Austin + San Antonio

Central Texas has long drawn creatives to its scenic views and artistic ventures, resulting in an ethos of forward-thinking, modern architecture and design. Nowhere is this more evident than in the capital city, where youthful energy and a growing design industry enrich the architectural language marked by swooping silhouettes and raw, locally sourced materials, such as white oak and limestone. “Austin is a unique balance between sophistication and ease,” notes architect Megan Lin of CoXist Studio, who designed the sculptural home pictured at right. “Clients want thoughtful designs that feel grounded in the landscape and expressive of the way people actually live.”

That same sensibility extends to the broader Hill Country—including San Antonio and the surrounding environs—where houses are often engineered to honor the region’s natural resources, framing heritage trees and verdant panoramas. Wellness, too, has become integral to daily life; whether driven by triple-digit summers or year-round access to refreshing spring-fed pools, the community has readily embraced amenities like cold plunges, saunas and hyperbolic chambers.

Houston

A variety of aesthetics converge in Houston, where inspiration from the nearby Gulf Coast and its status as an international port city shape an eye-catching amalgam of rich palettes and eclectic touches. That global influence is tangible. As one of the first domestic stops for numerous imports, the area has long provided luxury residents with exceptional artwork, objets d’art and stone from around the world.

Balancing this international perspective is a formidable culture of craftsmanship. As an oil-boom capital and home to NASA’s space center, Houston benefits from a population of extremely skilled artisans. “That talent shows up in the level of detail we’re able to achieve—from hand-applied plaster and custom millwork to beautifully fabricated stone and metalwork,” says designer Benjamin Johnston, whose project (right and below) features a living room detailed in bespoke millwork and a kitchen with cabinetry wrapped in brass by a local metal artisan.

Dallas + Fort Worth

Established as a trading post in the 19th century, Dallas lives up to the hype defined by heritage ranchland and cinematic glitz, with its legacy as a fashion hub leveling up the bold statements found within its homes. Behind custom doors, you’ll find an emphasis on beautiful prints bestowed with a couture touch, including hand-painted murals and lighting that reads as jewelry. “My clients want elevated, personalized perfection,” says interior designer Laura Lee Clark Falconer, who crafted the dining room pictured at top right. “We are seeing high-end mural wallcoverings being used as status symbols.”

Similarly, Dallas interiors come well-adorned to host dinner parties worthy of soap opera screens. Entryways are soaring and lavish, and kitchens are adorned for entertaining (see the elegant cook space and pantry shown at right designed by Maestri Studio). Even utilitarian spaces are never overlooked, with sculleries, laundry rooms and—perhaps not surprisingly—closets dressed to the nines. This confluence of classic values, modern touches and lustrous polish give a timelessly grand aesthetic.

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Tradition’s New Look

The Southeast reveres traditional architecture. Drive through a venerable residential neighborhood in Atlanta or Birmingham, and you might have a hard time discerning which manses were built in recent years or over a century ago. Classical principles might be ingrained in Southern architects, but their work is anything but stuck in the past, as evidenced by the modern architectural elements many of them are incorporating into their work. One only needs to see the presence of sleek glass-and-steel windows and doors in a formal Georgian-style house to understand that the region’s design professionals make it a point to keep up with the times.

Zeal For Furnishings

There is a reason for the proliferation of to-the-trade design showrooms across the Southeast: Interior furnishings are big business here. “The warmth of Southerners is reflected in their homes,” says Atlanta designer Barbara Westbrook, especially those furnished with “antiques, patterns, deep sofas and at least one fabulous wing chair.” Step into a well-appointed city residence—like the Greenville, South Carolina, house (featured above and below) designed by Westbrook Interiors and Summerour Architects—and you will likely encounter sumptuous fabrics, silk rugs or perhaps elaborate passementerie. The Southeast is a textile-lover’s paradise. Customized decor is also bountiful, as is comfortable upholstered seating likely sourced from one of High Point’s premier brands.

Southern Hospitality

Homes in the Southeast are made for hosting family and friends, which is why dining spaces continue to rank high in importance. In the area’s finest houses, you will find dining rooms elegantly clad, often with bespoke wallpaper, chandeliers (always with dimmers for ambience) and sideboards meant for serving. This is evident in the party-ready Atlanta abode shown below, which was a collaboration between Beth Webb Interiors and D. Stanley Dixon Architect. “When I first saw the dining room, I knew it begged for something grand,” designer Beth Webb recounts. Jewel-box-like bars and lounges lavished in luxe finishes—think wood paneling, polished marble or lacquer—are a more recent trend, driven by a desire for auxiliary gathering places. Back-of-house amenities that facilitate effortless entertaining are likewise in demand, notably sculleries and catering kitchens.

California Connection

One of the more intriguing developments in recent years is the growing West Coast influence on Southern interiors, particularly in the greater Nashville area. It’s no longer unusual to see newly built houses that look like they were plucked from Malibu because of their minimalistic architecture and lashings of organic finishes. No matter the aesthetic shifts taking place, there is one uniquely Southern custom that will likely never change: spending much of the sultry summers indoors.

Second-Home Stunners

Given the Southeast’s diverse natural beauty—the area is home to the Appalachian Mountains, Atlantic and Gulf Coast beaches, and thousands of lakes—well-heeled Southerners typically prefer to stay within the region when building their vacation homes. These residences are apt to be as thoughtfully detailed as any grand estate, but in a more casual manner. Whether it’s a mountain house in Highlands, North Carolina, or a coastal South Carolina compound, natural, time-honored materials like wood shingles, rustic stone and beach-worthy rattan reign supreme. Almost always spacious and often designed with multigenerational families in mind, these retreats usually have something else to boast about: astounding outdoor views.

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The Mountain West is a land of stories. Here, the romantic notion of the Wild West blends with that of the American dream—it’s a place where you can seek your fortune, where independence is rewarded, where privacy is abundant, where you can rewrite your life if you so choose. The Rockies themselves, rugged and majestic, are a symbol of endurance in a constantly shifting world. But whoaaa boy, the communities surrounding them are certainly changing quickly.

I’ve covered the Rockies region for LUXE for the past five years but have loved this landscape since childhood—making it to every National Park in the region and skiing mountains both world-renowned and locally beloved (much as I still aspire to own a chalet myself). Now, it’s the rapidly evolving design scene of the Mountain West that keeps my interest, well, peaked. I’ve watched the real estate markets snowball in Colorado resort towns like Aspen, Vail and Telluride, with awe-inspiring residences arising. The coveted rural enclaves of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, now ask over $10 million and are studded with stunning homes. And perhaps no areas of the Rockies have undergone such rapid transformations as Park City, Utah, and Big Sky, Montana. Both of these mountain havens recently completed resort-driven infrastructure investments that are helping drive demand for custom houses. Park City, in particular, is considered more expensive to buy in than the Hamptons or Cape Cod. “It’s the landscape, the lifestyle, and the opportunity for connection that continues to draw people to the Rockies,” observes designer Rush Jenkins of WRJ Design. Indeed, our own survey results attest that the region now rivals that of coastal luxury markets, yet offers the opportunity to build a home rooted in nature and seclusion. The result? A dash to hire the design pros able to turn any Rockies region fantasy into reality.

Homeowners want their Rockies residences to feel like authentic mountain houses, with design elements that relate to the surroundings. From patinaed leathers and metals and elevated fabrics like fur, wool and cashmere, to witty twists on taxidermy or sophisticated antler chandeliers—yes, they exist!—the savviest design pros are finding clever ways to make an aesthetic that has tended to skew rustic feel modern. See, for instance, a Jackson, Wyoming, home (featured at the top of this page and right) by JLF Architects, OSM Construction and designer Abby Hetherington, where an architectural envelope of reclaimed materials meets chic, minimalist interiors that still feel cozy. “Our approach is grounded in the Western American landscape and the legacy of its hand-crafted structures,” says JLF Architects’ Logan Leachman of the firm’s passion for homes that elevate a sense of place.

From the “cowboy core” aesthetic influencing both runway and festival styles to the rise in “cowboy-cations” (a cute term for the growing interest in off-the-beaten-path travel destinations), mainstream culture is embracing a renaissance of Wild West vibes. In design terms, this trend taps into warm, lived-in interiors with furnishings rooted in fine craftsmanship and colors drawn from the land. As top Rockies designers know, the key is restraint: a live-edge walnut table with a sculptural metal base, the use of terra cotta or muted rust tones rather than heavy dark browns, or the inclusion of a strong piece of contemporary art. Just note the site-specific Jedd Novatt steel sculpture that introduces a low-slung, Prairie School-influenced Jackson residence by CLB Architects and WRJ Design. A bold yet neutral material palette and deliberately untamed landscaping connect the art and structure back to the surroundings.

It’s Not All Neutral

While architecture in the Rockies region is typically crafted to capture the views, many times with earthy interiors chosen to further amplify the outdoor spectacle, top Rockies region designers argue that there’s also a desire for character and color—and that clients envisioning their second (or fourth!) homes are often willing to take more risks. As designer Andrea Monath Schumacher of Andrea Schumacher Interiors demonstrates through a Front Range home layered in deep hues, bold patterns and shimmery metallics (right), it’s possible to live within spirited spaces without taking anything away from the great outdoors. “Mountain West homes don’t necessarily need to be quiet to respect the view,” she shares. “The goal isn’t to fade into the surroundings but to create a dialogue with them.” After all, interiors infused with personality and playfulness can be the perfect foil for a natural or more rustic build.

When Nature Calls

Swaths of glass that frame mountain and valley views are essential elements in many high-end homes throughout the Rockies, but most homeowners aren’t satisfied solely with enviable vistas—they want to be immersed in them. In answer, Mountain West homes encourage their inhabitants to get outside year-round thanks to ski-in/out spaces, heated outdoor dining areas and spa terraces, inviting outdoor fire pits, and much more. Encapsulating this idea of immersion is a dramatic Aspen, Colorado, home by Charles Cunniffe of Charles Cunniffe Architects (right), embedded into Red Mountain. One side is almost entirely sheathed in glass, keeping a panoramic display of the area’s celebrated peaks on an endless reel and blurring the line between structure and slope. “It’s like a ship in the sky; there’s nothing to interrupt the views,” the architect says of the house, which, while exposed, is up so high that the owners enjoy plenty of privacy. “This home simply floats.”

Wooded Environment

The wet, relatively mild climate and rich soil make the Pacific Northwest the perfect environment for gigantic conifers. In the 19th century, a lumber boom spurred by the Gold Rush made logging central to the region’s economy and led to the coining of the term “King Timber.” Today, the Pacific Northwest is still a top producer of lumber, and wood is often central to the design of both the interior and exterior of homes. Both projects featured—a Bend, Oregon, dwelling by the team at Scott Edwards Architecture in Portland and a Bainbridge Island residence by Hoedemaker Pfeiffer—demonstrate that using the material doesn’t have to mean a dark or traditional look. Instead, these homes display the lighter, brighter and more sleek nature of wood with accents on the ceiling, beams and exterior siding. “In the Pacific Northwest, Modernism found a more human expression: houses of wood, light and landscape that feel calm, grounded and deeply connected to the natural world,” says architect Steve Hoedemaker.

Explore more regional design trends in our digital exclusive series: Design In Focus.

Water, Water Everywhere

Yes, it does rain a lot here, and the PNW is home to the wettest spots in the continental United States. On drizzly days, the atmosphere is ethereal, and sometimes otherworldly. Perhaps the late Seattle interior designer Jean Jongeward (called the “queen” of design in this region) was thinking of these qualities when she described the area as “this soft green place, like something in a poem.” But that’s just part of the story. With an ocean and an abundance of inlets, bays and sounds, Washington and Oregon have nearly 5,000 miles of shoreline, and architects here have made an art of connecting waterfront residences with the waves. The landscape was front of mind for Hoedemaker when he created the enduringly beautiful waterfront residence featured here.

Chicago is a cultural hot spot. We’ve got it all—some of the country’s best bars and restaurants, world-class museums, competitive sports teams and music venues that range from intimate to mammoth. As a lifelong Chicagoan from the South Side, I’ve had the privilege of growing up immersed in this vibrant Midwestern city with all it has to offer.

Stepping out onto Michigan Avenue, it’s immediately obvious that the towering skyscrapers and bodacious views of Lake Michigan eclipse all the city’s temptations. Designers draw inspiration from the area’s rich architectural history and scenic waterfront, whether reworking a historic suburban estate, creating a downtown family home or updating a Frank Lloyd Wright midcentury masterpiece. For the past decade, I’ve had the pleasure of writing about this range of interior design, covering everything from a bungalow in Hyde Park to a manse in Lake Forest.

While no singular style defines Chicago, you’ll still see plenty of natural materials, artful layers and superb craftsmanship. From custom furniture makers and ceramicists to metal fabricators and millworkers, designers can tap into an extraordinary network of skilled artisans. And that collaborative spirit runs through the entire local design community.

Homes along Lake Michigan are designed to deepen their connection to nature, with light and views taking the lead. Expansive glazing and sophisticated interiors often play supporting roles, allowing the landscape to take precedence. Transitions from inside to outside unfold seamlessly through strategically planned exterior rooms, pathways and furnishings, while sight lines remain uninterrupted.

Architect Larry Booth, interior designer Shea Soucie and landscape architect Douglas Hoerr collaborated on a modern home in Southwest Michigan (right) that flawlessly illustrates this approach to indoor-outdoor living. Standing in front of the house, visitors can see straight through to the lake—and that’s exactly the point.

This emphasis on the outdoors echoes throughout the area. Architectural gestures like cantilevered, glass-railed decks are designed to recede into the landscape and lake beyond, while outdoor fire features—valued by homeowners for both their warmth and ambience—anchor patios as gathering spaces. Each element is calibrated to enhance, rather than distract, from the views. “Luxury in landscaping is less about ornament and more about experience,” Hoerr says. “The goal is to leave our clients wondering where nature ends and the design begins.”

City Dwellers

Smaller lots demand greater creativity. Chicago designers and residents may be constrained by size, but they make the most of tight spaces by optimizing storage and flow and building up. Scale and proportion are critical in the city, resulting in rooms that feel intentional. Design skews more contemporary and edited with a focus on strong structural statements and refined finishes. Color palettes run the gamut from earth-driven neutrals to more vivid hues.

In this three-story, newly constructed town house in Lincoln Park (below), interior designer Martin Horner of Soucie Horner Design Collective leaned into a transitional style to bring to life a dwelling that tells the story of glamorous family living while reflecting its urban environs. The materials are timeless, evoking the sense of permanence found throughout the city’s architecture: marble mantels, quartzite countertops and seamless backsplashes.

Saturated tones and sculptural pieces simultaneously reflect the cosmopolitan energy. Textiles of leather, wool, velvet and silk contribute warmth. Custom millwork and handcrafted furnishings that share the souls of the makers who created them add character. “We used a lot of deep, bold color,” Horner shares. “There’s a nice balance between the more dramatic aspects of the design and the overall serenity of the house.”

Alfresco rooms continue to be just as important, even in the city. Patios are often furnished with pieces that complement the interiors, effectively expanding the homes despite their compact footprints. “When square footage is at a premium,” Horner notes, “well-planned outdoor space really extends the options for dining, relaxing and entertaining.”

In quiet, residential enclaves, historic architecture boasts craftsmanship and elements that are meant to last: brickwork, carved doors, original millwork and wood floors. Interiors tend to follow suit, with graciously proportioned, architecturally driven spaces that feel layered yet rooted in longevity.

Designer Suzanne Lovell exemplified this eloquently when she took on a 1924 English country manor (right and below) on the North Shore originally designed by architect Ralph Varney. Rather than treating each space as an isolated moment, Lovell worked holistically to consider how proportion, materiality and detailing relate to one another in order to establish a cohesive whole. “We create with a consistency of character and detail—the calm of a well-designed home,” she says.

Existing features are preserved and celebrated while contemporary furnishings, statement lighting and curated textiles bring in pops of color to modernize these suburban abodes. The effect is a dialogue between past and present, where continuity defines luxury.

Materials Made To Last

In Arizona, building with stone, wood beams and rammed earth makes as much sense as working with steel, glass and copper, thanks to terrain that is equally varied. The key to making it work lies in layering disparate elements so that they respond to both the site and architectural style. For example, you might see wood beams and plaster paired with newer components like Cor-Ten steel and sandblasted concrete blocks. Indigenous materials like stone can be fashioned to evoke a Mediterranean farmhouse while remaining true to the desert. Or, as seen in the home designed by Oz Architects (following section), a pergola can become a contemporary feature when crafted from steel.

Artful finishes carry these truths inside too, as seen in the Magni Kalman Design home overlooking Camelback Mountain (above and right). Interior materials such as walnut, aluminum and Calacatta Lincoln marble echo the hues and textures just beyond the windows.

All this underscores what interior designer David Michael Miller observes as a singular truth. “I am constantly inspired by the natural beauty of the Arizona landscape and how good design and architecture can live in harmony with it,” he says. Case in point is the project featured at the bottom of this page, which turns a sculptural tree into a family room’s focal point. “We want to be connected to real materials,” Miller adds, “to the natural world.”

Home As A Sanctuary

For many snowbirds, escaping to the Southwest offers a chance to indulge in resort-style living. That might mean a private theater, a personal putting green or even property management services like those offered by Salcito Custom Homes.

Wellness has become another central aspect of this ethos, which architect Don Ziebell of Oz Architects and interior designer Inga L. Rehmann of Oz Interiors fully embrace. The primary bathroom (featured above, right), for instance, became a veritable spa retreat courtesy of a Japanese soaking tub and an outdoor shower.

Interior designer Stephanie Larsen shares this mindset, incorporating features like infrared saunas, cold plunges and integrated aromatherapy systems. “Today’s clients are craving homes that heal and inspire,” she says. “They want spaces infused with wellness technology.”

Bringing the indoor-outdoor connection full circle are retreat-like exterior spaces. Patios wrapped in shaded alcoves, labyrinths and water features all work to create oases that simultaneously distill vitality and rejuvenation from the natural world.

Colorful Palm Beach

Like a peacock with its feathers fully fanned, Florida’s legendary resort destination has become a beguiling haven in recent years, particularly luring young families. That’s why we’re noticing the area’s traditional design tropes—palm prints, trellis accents, chinoiserie motifs and furnishings crafted of bamboo, rattan and wicker—are being reinterpreted with contemporary twists, such as modern art collections and brass accents.

The town’s architectural language is similarly shifting. While the region’s preserved 1920s Mediterranean-style estates will always remain desirable, new construction has embraced related forms. British Colonial inflections and California touches, like iron-framed windows and doors, sit comfortably beside their historic neighbors.

What hasn’t changed: vibrant colors inside and outside. The greens of leafy palms and turquoise blues of the waterways often inspire bright selections, as showcased inside the home pictured at right and below by Marshall Watson & Reid Deane Ganes. “We were influenced by everything oceanic and the lush, verdant landscape right outside the windows,” designer Marshall Watson says. The quality of light here also allows for daring decisions such as not-so-subtly patterned wallpaper. It all amounts to the Palm Beach of today: a modern, family-friendly Slim Aarons photo come to life.

The Miami Vibe

In a city that welcomes art fairs, global residents and boundary-pushing architecture alongside landmark Art Deco buildings, Miami interiors follow suit. High-rise living, in particular, often embraces risk-taking through innovative lighting and museum-worthy collections.

Yet the once-ubiquitous high-gloss gallery look is softening. Brazilian sensibilities have made noticeable appearances through warm woods, while Latin playfulness extends to curved furnishings and sinuous gestures, such as the undulating wall in the penthouse featured below by Light On White Design Studio. “Curves provide a sense of ease and fluidity as well as guide circulation more naturally,” designer Alizee Brion observes.

Outside the metropolis, earthy neutrals ground single-family dwellings in enclaves like Coconut Grove and Coral Gables. Natural materials such as Calacatta Viola marble and native coral stone deliver organic drama against tactile backdrops like plaster and limewash finishes, which absorb harsh sunlight beautifully. The effect is an aesthetic that is bold yet refined—a glamour that whispers, rather than shouts.

Outdoor Living, Coast To Coast

Across the state, warm weather is an enticing luxury—elevating landscape architecture as a key investment. To enjoy grounds with native plantings, Floridians embrace resort-style amenities: lengthy pools, air-conditioned loggias, alfresco dining and living areas and outdoor kitchens. In turn, the built environment works with the setting, maximizing the views through thoughtful siting, expansive windows and fully retractable doors. “The architecture is a direct response to the tropical climate,” architect Max Strang shares of his projects. “We use a consistent language of deep overhangs, louvered systems and regional materials to manage the sun and the breeze.” This indoor-outdoor connection calls for performance textiles, oceanic colors and coastal textures. In locales like Naples and Sarasota, where houses are prioritized for multigenerational gatherings, designers execute this balance with tailored, comfortable spaces that invite grandchildren, dogs and wet bathing suits—proving elegant Florida homes are meant to be lived in.

Explore more regional design trends in our digital exclusive series: Design In Focus.

New York is one of the world’s great cities for many reasons, not the least for its access to the best of everything. As a born-and-raised New Yorker with a passion for all things architecture and interiors, it is a delight to cover this robust, progressive market. Here, if you can dream it, you can find it (or find someone to make it for you in any event). This level of abundance makes for a dynamic design scene, and work at the highest end of the market is typified by meticulous craftsmanship and a resounding emphasis on bespoke execution. These fundamentals hold steady whether the home is floating high above the streets of Manhattan (like the jewel box by interior designer Bennett Leifer shown at right), overlooking the coast (as is the Hamptons estate by Stelle Lomont Rouhani Architects and interior designer Brad Ford shown below), or tucked away in the countryside.

That’s another great thing about the Greater New York region. The cultural, stylistic and geographical diversity here begets a curious mind and a deep appreciation for design excellence of all stripes.