Timeless Design with a Modern Twist: Avery Cox's Approach to Blending Eras and Creating Lasting Spaces for Your Little Ones

Photo Courtesy: Ngoc Minh Ngo

Avery Cox Design is all about bringing creativity, modernity, and timelessness into homes. With a passion for color, art, and mixing eras, Avery has built a design philosophy that blends bold and playful elements with the durability of well-loved, repurposed pieces. Based in Austin, but with a wide range of influences, Avery brings a unique touch to every space she creates.

Her designs are thoughtful, sustainable, and full of character. In this interview, she shares her design approach, influences, and tips for blending the old with the new.

I've lived in Austin for 9 years and have built my firm from the ground up. As a Dallas native, I have loved being back in Texas and growing my business in Austin. The clients that have found me share a love of color, art, and the joy of expression in their homes. I am a restaurant enthusiast and am very into craft coffee, natural wines, and anything beautifully prepared. When I'm not at work I'm

exploring with my husband and young son. I'm a Texas girl who has spent

considerable time in the Rocky Mountain west and East coast alike.

You are just as likely to find me fly fishing in a mountain stream as you are to see me dressed up for a gala. I bring the same sensibility to my work. Mixing the high low, the fabulous and

the durable.

Our homes can hold both.

Avery Cox Design champions creativity, helping to bring the most out of clients creating spaces that are fit for modern life while incorporating nostalgic pieces from the past.

I would describe my style as bold and playful. I look to the past for references and like to put my own spin on classic design. I'm influenced by art and fashion as much as I am by historical design. I especially like to use paintings for color palette reference and exploration. A few favorite colorists are Picasso, Matisse, Milton Avery, Gaugin, Bonnard and O'Keefe.

Photo Courtesy Lindsay Brown

Aside from being sustainable and in the case of passed down furniture, cost effective, it is important that a room has depth and represents pieces across different eras so that it feels timeless. Incorporating antiques and heirloom pieces, create a groundedness in the spaces I design, and keep a room from immediately feeling dated.

It is important to get a solid mix of old and new to keep the room feeling youthful and nostalgic at the same time. Some easy ideas would be to display some vintage books along side new ones or frame new art in vintage frames or vice versa.

If you are someone who really wants new furniture for your kids room but wants to get some old pieces to balance out all the "new" I recommend incorporating an antique rug, lighting, or art. I found an old iron fish shaped lamp for my sons room and it adds the perfect element of whimsy and patina.

Hang family heirlooms or antiques on the wall. Rugs, plates, even collections and old jewelry can be hung on the wall framed or not to bring in an element of the past.These are great ways to unearth heritage pieces that may otherwise never get pulled out of the box."

A favorite way to utilize passed down upholstery is to recover the piece in a new fabric. This allows the bones of the piece to be celebrated but the textile to feel modern- an easy way to get that mix of eras I'm always chasing.

I also like to really use case pieces in kids rooms especially if they are somewhat indestructible like a wooden chest. Add a changing pad on top and it’s now a very chic changing table! Hutches make great book shelves and surfaces for display in kids rooms. It is easy to remove glass or doors from cabinet pieces to remove anything dangerous. Just be sure to anchor these taller pieces to the wall so they don't tip over!

Photo Courtesy: Linkeness Studio

Choose a color palette that feels multi dimensional. If you want a blue room, incorporate some orange, green, and yellow to keep it feeling interesting.

Utilize pieces that are multifunctional. A dresser can also be a changing table, a side table can tun into a desk, and a display shelf is a great way to showcase current interests as the child grows.

Invest in materials that work with a variety of design styles and schemes, wood case pieces, earth toned upholstery, and classic patterns like stripes will work with different ages, genders, and personality shifts."

You can find Avery Cox Designs online as well as following along on Instagram!