instead using a deeper yellow even for the mantel.
VERANDA This article originally appeared in the January/February 2021 issue of VERANDA.
VERANDA This article originally appeared in the January/February 2021 issue of VERANDA.
Indeed, whereas some designers might turn to neutrals to subdue the impact of intense colors, Hranowsky instead relies on rich, contrasting shades. For example, she balances aubergine against green and silver in the dining room, plum with ice blue in the master bedroom, and saffron and fuchsia in the daughter’s bedroom. And in the bar, she pairs deep teal woodwork with a vibrant zig-zag wallpaper that reveals itself on close inspection to be a pattern of brightly colored moths—which the client now refers to as her “barflies.”
Angie Hranowsky Colorful Austin House Tour
In the spacious family room, Hranowsky introduced ceiling beams to create scale and placed two sofas back-to-back, upholstering them in a gold-print fabric chosen to withstand daily use. “Everybody asks, ‘What if I spill red wine?’ ” says Hranowsky. “But that rarely happens. What you really want to hide is everyday wear.” The family can often be found lounging on the sofa that faces the fireplace and TV. Its twin, facing the kitchen, is a favorite napping spot for the husband. Hranowsky had the nearby custom coffee table faux-painted to mimic a horn box.
Though each room has a distinct personality, the designer uses subtle repetition to unify the spaces. The entry hall’s warm blacks are echoed in wrought-iron curtain rods and lamps throughout along with lampshades, stone, artwork, and pottery. Meanwhile, the peach of the living room sofa is reflected in the room’s soft caramel tones of wood and leather, its salmon-pink lampshades, and also in the grosgrain ribbons that trim the dining room curtains across the hall. Purples and plums pop up throughout.
Such connect-the-dot elements are really just another expression of Hranowsky’s commitment to equilibrium: Even the grandest gestures are grounded in smart details. The designer traces this sense of balance to her childhood love of fashion and her education in graphic design, both of which help her eschew decorating ruts and trust her intuition. “I want my projects to feel natural, not formulaic,” says Hranowsky. “I hate to be pigeonholed.”
It’s a fate that’s not likely to befall her anytime soon—at least not in a certain corner of Austin. “She’s just a cool little badass,” says the client.
This feature originally appeared in the January/February 2021 issue of VERANDA. Interior design by Angie Hranowsky; photography Julia Lynn; written by Celia Barbour.
