Returning to Poetic Grace — an Austin, TX primary bathroom remodel, a dramatic staircase transformation, and a reminder that sometimes the best design decisions are the ones given time to evolve.

There is a lot of pressure to think of a home as something that needs to be “finished.” You renovate, furnish, decorate, photograph — done.

But I don’t think the best homes always happen that way.

Sometimes you need to live in a space before you understand what it still needs. Sometimes the budget calls for making thoughtful decisions in phases. And sometimes an idea that initially feels like too much becomes exactly right a year later.

That was very much the story of our return to Poetic Grace, a home we had previously designed for clients who relocated to the Austin area.

The First Chapter

When we first began working with our clients, they were settling into a new-build home. It was bright, beautiful and very white — but it didn’t yet feel like them.

They wanted something sophisticated and calm. Nothing overly decorated or fussy. They appreciated a quiet, restrained palette and a sense of order, but they also wanted the house to feel warmer and more personal than the builder-grade finishes they had inherited.

Rather than changing everything, we were strategic.

Warm taupes, millwork, wallpaper, lighting and furnishings began giving the house depth and character. We focused our investment on the places where it would have the greatest impact and allowed other areas to wait. (View the before and after transformation HERE).

And that turned out to be important.

Warm neutral yet sophisticated living room design in Austin TX Provence new homes by Westin Homes builder. — *Photography By: Madeline Harper*

Reimagining the Primary Bathroom

A little over a year later, our clients invited us back.

This time, the primary bathroom became the major project.

The original bath had many of the same qualities we had encountered elsewhere in the house: white cabinetry, white walls, builder-grade finishes and very little personality. The floors were also slippery — a practical concern that needed to be addressed as part of the renovation.

The goal wasn’t to make the room louder.

It was to make it feel warmer, more elegant and more considered, while still belonging to the serene home we had already created.

We introduced custom cabinetry and millwork, warmer finishes, layered textiles and lighting, and details that gave the room a sense of history without making it feel overly traditional.

Warm neutral primary bathroom designed by Claudia Pakes Design Studio — *Photography By: Cate Black*

One of my favorites is the small vanity stool we designed specifically for our client. Its height and proportions were customized for her, with turned wood legs made using materials sourced from Turkey and a patterned upholstered seat.

It’s not the largest or most expensive element in the room.

But it is exactly the kind of detail I love — something beautiful because it was designed around the person who actually uses it.

Custom vanity and upholstered stool in Austin primary bathroom — *Photography By: Cate Black*

The Quiet Details You Might Miss

The ceiling was another opportunity.

At one point we considered something much bolder around the bathtub, but it didn’t feel quite right for these clients. Instead, we used wallpaper on the ceiling.

It’s subtle. You don’t necessarily notice it the second you enter the room.

And that’s precisely why it works.

Wallpapered bathroom ceiling with crystal chandelier — *Photography By: Cate Black*

Not every design decision needs to announce itself. Sometimes a room becomes more interesting because there are details waiting to be discovered.

Vintage-inspired seascape artwork, warm brass, tailored drapery and the softly patterned ceiling give this primary bathroom layers without disturbing its sense of calm.

The Design Idea That Had to Wait

The bathroom wasn’t the only reason we returned to Poetic Grace.

During the original project, I had looked at the home’s beautiful curved staircase and imagined a sweeping landscape mural following the wall.

My clients weren’t convinced.

At the time, it felt like too much, so we left it alone.

A year later, they looked at that same wall differently.

This time, they were ready.

We paired a dreamy landscape mural with a patterned stair carpet, turning what had once been a quiet pass-through space into one of the home’s most memorable architectural moments.

I love that they waited.

Curved staircase with landscape mural and patterned carpet — *Photography By: Cate Black*

Designers have ideas. Clients have instincts. And good design requires respecting both.

My job isn’t to convince someone to do something simply because I think it would look beautiful. It’s to understand when an idea is right for the house and right for the people living there.

Sometimes those two things don’t happen at exactly the same time.

View Poetic Grace | The Next Chapter

Why We Sometimes Design a Home in Phases

There are plenty of reasons to approach an interior design or renovation project in phases.

Budget is certainly one of them. A thoughtful renovation and well-made furnishings are investments, and trying to tackle everything simultaneously isn’t always necessary — or wise.

But there is another benefit to letting a home evolve.

You learn it.

You discover which rooms you actually use. You realize which quirks bother you and which ones you grow to love. You collect art. Your routines change. You become braver about color or pattern. An idea you dismissed suddenly makes sense.

A home begins to tell you what it needs.

That doesn’t mean designing without a plan. Quite the opposite. When we work in phases, I still want to understand the larger picture so that Chapter Two feels like it belongs with Chapter One.

The goal isn’t for everything to match.

The goal is for everything to feel connected.

Poetic Grace, Continued…

When I look at this project now, I don’t see two separate interior design projects.

I see one home that has continued to evolve with the people living in it.

The primary bath feels as though it always belonged there. The staircase has finally become the architectural moment I imagined the first time I saw it. And the original rooms still feel relevant because we weren’t designing around a trend in the first place.

There may even be another chapter someday.

And I think that’s one of the nicest things a home can be:

not finished, but becoming.

Planning the Next Chapter of Your Home?

Claudia Pakes Design Studio provides full-service interior design, furnishings and renovation design throughout Austin, Lakeway, Bee Cave and the surrounding Texas Hill Country.

Whether your home needs to be reimagined all at once or thoughtfully completed in phases, we begin with the same question: How do you want your home to feel — and how does it need to work for the way you actually live?