If you’ve ever toured a model home, you know the feeling: awe, inspiration, maybe even the thought, “Wow, I wish I could recreate this in my own home.”
The good news? You can. You don’t need a design degree to create a style that feels polished and personal. But a little professional insight helps.
That’s why, during a recent NewHomeSource video shoot at Sitterle Homes’ Calais Plan in Lakeway, Texas, we sat down with San Antonio-based interior designer Karen Dietz of Karen Dietz Interiors to hear how she brought this model home to life.
Inspiration as a Starting Point
“In any design, it starts with an inspiration – whether that’s a photo you see on Houzz or a model home you’ve walked through somewhere else,” Dietz says. “Then you take that idea throughout the house and you build one element off the other, and it fits together like a puzzle.”
For the Calais Plan, the puzzle pieces were clear. The home’s open, entertaining-friendly layout paired with its Texas Hill Country setting called for a design blending rustic and modern themes.
“I like to consider the market in which the home is being sold and tailor it toward that market,” Dietz explains. “I then consider the popular trends in the design world and create a color palette that will speak to that group of people.”
Bringing Hill Country Elegance Indoors
Lakeway, a suburb of Austin, is known for its upscale homes and rustic landscapes. Dietz let both guide her hand.
“Lakeway is an upscale community that has their hand on the pulse of current design trends, so a modern, elegant design just made sense,” she says. “And the Hill Country area led me to incorporate the rustic elements into the design.”
That vision greets you right at the entry:
A dramatic rotunda with wood-clad walls
A modern sputnik pendant overhead
Concrete headers for texture and weight
“It all blends together to create an effect right when you walk through the door,” Dietz says.
The Heart of the Home
From there, the great room unfolds – living, dining, and kitchen combined beneath soaring cathedral ceilings.
Rustic touches: wood beams, wood-look tile flooring, weathered coffee table, leather seating
Modern balance: clean-lined furniture, mirrored end tables, glowing subway tile backsplash stretching to the ceiling
Entertaining focus: an oversized island, cabinetry with glass-lit uppers, and a dining table for 10 with plenty of open space
“To make the space feel cohesive, we’ve continued some of the same elements throughout the home,” Dietz says. “It all kind of works together.”
A Retreat with Continuity
The rustic-modern blend carries seamlessly into the bedrooms, particularly the owner’s suite.
“It’s a retreat, so we want it to feel kind of like a separate space but still connected with the rest of the home,” Dietz notes.
Here, rustic wood-look flooring meets a chrome-tin ceiling with wooden beams. Sleek furniture and a sliding barn door finish the balance between rustic charm and modern polish.
Advice for Homeowners
Not sure how to bring two styles together? Dietz’s advice is simple:
Work with textures and color.
“You have to use enough of each design element throughout the home to have it incorporated fully.”
Look for balance.
One standout piece won’t carry a theme. Instead, find accent pieces that fit both styles and repeat them in multiple rooms.
Gather inspiration.
“I would suggest that the homeowner gather inspiration pictures from their favorite sites or magazines and come up with a common thread from all of those photos. All of the pieces have to balance and fit together to make the space cohesive.”
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Julie Gordey
A lifelong educator, Julie Gordey, is a retired school administrator. After years of focusing on education, this University of Texas graduate now travels and enjoys freelance writing for BDX and NewHomeSource.com.