Austin-based Mark Cravotta, owner of Cravotta Interiors, is known for his creative designs that have made him a highly sought out interior designer with an impressive client list ranging from A-list

celebrities to CEOs. Cravotta meets his clients’ desires by designing spaces that exude livable luxury, subtle warmth and inspiring beauty. When Cravotta’s friend and globally-renowned jewelry designer

Kendra Scott asked him to revamp her former downtown Austin condo, he came to the rescue by breathing color and sophistication into a previously bland and monotonous space. We sat down with

the passionate designer to talk about how he converted this previously sterile Austin City Lofts condo overlooking downtown Austin into a rich, warm and chic urban space to live and entertain.

worksWHY THIS SPACE

Designer Spotlight: Mark Cravotta

By Mauri ElbEl | Photography by Paul bardagjy

Upon first glance, what were your original impressions of this space?

MC: My first impression was that it had good bones but it was really dark and cold and drab. Honestly, it conjured thoughts of a well-appointed prison. This condo is on the western edge of downtown with views looking over west Austin. But everything inside was brown or gray — the concrete ceiling, brown leather sofa, brown reclaimed wood coffee and side tables. They didn’t have any art, any rugs, any pillows, any color. I was happy they called me.

What did you envision in terms of potential for this condo?

MC: The main objective was to soften the space and infuse it with color so that it felt more warm and inviting without losing its masculinity. I knew we needed to get some color in here and we needed to marry the textures. The client really liked these reclaimed wood pieces (the coffee table and the side table) but we needed to make sure not all the furnishings were the same color — all the surfaces were gray and the furniture was all brown and leather. I wanted to get some variation in color and texture. They didn’t want to waste the furniture that they had already spent money on, which is understandable, so I worked with both of them to see what they were open to. I tried to bring other elements into the space to up the sophistication and soften the overall aesthetic.

What elements did you bring into the condo to help you achieve this look?

MC: I brought in the table running behind the sofa, a chrome frame with a black glass top, that helped make the space a little more sophisticated and modernized it a bit. I wanted to make sure those reclaimed wood tables worked well with the overall composition of the room so I brought in some tribal pillows and throws to help break up the sea of brown. I brought in an antique Turkish Oushak rug which was over 100 years old. You can imagine the brown wood tables with brown sofa on the brown floor before — everything receded into itself and there was a real lack of dimension. That rug was really important — that and the triptych art piece on the wall were probably the most important elements in establishing some life and dimension into this room.

The clean lines and open feel in these rooms really allow your interior furnishings and art selections to take center stage — please tell us about some of your specific design and art choices.

MC: All the architectural detailing was there when I became involved. The only thing we had to do was paint and furnish the space. I shifted the paint color on some of the walls and warmed up the grays. We reupholstered a basic chair in the living room in a vibrant green mohair and anchored the room with the amazing 100-year-old Oushak rug to add color, pattern

UrBAn HOME AUSTIn – SAn AnTOnIO 59urbanhomemagazine.com58 UrBAn HOME AUSTIn – SAn AnTOnIO urbanhomemagazine.com

Were there any lines in particular that you gravitated toward in terms of furniture selection?

MC: The space was done on a relatively small budget. We kept many of the pieces the client already owned and then added pieces that I either found or designed to achieve the overall aesthetic.

I love the paneled art hanging above the wooden benches — please tell us where you found these pieces.

MC: I commissioned the hall art from another Austin artist, Jennifer Prichard, whose work I’ve long admired. Jennifer Prichard typically attaches her ceramic creations directly to walls and ceilings. I wanted something more contained, and though she had never done anything like this before, she was willing to explore the idea with me. I asked her to create a series of ceramic bowls in many hues of blue and green and arrange them in a way that creates an ombre effect as it progresses down the hall. I love the way it turned out on these five white canvases. I designed the walnut benches in the hall, each with four slabs of claro walnut, and from the front, you can still see the wall behind them. This hallway has a view that overlooks South Austin. These clients had a lot of parties and entertained frequently so we really wanted to create a gallery space out of this dark hall that leads from one section of the condo to the other as people are walking through the space.

What are your favorite elements in this space — what words do you feel best describe this space when you are standing in the room?

MC: The art. Vibrant. Art-infused. Expansive. Comfortable. One of the things that was exciting about this space is that we filled it almost exclusively with works from local artists. It really contains the crème de la crème of Austin art. I think these talents stand with the best artists, anywhere. All of these pieces have a magical luminescent quality to them, from the Jennifer Chenoweth painting to the piece by roi James. We made sure they were all properly lit so none of their vibrance is lost.

For your clients, why did this space work? What did they most love about it?

MC: They wanted a cool, hip downtown living experience and I think they would agree we achieved that. v

CraVOTTa iNTEriOrS512.499.0400 | Cravottainteriors.com

and soul. The floor lamp is a functional sculpture bringing art into the space along with the triptych painting by Austin artist Jennifer Chenoweth. Placing an architectural planting in the corner provides texture, color and real life. The kitchen just had to be cleaned up and styled with a few elements of interest. The painting seen just beyond the kitchen to the left is by one of my favorite local artists, roi James.

60 UrBAn HOME AUSTIn – SAn AnTOnIO urbanhomemagazine.com