December 12, 2024
Lockhart, a small town 30 miles southeast of Austin, has long drawn carnivores as a barbecue mecca. Black’s, Kreuz Market, Smitty’s, and newcomer Barbs B Q put Lockhart on the map with their brisket, ribs, and sausage. More recently, as musicians and artists priced out of Austin have relocated to Lockhart, the town has become known for its art (LockhART can be spotted on bumper stickers) and music scene. New businesses — an art gallery, restaurants, bars, bookstore, gift shops, and more — have revitalized the town square and made it a tourist destination even for those not on a BBQ pilgrimage. And now it’s showing off interior design chops too.
Or so it seemed on last Saturday’s Lockhart Holiday Home Tour, which featured 7 beautifully decorated homes plus a luxury cabin rental complex. Proceeds benefited the Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) program, which provides books and promotes literacy for children. Here are my favorite design moments from the tour.
The Red House
The Red House (the exterior is now painted white) is a historic home owned by the Black family of BBQ fame. The interior is all wood plank with updated farmhouse details.
I love the dining room’s mural-like, monochromatic wallpaper against the old wood trim.
In the kitchen, red ribbons turned the cabinet doors into Christmas presents.
Colored, diamond-paned windows admitted light into the wood-paneled stairway.
A Christmas tree was glowing at the top of the stairs.
Santa mug on a drink table
And a droopy, Charlie Brown-type Christmas tree
W. Prairie Lea Street
One of my favorites on the tour, reflecting the warm personality of the owners, was a 1918 home with soaring ceilings, beautiful wooden pocket doors, and wonderful art, including this piece by Austin artist Patrick Puckett.
Sitting area with plants and art
Wise words
Fun wallpaper in a powder room
Art in the hall included a digital collage by Austin artist Dave McClinton.
A gallery wall and stacks of books made the wide staircase a destination in itself.
On the top floor, attic space has been transformed into a playroom/bedroom for two lucky little girls.
Carlisle Guest House
At The Carlisle, a short-term rental owned by Donna Blair and Tamara Carlisle of Commerce Gallery, I spotted another painting by Patrick Puckett.
A bar alcove in the living room was dressed up with floral wallpaper and blue paint…
…and a brass armadillo.
A quirky juxtaposition caught my eye: a taxidermy deer and portrait of a pensive woman, both staring off into space.
A cool snake lamp
Boldly patterned wallpaper with painted trim
Casa Suerte
Another favorite of mine was Casa Suerte, or house of good luck, the home of ceramist Celeste Quesada and her musician husband, Adrian Quesada of the fabulous Black Pumas. A ranch home built in 1972, Casa Suerte is decades younger than most of the other homes on the tour. I adored its retro, thrifted vibe, starting with a dramatic monkey-and-floral wallpaper in the small dining room.
An avocado-green bookshelf made a casual divider between the entry and sunken living room.
In the kitchen, open cabinets displayed colorful pieces of Fiestaware. The graphic tile on the backsplash…
…reappeared throughout the home, including in the hall bath. Retro crane wallpaper added more bold pattern.
I can’t remember if this pretty vignette on a bedside table was at Casa Suerte, but I admired the silver teapot with dried white flowers against the black wall.
San Jacinto Street
More black walls appeared in this Folk Victorian home, setting off a contemporary green sofa.
A rustic dining room table was a simple choice under a sputnik chandelier.
St.Leger House
Lockhart artist and architect Christopher St.Leger designed his family’s home, a recent construction, and was the general contractor. It had a very livable feel.
I admired green floral wallpaper on one wall of a sitting room.
Foliage and birds and a cute Christmas tree
In the bath, mossy green, color-drenched walls contrasted with terracotta tile floors.
Christopher’s art studio at the back of the house had lots of display and storage space for his streetscapes of Lockhart.
The Leona
My last stop was The Leona, a compound of recently built luxury cabins — a boutique hotel — along a spring-fed creek with a waterfall.
Lake | Flato (which designed Austin’s Central Library) designed the four cabins (more are in the works across the creek), and we were allowed to tour three of them.
Rialto Studio designed the lush, mostly-native landscaping. Mexican bush sage, Turk’s cap, and grasses were in bloom during the early December tour.
The eclectic interiors, with each cabin uniquely decorated, were created by Sarah Stacey Interior Design. I enjoyed every little detail.
I’ve seen this fabulous griffin fabric in a home designed by Amity Worrel, another maximalist designer whose work I admire.
A cozy bedroom with retro wallpaper and green-checked quilt
A fringed bedside lamp with a leopard base is from Anthropologie.
In another cabin, a glowing blue glass chandelier draws eyes upward.
It was magnetic.
In the bathroom, green ruled the day with a ceramic sink basin and square tiles.
In another cabin, floral wallpaper and colorful art paired with a Vertigo pendant lamp.
The kitchenette in burgundy and black won me over with sun-patterned wallpaper and quirky art.
A smiling water tower print is by Austin photographer Sandy Carson.
A bouquet of wire and glass flowers is fun too.
A snake candleholder and crane wallpaper make a sinuous echo.
Forest wallpaper and a green quilt cozy up another cabin.
Wallpaper detail
After the tour, I stopped at Old Pal for fried chicken and admired the courthouse Christmas tree before heading home, my head full of design inspiration from little ‘ole Lockhart.
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Digging Deeper
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