S T U D I O F E R M E

Thanks so much to everyone who supported @preservationaustin ’s homes tour this weekend, and came to see our project, the little cottage at the front of the passive house multiplex by @forgexcraft architects, and built by @formtofinish . This was only the second house I ever designed with a lot of freedom and tenacity, from collaborative interior architecture to hard finishes, a renovation of a 1924 bungalow and lovely transformation for current times with purposeful materials. It was several years ago, on a super tight budget that I think no one else thought possible for the feel of the finish out, with an abundance of enthusiasm and a great team, including our wonderful clients! Now it’s truly amazing to finally see it built, and to be part of the tapestry of the historic Clarksville neighborhood I adore. Hopefully soon happy renters make this sweet spot their home!

To anyone who sees this this imperfect little note, I wish you from my heart a "hopeful" year ahead. May you feel hope, and may your hopes come alive, with peace, contentment, kindness and love. I hope that beauty, inside you and in your dear ones, and all over this precious planet will reach you, even in the most simple and messy moments. In our overwhelming modern times, this time of year can feel like a lot of pressure, not only to embody an unattainable image of "happy," but to question and criticize ourselves and our worth, based in part on performative measures of career and personal success, having an idealized body, dodging the effects of age and stress, marginalization and a lack of support in society, fixing something in ourselves or others that's not actually broken...etc. I hold anyone and all of you in a space of compassion and self-acceptance. You are enough, just as you are. We are always growing, even and especially when we allow ourselves to feel the uncomfortable feelings of stuckness, imperfections, and fear. Beauty and love are always in reach, we can keep our hearts open to connection and guidance. When I feel down, and hope may feel low, this time of year, or whenever, that's allowed too. Ebbing and flowing. Hope, dream, create, generate, and rest, friends. Maybe even with me? We're all in this miracle of a lifetime together. 🌒🌟💓

A lovely way to bring in a new year, digging deep for a new kind of energy for the work I do, is to know that Dwell readers are noticing what makes Theresa Passive House a very special project. Thank you @dwellmagazine for sharing, and recapping our home as one of the 20 Most-Liked Homes on Instagram in 2023, and thanks, friends, for supporting Studio Ferme.

Three years ago I started my first commercial project with @forgexcraft consulting on the interior design and finishes for Zilker Studios, a supportive housing community in South Austin, for the very special @foundationcommunities . It's incredible to see it complete, now with this vibrant mural by @chromaatx , that's so perfect in the common area. August 15th is the final day to nominate the 2023 Best Interior Designers for @austin_home Magazine! If you'd like to support Studio Ferme and our work and mission of mindful design, please take a moment to nominate us! Link in bio. 🙏 Happy Weekend and stay cool all of you here in Austin, and anywhere that's too hot!! 😊

If you’re interested to learn more about the sustainability and sensory intentions and what costs went into building Theresa Passive house, Dwell published a sweet little article on Dwell+ Thank you @outertemple and @dwell for sharing our story! . . 📸: @_leonidfurmansky 🔨: @lvlonthelvl Collaborators: @forgexcraft & @hughjeffersonrandolpharchitect

Back in the fall, Texas Architect Magazine @txarchitects printed a lovely story about our groundbreaking Theresa Passive House, my personal home. The article discusses the vision of the project with high-performance building techniques and efforts towards climate resiliency -- which is an ongoing project and case study. We've already been through another massive freeze and power outages since this publication and the addition of our @tesla Powerwall back up battery. Check out the web version through the link our bio. Photography by @_leonidfurmansky and @caseycdunn Architecture by @forgexcraft @hughjeffersonrandolpharchitect Thanks for stopping by 😊 It's been a while since I said hello to our community of design enthusiasts online, and I hope the algorithm still connects us from time to time!

It’s a brand new year already and I’m grateful to have been included in the winter issue of @austin_home magazine featuring the Best Interior Designers of 2022! Even though I may be a bit quiet on social media, it’s been an amazing year for Studio Ferme, lots of hard work gone into projects that we won’t see for some time, a few coming soon, so much learning and development, shelves overflowing with beautiful materials, sketches full of ideas, wonderful people I’ve met, and truly being taken aback by the recognition for Theresa Passive House that has both humbled and emboldened me. Thank you all for your support for this small, mighty firm, and for all the potential we have to keep growing in 2023! May the New Year bring you all creativity, joy, peace and good health! 🤍

Well, we did it!! 😅 This was quite an energetic and exciting weekend for all of us. All the hard work, from preparations throughout the year, the photo shoot, cleaning and repairs, the staging, while meeting general responsibilities and the needs of a preschooler and a dog through the past week of controlled chaos, OCD moments and letting go, etc etc) — well worth the experience. It really was deeply rewarding to see the delight and to hear appreciation for our family home, though the moments you all discovered and the feelings the spaces evoke. To all of the people who sincerely thanked us for opening our home, it meant a lot to me to hear. It’s something big, for sure, for clients, and then to double up as a homeowners and a designer/architect. To reiterate: Passive House is very worthwhile for health and sustainability and @forgexcraft is the firm designing them here in hot, humid Central Texas, @hughjeffersonrandolpharchitect is an AIA Austin Homes Tour superstar, the primary bathroom is @limestrong Moroccan tadelakt, the island countertop is @caeserstone_us , the floors are engineered white oak. A hearty thanks for coming to see and support us, for everyone’s contributions and serious hustle (I wish I could shout out to all of you, friends!) Oh, and for wearing a mask inside. I know it’s an annoyance and seems like a relic of the past, but for the health issues I’ve been having it was a necessity— I appreciate the maturity and respect to simply go along with it. It’s still hard to believe there were over 2,000 people in our house in 2 days!! And, how impressive that it took 300 volunteers for the entire @aiaaustin AIA Austin Homes Tour weekend to operate. I hope all the architects, designers, homeowners, volunteers, AIA staff and sponsors are all feeling proud and can rest up now. Well done, everyone. #aiaaustinhomestour

The @aiaaustin Homes Tour is THIS weekend!! Saturday and Sunday, 10am-6pm. We hope you’ll stop by to see Theresa Passive House and hopefully have a little chat. I’ll be here with our wonderful architects Trey Farmer @forgexcraft , @hughjeffersonrandolpharchitect and a great group of contributors, sponsors, colleagues, friends, lovers of design, and stewards of the environment. This really is one the best events in Austin each year, and I’m honored to open up my home for the tour and to participate for the first time as a designer! See you soon 😊 Photography: @_leonidfurmansky #aiaaustinhomestour #aiaaustin #architecture #austin #design #homestour #interiordesign #interior #texasarchitecture #passivehouse #phius #healthyhome #mindfuldesign #theresapassivehouse #theresapassive

It’s an honor to see our work published in the recent Texas Architect magazine. My sincere thanks to @txarchitects for honoring Theresa Passive House and to the jury for recognizing the voice and mission of our home. The award-winning projects in this issue are truly beautiful and inspired — grab a copy if you can and see more of what our Texas architects are creating.

Nominations are still open for @austin_home ’s Best Interior Designers 2022. If you’d like to see Studio Ferme in the running, you can find the link in my bio. Thank you kindly, friends! 🤍🤍

We’ll be seeing you at Theresa Passive House this October for the AIA Homes Tour! 👋 Trey @forgexcraft and I look forward to connecting with old friends and making new ones! The tour has always been an annual highlight for us, even our son came along in a baby carrier before we missed out on touring in person the past few years. I’m honestly still a little flustered (though very excited!) to announce another honor for the project this year. We truly appreciate all of the kind feedback and support we’ve received. Congratulations to the talented group of architects this year, and to the designers, builders, craftspeople and everyone whose beautiful work will be represented! Architecture: @forgexcraft @hughjeffersonrandolpharchitect Interior Design: @studioferme Builder: @lvlonthelvl Photography: @caseycdunn