With his industrial-sleek aesthetic, architect Michael Hsu has designed some of the most buzzed-about buildings in Austin. His eponymous firm created Lance Armstrong’s bike shop, Mellow Johnny’s; Sandra Bullock’s restaurant Bess; and Tyson Cole’s Uchi, establishing him as a leader of the “Texas modern” movement. You would expect nothing less from someone who has worked under Pritzker Prize-winning architect Rem Koolhaas. When he’s done meeting with clients, the forty-year-old heads to the midcentury Tarrytown home he shares with his wife, Kimberly Smith, an art history professor at Southwestern University, and their children, Nadia and Enzo. After dinner he retreats to his garage to putter away at his hobbies, fly-fishing and motorcycle restoration. “I’m out here every day,” says Hsu. A Ducati, a dirt bike, and a race car surround him as he ties flies and gets his nightly dose of the Discovery Channel.
Above the Peg Board
• That’s my family seal in Chinese characters.
On the Peg Board
• Wrenches: I use these to restore my bikes. I have about one hundred wrenches in here.
On the Bench
• Hats: They are one of my clients. Supergreat pizza and such nice local people. We’re finishing their to-go space right now.
• Picture: That’s Giacomo Agostini. He’s a motorcycle racer’s racer. I ordered it from a print shop in England.
• Vice: You have to have a vise to tie flies. This is a Renzetti my wife gave me.
• Live Fish Bait: I found this in one of the projects we remodeled on Fifth Street.
• Open box: These are crab patterns specific to the east coast of Mexico, just south of Tulum.
• I’ll turn on the TV when I’m out here, stuff like the Discovery Channel. I can’t watch Grey’s Anatomy with my wife anymore.
Under the Bench
• To tie flies we use pretty much dead-animal material. It’s macabre stuff.
• I’m a non-flip-flop guy. I try to resist wearing them, but I can’t help it.
Buy fly-tying vises and accessories at renzetti.com.
Home Slice Pizza now has a to-go location. Find a menu, blog, and photos at homeslicepizza.com.
Top flip-flop brands can be ordered through flipflopco.com or zappos.com, which offers free shipping.
Dirt Rider is the online magazine for dirt-biking enthusiasts. Go to dirtrider.com to find news, videos, and buyers’ guides to new and old bikes.
Never miss another show on Discovery Channel by visiting dsc.discovery.com for program schedules. Also visit blogs, sign up for newsletters, and shop for DVDs.
Plan your next fly-fishing trip using the guides on worldwidefishing.com.
