This Austin, Texas Home Renovation Made Every Inch Count For The Family of Five

Elizabeth Sweet
·4 min read
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When Austin, Texas-based interior designer Shannon Eddings wanted to replace the backsplash in her 1950s kitchen, her husband, Sam, encouraged her to go a step further. "Let's not just replace that," he said. "Let's do what you've always talked about doing." But with a busy family of five and a bustling business, she worried about whether they could realistically take on a down-to-the-studs overhaul of their 1,200-square-foot home. "We wondered, 'Do we have the capacity to do this?' " she recalls.

After a six-month renovation process and reclaiming 600 square feet for maximized livability, she had changed not only their much-loved home but also their life. "We desperately needed space to spread out," says Eddings, whose smart edits took the house to 1,800 square feet. She focused on expanding the living areas. By building a screened porch, turning the garage into a sitting room, and shifting the location of their front door ever so slightly, she's made each inch count. "We now have an area where we can hang out, have a drink, and talk while the kids play in the living room," she says—and then exhales. Learn more about her transformation.

Mid-Century Modern Open Kitchen
Mid-Century Modern Open Kitchen

Molly Culver Eddings scored an antique Belgian pendant light at the Original Round Top Antiques Fair. “You can also scour eBay to find lighting,” she suggests.

Keep Scale In Mind

"Mid-century homes have low ceilings," Eddings says. "It's cool, but it's also a tight squeeze!" To add height, she expanded vertically with a newly vaulted ceiling, a skylight, and a wall of lofty cabinetry stretching upward. She picked an atmospheric shade of gray-green (Benjamin Moore's Silver Sage, 506) for the cabinetry, which is accented by brass hardware from Schoolhouse. A modern Brizo faucet and custom brass edging on the marble-wrapped hood bring it all together. The durable quartz countertop stands up to tough messes while offering the look of soapstone. Eddings painted all the doors Benjamin Moore's Odessa Pink (HC-59) as a nod to her husband's West Texas roots.

Mid-century living room redesign
Mid-century living room redesign

Molly Culver

Calm and Collected

Eddings decorated the living room with a combination of soft neutrals and an eclectic art collection. She created a sitting room in an area that had been the garage. After pouring a concrete floor and building a bookcase, she added a blustery metallic wallpaper by Cole & Son, a sunset-yellow camelback sofa, and a tonal vintage rug. The palette was inspired by the desert-sky she fell for on drives in Texas and trips to New Mexico.

Mid-Century colorful sitting room with yellow sofa
Mid-Century colorful sitting room with yellow sofa

Molly Culver Eddings purchased the tonal rug from Austin-based company, Due East, which sources textiles and home goods from Morocco.

Laundry room workspace
Laundry room workspace

Molly Culver

Turn a Room Around

Tucked away off the kitchen, a laundry room doubles as a workspace. The cabinets are painted Benjamin Moore's Enchanted Forest (700). GP & J Baker wallpaper and a vibrant Kufri Roman shade add some energy and fun. The stool and rug are both vintage finds.

Mid-century home main bedroom
Mid-century home main bedroom

Molly Culver

Give a Room Time To Grow

The main bedroom is outfitted with a mix of furniture styles. Eddings looks for well-designed pieces from all time periods. "You don't want to just walk into one store and call it a day," she says. "It takes attention to detail. Why would we buy a new lamp when we could find a unique one to put here?"

Girls bedroom with twin beds
Girls bedroom with twin beds

Molly Culver

Make a Fun Statement

For the girls' bedroom, she covered just one wall in Hygge & West's Daydream wallpaper, which is a cost-effective move. "I like to paint the rest of the room to match the pattern," says Eddings, who selected Benjamin Moore's Simply White (OC-117) for the remaining walls. A mid-century dresser and vintage fabric used for the bolster pillows were finds from Round Top, which is about an hour and a half from Austin. "I go twice a year!" she says. Antiques stores and fairs are great places to find one-of-a-kind pieces at more reasonable prices.

Boy's bedroom with bed and desk
Boy's bedroom with bed and desk

Molly Culver

Play Up Personality

Inspired by her son's love of national parks, the outdoorsy space is full of distinctive pieces and collected art. He chose Benjamin Moore's Amsterdam (AF-550) for the walls. Eddings helped him pick out pieces for the gallery wall, and she brought in the taxidermy deer head from another spot in the house. An antelope-print rug that didn't work for one of Eddings' clients found a home here.