Judge’s Hill Residence

Tucked into Central Austin’s Judge’s Hill neighborhood, this 1952 residence was preserved and drawn purposefully forward in a 2021 renovation that honored its mid-century bones without being bound by them. The home’s low-slung silhouette and warm material language set the design intent from the outset: every decision would begin with the original architecture as its reference point, layering new choices that felt earned rather than imposed.

Interior selections mix furniture, finishes, art, and accessories that accentuate the home’s original era while pulling it forward into the present. Skylights usher in nature’s rhythm of shadow and light, brightening interiors that retain their warm material palette. New walnut paneling follows the original detail, running continuously from the living areas into the primary bedroom. The fireplace surround and mantel in Empress Green marble tie in with the tile floor beyond, originally a screened-in sunroom, while a vintage oak table with brass inlay from Austin’s own The Renner Project anchors the dining space. Sarah C. Ferguson’s paintings electrify the walls and, together with the pendant overhead, reflect the owners’ love of vibrant accents and contemporary craft.

A stone’s throw from Pease Park, the Judge’s Hill Residence is a love letter to a very particular Austin, the Austin of quiet streets, generous shade, and an arts community that has long made craft feel like a form of civic identity. The textures of zellige, terrazzo, walnut, marble, and hammered copper are not decorative choices so much as arguments for slowing down, for noticing how a surface changes in afternoon light, how a handmade tile never quite matches its neighbor.