The midcentury-inspired South Austin home of Joe and Kristen Cole marries their East and West Coast sensibilities with a decidedly Texas twist. Kristen is the newly appointed creative director and president of Dallas high-fashion mecca Forty Five Ten (the store she launched in Los Angeles and Dallas, Tenoversix, is now a part of the Headington Group, which owns Forty Five Ten). Joe works as an art consultant and in design and development on commercial projects, like the Joule hotel and June’s All Day, which he co-created with Austin’s McGuire Moorman Hospitality. The couple’s expert eye is on display throughout the one-story home, designed by architect Burton Baldridge on a lot filled with live oak trees. The fresh white walls with wood accents and pops of color showcase the Coles’ extensive art collection. Take a tour through the globe-trotting tastemakers’ high-style abode, which they share with their two young children.
The design process for the whole house only took a few months with architect Burton Baldridge. “We were in sync with him right away, and we signed off on one of his beautiful plans almost immediately,” Kristen says. The Coles enlisted the help of Austin-based Big Red Sun to create their lush landscape design. They wanted something morewild and canyon-like, reminiscent of their hillside home in L.A.
Photograph by Casey Dunn
The family’s French bulldog, Kiki, holds court in the kitchen, which features white terrazzo floors and honey-maple built-ins.
Photograph by Casey Dunn
The wide, light-filled hallway serves as a play area as well as a gallery for the couple’s art, including a neon piece from the seventies by Laddie John Dill and a large abstract painting by Elizabeth Neel, Alice Neel’s granddaughter.
Photograph by Casey Dunn
The living room is a cozy corner with a built-in sofa, fireplace, books, and a vintage Karl Springer coffee table.
Photograph by Casey Dunn
Honey-maple wood built-ins bring warmth to the stark white rooms. California photographer Jessica Rath’s apple clone tree photo greets guests in the entryway.
Photograph by Casey Dunn
The stone fireplace, a recurring element the couple were drawn to as they gathered midcentury reference photos, warms up the kitchen and opens up to the living room, on view in both rooms. The dining set is from the Future Perfect in L.A.
Photograph by Casey Dunn
The master bedroom, with its Noguchi pendant lighting and a large Katherine Bradford painting, is one of Cole’s favorite rooms in the house. The vintage rug was a find from Austin-based Supply Showroom.
Photograph by Casey Dunn
The Coles love the pigment used in German painter Thilo Heinzmann’s piece, which hangs above the love seat in the master bedroom.
Photograph by Casey Dunn
The handmade tile in the powder room was made by friends of the couple who own Suro Ceramics in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Photograph by Casey Dunn
Kristen’s home office is one of the many places she works, as she travels between Austin, Dallas, New York, and L.A. Her corkboard is an ever-changing display of what’s currently inspiring her. She says, “I get my most thoughtful and concentrated creative work done from here.” Together, she and Joe are designing a new Forty Five Ten store, which will open in NYC this year.
Photograph by Casey Dunn
The master bathroom showcases more Suro Ceramics tile and a walk-in shower.
Photograph by Casey Dunn
The side porch houses an herb garden, black chairs by Garza Marfa, and a beautiful contrast to the dark brick exterior: a teal-glazed lava-stone tile patio by Suro Ceramics.
Photograph by Casey Dunn
While the couple were living in L.A., Joe had a hotel project in Austin and several restaurant development projects in Dallas; he was flying in so often that they decided to move and give Austin a try. “We really fell in love with the idea of raising our sons in Austin and in Texas in general,” Kristen says. “It’s very warm, normal, and relaxed here, a nice change from life.”
