Wallpaper Rave

Designed to Inspire: Butter Lutz Interiors

Meet Amy Mooney Lutz, a native Texan and daughter of a builder, who has been designing spaces most of her life. She teamed up with partner Matt Butterfield in 2008 to create Butter Lutz Interiors and they specialize in custom home building interior design and renovations, as well as home styling. She used a Stacy Garcia wallcovering in one of her home renovations and we just fell in love, Stacy had a conversation with Amy, and we share it here. Enjoy!

SG: What was the inspiration behind the design concept for this project?
AL:The goal with this project was to update our mid-century modern home into a stylish, warm and inviting space, yet stay true to its original structure. Built in ’59, the house had some structural aspects that we knew we wanted to modify. We completely gutted the entire home, adding certain elements that would bring the natural surroundings of the space inside. I wanted something that felt very organic and open to the beautiful natural habitat of the home. Embarking on a major rennovation and designing a home can be endlessly frustrating, but endlessly fulfilling at the same time!


SG: Of course, I love to see my wallpaper in a residential space. Tell us why it works here.
AL: My aunt has been in the wall covering business for over thirty years, with a dream-worthy portfolio of homes from West Palm Beach to Miami. She makes fun of me now because I used to think paper was a thing of the past in Texas. Now she says, “Paper has ALWAYS been in!” When I told her I was contemplating papering my new home, she was ecstatic and immediately began sending me all of her ideas. She was my inspiration and opened my mind to wallpaper when she first saw our place. Soon after, I wanted to cover everything! From the octagon paper in my office, the wood grain in the bathroom and the Stacy Garcia in the entryway, wall covering has officially become my new obsession!
I toiled forever over the entryway paper because I think this area of the house is so important and sets the overall tone for your home. I absolutely loved the outcome and it has become my favorite area in the entire house! It’s graphic, bold and I love the gold accents embedded throughout it. I’m so excited that gold has made a comeback in home furnishings and accessories because it adds such a stylish touch of elegance to any space. My house really lent itself to chrome and stainless steel so I wanted to bring those colors in with the gold as well. This paper is the perfect combination of the two. Adding the antique lamps and Worlds Away piece with antique mirrors were the finishing touches to complement the gorgeous paper. The entry can be seen from almost all angles of the living room, so the paper really dictated the entire color scheme of the whole house and it turned out beautifully.

SG: Please explain the detail and purpose of the space
AL: Overall, we wanted to create an inviting space that marries the best of traditional charm and modern day simplicity. It’s so cliché to say that we wanted a house that would be great for entertaining, but we entertain a lot! Our last house was a 1941 built with small, choppy rooms, so I knew that this time around I wanted big, open spaces and a floor plan that lent itself naturally for entertaining. I love that the person standing in the kitchen isn’t separated by what is going on in the living room. Another aspect to this house that is appealing is the two separate living spaces. The downstairs area is very masculine (my husband’s “man cave”) and the other is very soft and feminine, but not too girly. I like to call my style “the new traditional”—a fusion between contemporary ease and soft modern with an elegant mix of patterns and eclectic antiques.

SG: What were some of the challenges of the space?
AL: I could go on forever about the challenges of this space. For starters, we took the house down to the studs and worked with the footprint of the house. Surprisingly, we only took down one wall, which is why we added the exposed spiral ductwork to avoid having weird furr downs. The living room was difficult because there is a large post right in the middle that breaks up the large layout. So structurally it was difficult because we chose not to add a steel beam and instead added the post - which divided the space equally, making things a little crammed into that space
SG: Please talk about any design trends you are seeing.
AL: I’m seeing a lot of wall treatments these days and I love it! Whether its wood walls, wall coverings, or different textures and plaster, there are a lot of interesting elements being incorporated into people’s homes other than paint. But in my opinion, wallpaper is making a huge statement right now in prints, earthy corks and other textures.

SG: If you weren’t an interior designer, what would you be?
AL:Hands down, a singer!
SG: What is your favorite material to work with?
AL: Wallpaper is my latest design obsession. In the past, my favorite materials have been tile, flooring or lighting, but I’m in love with wallpaper right now! It’s an incredible element to add to your home and adds an artistic touch to the walls. It serves as the perfect punctuation mark to any room!

SG: My ideal meal consist of…and is shared with….
AL: There’s a lot of great food in Austin, but I’d have to admit Tex-Mex is an all-time favorite. I love eating with my husband of course, but nothing beats margaritas with my girlfriends! A combination of the two would be ideal!
Thank you Amy, for sharing your amazing design insight and beautiful property photos!