If there’s one thing that defines Ashley Avrea Cathey’s design firm, Avrea and Company, it’s their layered use of color, pattern and texture to create livable interiors. “We’re not afraid of color,” states Mackay Boynton, the company’s president. “But it’s always about using it with purpose.”
Case in point: a historic Highland Park, Texas, home designed to be simultaneously family friendly and showstopping. “People don’t look to us for plain, white boxes,” Boynton notes. This can be seen in the home’s unexpected blend of colors and styles, such as the sky blue found in the family room’s Phillip Jeffries grasscloth wallcovering and sofa from Smink, paired with an armchair and couch in deep purple. In the living room, a modern abstract painting hangs above a C&C Milano stripe on a classic custom chaise, while the dining room showcases a midcentury Slim Aarons print among antique furnishings.
While bringing oomph to a home defines the firm’s style, they’re not afraid to embrace what’s already there. For this home, the team leaned into the dark wood walls of the office- cum-game room by layering in vintage pieces. And for the screened-in porch, they looked to the homeowners’ furnishings. In the end, the home captures what the firm does best: create visually rich spaces without losing sight of everyday life.
Pattern with Purpose
Avrea and Company’s approach to maximalism starts with wallpaper. Whether it’s textured grass cloth, bold florals or classic checks, patterns lead the way. And the prints don’t end on the walls. Cathey loves to carry through the textile design onto furnishings, drapes and ceilings. “Wallpaper is where the room really begins,” Boynton says. “Once that decision is made, everything else falls into place.”
Photography by Nathan Schroder.
Like what you see? Get it first with a subscription to aspire design and home magazine.