Caroline Pinney doesn’t regret spending $23,000 to furnish her soulful Austin living room

After moving with her boyfriend to Cherrywood, a quiet Austin neighborhood, in April, Caroline Pinney knew she was looking for a house with character rather than the renovated residences crowding the city. “I maintain that a really old house is just better built,” the artist says of his one-story home on the East Side. “Austin has a mix of old but beautiful and historic homes, but the modern homes seem very sterile.”

Inside her 1950s home are crown moldings, French doors and rich woodwork, a huge draw for the 31-year-old painter. It has a solid, echo-free structure (a bonus since his partner works in music). It’s spacious enough to accommodate all of her canvases and art supplies, and its large picture windows bring in plenty of light with just the right amount of tree cover. “I needed a sizable studio, so we looked for a three-bedroom house and immediately fell in love with it,” says Pinney. ANNOUNCEMENT. Better yet, she only pays $3,500 in rent.

Comfort and comfort were a top priority as a full-time artist who “works from home 99% of the time.” She relies heavily on her visual intuition to seek out settings – primarily thrifted finds and abstract paintings – that arise from the intention to connect to something deeper in one’s relationships and life. “When I collect pieces for my home, I always think about how it connects me to myself or the people I love,” she says.

Certain aspects of the home, particularly its dining room, were organized to highlight the memories with loved ones that would manifest in the space. “Our bond as a family was built around a table, often around food. I wanted this room to be very comfortable, but with consideration for myself and the people I love.

For Pinney, a home should be an authentic reflection of itself and that means collecting based on what you love rather than trying to follow trends. “It creates a space that is more interesting and inspiring and one that you will feel most comfortable in,” she says. “I believe our environment profoundly influences our mood and creative output, so why not create a space that encourages this?