House Beautiful’s 2025 Whole Home Hits the Market in Austin
The boutique-hotel-inspired residence draws on an all-star, all-female team of Austin design talent
When designer Sara Malek Barney first saw the quirky lot off West Ninth Street, she couldn’t tell where the yard ended and the trees began. The Deep Eddy property, complete with a crumbling mid-century house and a 1960s bomb shelter filled with memorabilia, was more curiosity than dream home. But Barney saw potential in its canopy of heritage oaks and idyllic central location.
An Award-Winning Build
Working with architect Katie Hastings and builders Villani & Graham, she designed a four-bedroom, four-bath home that carefully weaves around the trees’ wide-reaching roots. Years of permitting and collaboration with city arborists followed before construction could begin. Then, in early 2025, Barney learned the project had been chosen as House Beautiful’s Annual Whole Home Showcase, a national spotlight that came with a daunting deadline: a mere nine months to finish.
By fall, the 3,800-square-foot residence was complete. Now listed for $3.5 million, the home showcases Austin’s design sensibility and its collaborative spirit with welcoming interiors and plenty of room for indoor/outdoor entertaining.
“It was important for me to honor the Austin landscape and stay true to its roots throughout the design, creating a home that feels deeply connected to its surroundings,” she says.
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An Interior Chorus
Inside, that philosophy plays out through every space, each curated by a different designer yet threaded together through a shared aesthetic of warmth and Southern hospitality. Barney worked alongside an all-female team that included Amber Lewis, Kathy Kuo, Kim Lewis, Amber Guyton, Leah O’Connell, Rydhima Brar and Caitlin Creer, who each brought their signature style to the project.
The living room and dining room, designed by Kim Lewis, channels a fashion-inspired palette of saturated color and mixed metals. There’s no television in sight, just curvy furnishings, art, and vintage finds. The kitchen, led by Barney, centers on a sculptural, piano-shaped island that anchors the open plan and nods to Austin’s live-music scene. Sage cabinetry, quartzite countertops, fluting details, and jewel-like lighting lend a natural ease for late-night hosting or family gatherings.
Upstairs, Kathy Kuo’s primary bedroom adds an elegant ambiance with a fabric-wrapped canopy bed, layered rugs, and moody lighting. Amber Lewis’s loft/ balcony retreat recalls a members-only lounge with a subtle, organic palette and furnishings from her collection with Four Hands, while Amber Guyton’s flex space has rich blue walls, a coral-painted ceiling, tasseled drapery, and Phillip Jeffries wallcoverings.
Treehouse Living
Beyond the interiors, the home’s connection to nature is constant. Two outdoor decks wrap the site, with sustainable flooring and views through the treetops. A pet-friendly mudroom and EV-charging carport reflect modern, thoughtful living, while a chicken coop out back adds a wink of Austin charm.
If the TreeTop Social Club (as House Beautiful’s team has lovingly named it) has a theme, it’s gathering, both for its designers and for whoever calls it home next.
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