My Houzz: Family Memories and Personal Details in Texas

It's the quirky little stories that make a house more than just wood and nails. The first home of Austin, Texas, newlyweds Nick Moore and Stephanie Wright is a fitting example of this. They ditched their college music posters for a homier approach, adding old family photos, building and painting furniture themselves, and working with local designers and artists to open up their space and add details that reflect their personalities. But it's the moments along the way that added even more character to the house.

For instance, a photo that Wright thought was her great-grandmother turned out not to be a relative at all. It was just a woman in a frame. But instead of taking it down, Wright left it up. "So now she's just a lady that sits on top of my cabinets," she says. Then, while remodeling the kitchen, Wright had to come up with "a solution to prevent my tall Viking of a husband from hitting his head on hanging pots and pans," she says. That resulted in a smart way to hang skillets under a large open island.

The house would be a great space just on its own, but Moore and Wright have made it one of a kind.

Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Nick Moore, Stephanie Wright and their beagle, Sherman
Location: Foster Heights neighborhood of Austin, Texas
Size: 1,080 square feet; 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom

The bungalow's exterior was originally manila colored with dark brown trim. "It made the house look like a leisure suit," says Wright. The couple gave it fresh white paint. Moore built and painted gray shutters to match the ones he also built for inside.

Wright hand lettered the house numbers on the front porch, a DIY project that "went too long," she says. She picked a font, made a stencil and used an X-Acto knife to carve out the letters.


Moore and Wright have fun with their four-legged roommate, Sherman.

"Our design aesthetic is a traditional look, but I like things to be a tad more edgy, not necessarily modern but a little dark," says Wright.


The kitchen had closed, mismatched cabinets made by the previous homeowner. There was also an awkward divider between the living room and the kitchen. Moore worked in a kitchen in college and wanted a proficient cooking space with lots of steel; Wright liked open-style kitchens and wanted a space that wasn't too feminine.


AFTER: Working with Jack Sander of Design Build Adventure, they now enjoy an open, industrial-style kitchen. The entire project took only a week and a half, and the couple was able to cook and use the space almost entirely during the renovation.

The designer created a custom case for the refrigerator. "I don't know anyone that thinks a fridge is beautiful, so we got a steel surround built to make storage space and shelving while hiding the fridge," says Wright.


Wright and Moore stripped and stained the previously white Windsor dining chairs and bench in their open dining area. "We painted them the same gray we used on the accent wall in the living room to provide contrast," says Wright. The tablecloth is a linen blanket from Spartan, a shop belonging to the couple's friend Currie Person. The pictures framing the window are family photos that were used as wedding decorations.


"We both don't like cabinetry. We figured if you don't want other people to see it, it shouldn't be in the kitchen," says Wright. Mason jars are used to store pantry items like pasta and rice. From this view you can see where the couple removed the previous divider to create a more open layout.


The most time-consuming project was this slatted wall. Zach Larkin, their handyman extraordinaire, painstakingly placed each piece. The design team at Design Build Adventure built the butcher block island. Below it you can see the skillet storage that Wright came up with so her tall husband wouldn't hit his head.

The antique sink is from Old Home Supply House in Fort Worth, Texas; it's a warehouse that carries only cast iron tubs and sinks salvaged from old houses.


All the open wood shelves in the kitchen are made from the truck beds of 18-wheelers. The designers welded custom iron stands for each piece of wood to create a simple open unit.


The couple found the matching chair and couch on Craigslist for $300; the round trip to transport them took four hours. It then took them six months to decide on the neutral fabric. "The sofa was beautiful and tufted, but we decided to reupholster it to make it a little sleeker," says Wright.

The credenza is also a Craigslist find. The couple repainted it, along with the corner secretary desk, and added new gold knobs.

Moore built and added the interior shutters, painting them the same gray as the accent wall. The hardwood floors are original; he refinished and stained them darker to pair nicely with the walnut trim on the furniture.

The couple commissioned their friend Mason McFee at Crummy House to create the "Slow" art piece. "McFee thought 'slow' was funny, because it was going above our couch. But it actually reflects our lifestyle. We just take life one day at a time," says Wright.

Gray paint: Knight's Armor, Olympic; upholstery: Long Upholstery Service, Austin; black and white collages: Crummy House


This china cabinet came from Wright's great-grandmother's home in Norway. Wright thought the portrait in the gold frame was of her great-grandmother, so she placed it on top, only to find out later found that the woman was not a relative.


These old family photos were used as decorations at the couple's wedding. Wright's all-time favorite photograph is of her parents on their honeymoon in New Orleans, dressed up as Bonnie and Clyde (first column, third down).

Both Moore and Wright have strong family ties. "Both of us are excited about our heritage, and we both have a very strong Norwegian heritage. Looking at the pictures is really nostalgic, and it's fun to always be reminded of where we come from," says Wright.

More adds, "We really, really love our family and are superclose to our families, so it just made sense to surround ourselves with our heritage."


The centerpiece above the couple's bed is a 1920s framed image that once hung in Wright's great-grandmother's home. "It's been around so long that now the piece is part of the family," Wright says.

Bed: French Académie Iron Bed, Restoration Hardware

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