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OOKING SKYWARD

For interior designer Mark Cravotta,

limitations presented by the constraints o

existing architecture and building standards

can be liberating: Tey ree me up to ocus on

surace cosmetics and urnishing details, he

says. Te elegant, eclectic design he completed

or a client in the Four Seasons Residences on

the shores o Lady Bird Lake c learly express the

careully choreographed experience o texture,color, and detail he pursues with, in his words,

unyielding attention.

In their raw state, units at the Four

Seasons Residences are simply appointed

and orthogonal eaturing basic nishes that

encourage buyers to make signicant aesthetic

customization. In this case, the client, a single

gentleman whos permanent residence is a

ranch outside o Austin, told Cravotta he had

the exas country thing covered and wanted

something more modern and imaginative,

but not stripped-down or stark. He wanted

us to dream up something special or him,

said Cravotta. Tus began the design process:

engaging in many conversations that led to

an interpretation o clients desires, liestyle,

and aspirations into a narrative comprised o

urniture, art and materials, curated to createa whole story. Te client brought a single,

beautiul painting by Chinese artist Fang Xiang

that is eatured in the living room the rest

was designed, sourced, composed and built by

Cravotta Studios.

Cravotta approaches projects with an eye

or the overall composition, determining what

one will experience when moving through the

space, then ocuses on the details to create

tten by Canan Yetmentography byPaul Bardagjy

A home in the clouds

erior designer Mark Cravotta has created an oasis atop the citys skyline thats

able, eclectic, and creative.

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3

6

4

5

Os

1. Living ro

skyline v

2. Interior d

Mark Cr

Ts

3. Hallway

study

4. Entry a

5. Desk de

master s

6. West-fa

from pat

MARCHITECTURE & INTERIORS

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We wanted this to feel like home, where

guests feel welcome, where there would be

a sense of exploration in the details, art, and

objects without it being overwhelming.

layers o discovery, with the intention that

each space results in a balance o texture

and visual stimulus with a sense o harmony

and ease that enlivens spaces, makes them

at once sophisticated and completely livable.

While Cravotta is a sel-described enthusiast

o minimalist design and modern architecture,

his work consciously avoids the trappings o

being overly distilled, which can make a space

eel cold and disconnected. We wanted this

to eel like home, where guests eel welcome,

where there w ould be a s ense o ex ploration

in the details, art, and objects without it being

overwhelming. We strove to make this a space

where people want to linger, he says.

Directing all aspects o design rom

construction to sourcing urniture, accessories,

and art, down to the minute details o books,

bedding, towels, atware and toiletries

Cravotta and his staf work closely with

cratsmen and artisans to bring exacting

vision to lie. Cravotta designed many o the

large pieces o urniture himsel. Among his

avorites are the rosewood and mahogany dry

bar in the living room and the guest bed made

rom leather-wrapped steel. Troughout the

home, every gesture embodies the creativity

and ingenuity o the designers vision. Te

master bedroom wall covering is composed

o hand-cut, handmade paper adhered to the

wall to create sot ephemeral tile efect. Te

living and dining room ceiling is adorned with

a hand-painted Venetian plaster paper. Brick

veneer, applied to a wall spanning the entry

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and living room, leading down a narrow hallto the custom wine room, results in a warm,

inhabited look that surprises and delights.

Antiques, such as the show-stopping 1940s

mahogany sideboard thought to be designed

by modernist Ico Parisi, are artully mixed with

new and custom pieces, resulting in an eclectic

home that appears to have been collected over

time.

Te Four Seasons Residences expansive

windows and generous terraces provide

additional visual interest, connecting interiors

to the surrounding hills, the lake and the

ground below. In this unit, one terrace,located o the living room, provides a true

outdoor room or relaxing or entertaining.

all, custom abricated steel planters replicate

the eect o traditional hanging baskets, add

height and visual interest, and help dene the

space. A terrace o the master suite eatures

custom interlocking steel planters that screen

views rom neighboring residences and create

a more private, intimate space, designed in

collaboration with Monique Capanelli oArticulture Designs. wo chaise lounges can be

pushed together to create a bed, transorming

the terrace into a resh interpretation o a

traditional Southern sleeping porch.

Art and objects throughout the home

complete the composition. Cravotta brought

in art rom many galleries, both local and

national, made initial selections and installed

the art he thought best t the space and the

client, who kept all but one piece. Ranging

rom old masters to East Austin artists to

antique Asian artiacts, the assorted collection

refects the clients simultaneous worldlysophistication and adventurous nature.

Te entire process, rom concept to

completion, took nearly a year, which is

typical or most o Cravotta Studios projects.

But Cravotta maintains that every project,

no matter the budget or the style, receives

the same time and attention because o their

exacting commitment to designing spaces and

urnishings that last. DAM

Previous

7. Path to wine gallery

8. View to media room

and study

9. Bedroom details

Tis page

10. Dining area with

north and west

views of Austin

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38 Downtown Austin Magazine January & February 2013