Inside an Austin Bungalow That’s Part Groovy, Part Grandpa-Chic

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Randall Mays, businessman, investor, and philanthropist, knows how to throw a good party—if your idea of a party involves meditating on grass under open skies (the kind you sit on, not smoke). Interior designer Christina Simon of her eponymous Austin studio can attest to Mays’s definition, having had a hand in transforming his circa-1915 bungalow in Travis Heights, Austin, into a space that’s grandpa-chic by day and trippy by night. “It serves as a lively venue for hosting parties during SXSW and the Austin City Limits Music Festival,” says Simon, whom Mays found through artist friends and enlisted with a brief of exactly four words: Austin eclectic hippie vibe, please—five, if you’re being precise.

As Simon recalls, the brief was, fortuitously, easier done than said. “The home was lovely, but it was really disjointed and everything was white. It was a blank canvas,” adds the designer. She worked with Daniel Ward of Mark Richardson Architects and Dustin Minium of Red Tail Construction for the architecture and execution.

The living room—awash in Farrow and Ball’s Inchyra Blue—is a curated library of vintage finds, featuring an original Rex Ray rug, Dunbar glass coffee tables, and Knoll’s Wassily chairs (right). Simon designed the sofa to fit perfectly into the window alcove and framed the adjacent wall with a grid of small-scale paintings by Texas artist Matt Kleberg. Overhead, an Il Sol flushmount light by Paul Ferrante casts a warm glow, while a CB2 chair to the left provides a cozy perch.

Art: Matt Kleberg/Josh Pazda Hiram Butler Gallery

A canvas this blank would typically take time to fill—but time was a luxury Simon didn’t have. “The renovation happened in two stages—paint, wallpaper, countertops, and surface areas before Randall moved in, and then the full bath and kitchen remodel after. We had about two months for the ‘before’ bit, so everything we ordered had to be in stock—it was very tight, a little unnerving, and a small miracle,” she says. Lucky for her, she knew where to start. “Randall is an artist, an art collector, and a true bon vivant. His homes are always open, whether he’s there or not, so I designed a space as fun as his legendary parties—full of conversation nooks that spark dialogue and the laid-back hospitality his gatherings are known for, from season to season, day to night.”

She designed the home in bold layers, enlivening some walls with grasscloth, moiré silk, and walnut veneer wallpaper, and others in deep, brooding blues and purples. “Wherever we could build texture and warmth, we did,” adds Simon, who opted for characterful textured window coverings and warmed the sunroom in Clé’s black terra-cotta tiles. As for the decor, she leaned vintage. “That’s how I started getting the look and feel down for the house,” Simon adds.

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Mays’s office is anything but traditional. “It turned into an explosion of creativity and psychedelic references—the whole space transforms under black light,” says Simon, who brought in vibrant cushions, a mural by Austin artist Michelle Marchesseault, and a surround sofa and ottoman of her own design, upholstering the former in Opuzen’s Furocious fabric. “Oranges and pinks glow against iridescent mushrooms, third eyes, and hidden Easter eggs—nods to the client’s family, their love for dancing bears à la the Grateful Dead, and inside jokes only they would recognize.”

Art: Michelle Marchesseault/Northern-Southern

The record room isn’t just a room for records—it’s a space for games, cocktails, and the occasional escape from the world. Simon describes the Clover Table by Edward Wormley for Dunbar as “the best games table ever made, because you can sit in the gaps and keep your cocktails on the leaves. It’s genius.” Simon designed the chairs herself, upholstering them in Clarence House’s Fitzgerald fabric. The glass transoms leading to the primary bedroom and office were hand-painted by Austin artist Joe Swec.

Art: Robert Kelly

Simon admits that some rooms took on a life of their own—but none more than the office. “I pictured a desk and an executive chair. My version of making it psychedelic was to throw in a mural based on a William Morris motif,” she says. As it turned out, Mays didn’t really want a desk—and the mural spiraled into something much bigger. “He hit it off with artist Michelle Marchesseault and started dreaming up an entirely different experience. Think oranges and pinks that glow against iridescent mushrooms, third eyes, and little Easter eggs representing the client and his family. It’s wild!” adds Simon, who further developed the concept with a custom faux fur sofa featuring electric blue cushions that wrap around the room.

According to Mays, the energy outside the office is far calmer. “The house is full of amazing moments. Mornings start in the Zen garden with a sauna and hot tub, then move to the back patio, where I sip my matcha under the magnificent oaks, listening to the birds welcome the day with me.” Ultimately, it’s whatever Mays wants it to be.

Built in 1915, the bungalow had undergone a series of renovations that left it bleak, dim, and disjointed. Simon saw this as an advantage because, as she puts it, “It was a totally blank canvas.”

Simon and Daniel Ward of Mark Richardson Architects worked to modernize the kitchen while preserving its original character. FIN Cabinetry & Furniture, known for its classic millwork and vintage detailing, handled the execution. To the right, a secret door leads to a guest bedroom, while hidden panels reveal a walk-in pantry and an additional chef’s prep area.

The dining nook, situated just off the kitchen, is the default spot for drinks before dinner. An RH table and vintage chairs by Gianfranco Frattini take center stage, backdropped by a mirror-finish bar featuring a burgundy leather bar lamp by L’Aviva Home.

Cozy, earthy, and a tiny bit theatrical, the primary bedroom is a rich tapestry of Egyptian blue. Simon transformed an awkward alcove into a luxurious seating area, anchoring it with a Philip & Kelvin LaVerne coffee table, a vintage Black Sheep rug, and a midcentury floor lamp by The Marbro Lamp Company. A cloud-like sofa—draped in Opuzen fabric and designed by Simon—adds to the room’s inviting feel. Beside the bed, a heart-inspired painting by Mays takes center stage against a headboard of Simon’s own design.

Art: James Cobb

In the small, light-starved bathroom that once stood, Simon saw endless potential. She knocked down an entire wall to connect the space to the garden and introduced skylights to flood it with natural light. “It’s also a celebration of global artisanship,” she says, highlighting the steel dividers crafted in Austin, the custom-carved marble tub imported from Italy, and the countertops made from Brazilian Palladium granite. Thoughtfully designed, the bathroom is cantilevered to preserve the heritage root system of a nearby oak tree.

Once part of the garden, the sunroom—now a bridge between indoors and out—serves as an oasis for meditation and musings while doubling as an office conservatory. The desk, chair, and lamp—all vintage finds from La Embajada Austin—softly contrast the Flemish Black Terracotta floor tile from Clé. A Buddha bust adds an old-world charm.

The guest bedroom exudes the allure of a decadent boudoir, with red velvet curtains, a plush chocolate bed by Christina Simon Studio, and walls wrapped in rich wood veneer wallpaper by Arte International. “It makes you want to touch everything in the room,” Simon says. Vintage nightstands and lamps, along with a luxurious bed covering from La Embajada Austin, add an elegant touch.

“The family spends more time outdoors than indoors,” says Simon, who designed the garden courtyard to feel both intimate for a few and expansive for many. Chairs from Four Hands, upholstered in a yellow Dedar weave, and plush bespoke sofas dressed in Liberty of London fabric provide cozy seating. “It’s a space where they can linger for hours, conduct business, and unwind by the fire in the evenings.”