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A Texas home is designed to authentically
represent hacienda style
1LX1 Y KARLN WI1YNSKI CARR AND JOL . CARR HO1OGRAHY Y KARLN WI1YNSKI CARR
J^_ifW][0 A oir oI vinIogo
clovos-sIoddod hociondo
doors Irom Moxico oons
Io on orcodod coorIyord
oI Iho AosIin, 1oxos, homo
oI Koron WiIynski Corr
ond Joo . Corr. Effe#
i_j[0 SoI ogoinsI o mos-
Iord-color coorIyord woll,
on old Iroogh modo oI
sobino wood rovidos on
onosool vossol Ior growing
boogoinvilloo lonIs. 1ho
ioco onco wos osod on o
Moxicon hociondo Io Iood
livosIock.
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a hacienda-style home? We asked Mexican style experts Karen Witynski
Carr andJoe P. Carr for insight into what inspiredthemto buildthe hacien-
da of their dreams. The couples firsthand account of the experience follows.
An ongoing desire to embrace Mexicos cultural richness has
led us on a fascinating journey that has spawned eight books and
numerous design projects in Mexico and the U.S., including our
own hacienda-style home in the Texas hill country. Located out-
side of Austin, Hacienda Granada (Granada means pomegranate in
Spanish and is a reoccurring motif in Spanish Colonial design sym-
bolizing, among other things, goodluck) was the natural conclusion
of many years of work visiting, researching and photographing
Mexicos unique colonial estates.
For decades, weve been intrigued by the handcrafted details
particular to Mexican hacienda architecture: grand scale, nail-stud-
ded entrance doors, turned-spindle window guards, carved-stone
pavers, columns, canales (rain spouts), old beams, clay roof tiles and
arcaded portales punctuated with wall-embedded wooden ham-
mock hooks.
During our hacienda pilgrimages we became most enamored
with the secluded estates that were designed around gracefully
arcaded courtyards. We knew we wanted to bring this soothing
aesthetic to our own home, so we focused our plans on a defined
open-air space that would allow us to feel connected to the out-
doors at all times.
Equally important was design authenticity; so we sought tradi-
tional Mexicanmaterials andantique architectural elements, includ-
ing old doors that we had restored in our workshop. Our desire to
create the look and feel of an old hacienda prompted us to integrate
key elements into the design, including a zagun entrance (covered
passageway leading to a central courtyard), alacenas (built-in wall
cabinets), nichos and decorative old stone. The warmth of Mexicos
traditional redandyellow-ocher paint colors alsowas key inreplicat-
ing the Old World charmof our favorite 18th-century estates. The
rich hues worked well with our collection of colonial furniture.
We chose to build using an insulated concrete form (ICF) sys-
tem, as it produces a monolithic reinforced concrete wall that is
structurally sound, energy-efficient and fire-retardant. In addition,
the wall mass createdby using ICFinstills a feeling of solidity found
in well-made adobe structures or old rubblestone haciendas. The
series of arches for our arcaded portal was hand-sculpted fromICF
blocks that, once inplace, were filledwithconcrete tocomplete the
sturdy building system.
Our courtyard has become our favorite room in the house, as
there is an indescribable feeling of peace, tranquility and protection
that one gets from being enveloped in a private yet open-air living
space. We have enjoyed many courtyard experiences in Mexico;
however, we never imagined how much a serene courtyard environ-
ment couldenrichour dailylives. Wesavor theflashof tangerinebut-
terflies or the changing afternoon shadows on the colorful walls. A
staple element of any courtyard, the hammock has become our loyal
friend, beckoning us to rest for a spell with every gentle breeze.
Karen Witynski Carr and Joe P. Carr have co-authored eight books on
Mexican design and architecture, including Hacienda Courtyards and
the forthcoming Hacienda Style (Gibbs Smith, Publisher). Based in
Austin, Texas, they own Joe P. Carr Design, LLC, a store specializing in
Mexican architectural elements, antique furniture and decorative accents.
Ever wonder what it would be like to design
J^_ifW][0 1ho dining room is
roslondonI wiIh vibronI color, o
Moxicon concroIo Iilo Iloor ond
on WbWY[dW wiIh onIiqoo doors.
WrooghI-iron lockloIo dosigns
rominisconI oI Ihoso Ioond on
Sonish Coloniol Ironks Iorm
Iho woll sconcos. 1ho doors Io
Iho room oro onIiqoos Irom
Moxico. Effei_j[0 Nomod
Hociondo Gronodo, Ihis homo
incororoIos nomoroos noIorol
olomonIs. 1ho coorIyord, Ior
oxomlo, showcosos hondmodo
Moxicon cloy bricks, sIono roin
sooIs ond cloy rooI Iilos.
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An 8Ih-conIory WhYd (Ironk)
Irom Lcoodor onchors Iho hoci-
ondo'siWbW (living room).
Mr. oy, Iho Iomily dog,
koos o woIchIol oyo on o col-
locIion oI Moxicon donco mosks
ond onIiqoo oinIod crossos. 1o
Iho loII oI Iho Ironk is o ioco
Irom on old ronch Ionco, Io Iho
righI is o orI Irom o jhWf_Y^[,
o dovico osod Io ross [oico
Irom sogor cono.
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9beYam_i[\hecXejjecb[\j0 A oorod-concroIo
coonIorIo in Iho mosIor boIhroom soorIs o
oir oI rod IrovorIino sinks whoso dosign wos
insirod by Moxicon sIono Iooding Irooghs.
Onyx sconcos illominoIo Iho orchod IroosIond-
ing woll. 1ornod sindlos doIoil Ihoso onIiqoo
Moxicon doors, which sooroIo Iho dining room
ond YeY_dW (kiIchon). 1ho woll is oinIod DolIo
Cloy, o rod hoo Irom iIIsborgh oinIs. 1his
woll in Iho librory/oIIico disloys on WbWY[dW
wiIh roisod-onol doors. Insido, o collocIion
oI dosign books shoros soco wiIh Ooxocon
boskoIs. An old woodon Moxicon Yef[j[ (crosI)
obovo Iho WbWY[dW occonIs Iho soco. Effei_j[0
A oorod-concroIo coonIorIo ond somi-cir-
color-shoo islond docoroIod wiIh IrodiIionol
hond-oinIod Moxicon glozod Iilos disIingoish
Iho YeY_dW. A oinIod Iin roIoblo ond onIiqoo
GooIomolon coromics onhonco Iho sooIh-oI-
Iho-bordor Ilovor.

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7Xel[0 Moxicon Coloniol onIiqoos blond wiIh
old coromics ond comIorIoblo Iornishings in Iho
iWbW. A RodolIo Morolos osIol hongs obovo Iho
simlo Iiroloco. B[\j0 An WbWY[dW in Iho dining
room oons Io rovool o collocIion oI onIiqoo
Moxicon ond GooIomolon coromics. Sconcos
modo Irom lockloIos highlighI Iho colorIol woll.
Effei_j[0 AnIiqoo 1olovoro Iilos lino Iho nicho
bohind Iho YeY_dW sink.
I[[IekhY[i$
Our desire to
create the look
and feel of an old
hacienda prompted
us to integrate
key elements into
the design