Here&There | DESIGNERS AT HOME

from New England Home July-August 2023

Le Fleuriste

was once the darkest room in the house. The statement-making cubist floor recalls surfaces he’d seen in Europe. “It feels well-worn,” he says, “and it has a rhythm and movement that’s intriguing.”

Austin’s collection of antiques and artwork figures prominently throughout the home. But the space doesn’t read as a museum. In fact, there’s not a coaster in sight, and guests are welcome to put their feet on the coffee table. “Wear and tear is perfectly okay,” says Austin.

Of the home’s six bedrooms, Austin uses three, each with its own color theme, as space for guests. In the rose room, a keyhole in the custom headboard allows the bed to rest against a window without obstructing the sunshine, while a Venetian-glass light fixture from the 1920s sparks conversation. The twin beds in the gold room nod to Dane Austin Design’s logo. And he found a space for his grandmother’s Dorothy Draper sofa in the third-floor green room.

For Austin, it’s a home that has allowed him to flex his creativity and welcome family for the holidays. “My goal with this house—and in general—is to celebrate life as often as possible, with as many people as possible,” he explains. In living color, when possible.

In one of Austin’s favorite rooms in the house, the robin’s-egg-blue cabinetry has a 1950s vibe. The custom island recalls a provincial kitchen’s workstation.