Tour Jamie-Lynn Sigler’s Newly Renovated Austin Home
Jamie-Lynn Sigler and Cutter Dykstra were ready for a change of scenery. “During the pandemic, we started to think about our life and what made us happy,” says the actor. “We were in the mood for an adventure and wanted to try someplace neither of us had ever lived before.” Their home in Los Angeles made practical sense: Sigler is an actor known for her work on The Sopranos and the ABC drama Big Sky , and Dykstra’s business, Therabody , is based in L.A. But when one of Sigler’s best friends moved to Austin , the wheels started turning. An October 2020 visit to do a little real estate exploration ended in a signed contract on a Spanish-style house with great bones and an amazing view, yet still in need of significant aesthetic upgrades.
Sigler used the winter months between the purchase and her relocation to connect again with L.A. designer Erin Fetherston . “The new house was very Texas country and I wanted to bring a cool California vibe to that style,” Sigler says. “I’ve been a fan of Erin’s work, and so we started imagining how we could transform this house while honoring its beautiful architecture.”
The team started by removing some of the more overly ornate elements, painting the walls white, and buffing the glossy dark floors to a more matte finish. Fetherston defined the living and dining areas with twin large sisal rugs and ring chandeliers, then layered in furnishings that added texture and color. The living room’s cognac velvet sofas by Lulu and Georgia were an easy decision for both designer and client. “From years of doing fashion, I know that certain people look good in a certain color,” Fetherston says. “Jamie just looks so good in that room. The color palette is perfect for her.”
For the kitchen and powder room renovation, Fetherston and Sigler turned to The Eye , a design agency that represents Fetherston, to find Texas-based design and build firm High Street Homes . “It was important to have a counterpart on the ground, especially for the kitchen renovation,” Fetherston notes. “It was a unique arrangement, but it went really well.”
The kitchen pops with green cabinets—the color matches the house’s exterior window and door trim—while the ebony-stained island cabinets provide contrast. “Jamie told us from the beginning that she wanted the kitchen to feel sexy,” says Kara Phillips of High Street Homes. “We brought in polished marble with deep green and black veining and we played with the finishes in brass and black to give a sleek edge to the kitchen.”
While the rest of the house is relatively family-friendly, Sigler requested that the primary suite be an adult sanctuary. “We wanted to make a retreat for Jamie and Cutter as a couple,” Fetherston says. “We created that serenity; it’s really dreamy in there.” Fetherston also accentuated the soaring ceiling by using lower furnishings to emphasize the vertical volume.
Sigler and her family moved into the house in March 2021 and lived through most of the renovation. The team started with the outdoor space, which was furnished and livable by May, but once the indoor renovation started, the family was kitchen-less for three months. “It was my first renovation, so it was a rookie mistake, but everyone warned me,” Sigler admits. “Now I’m one of those people who says: Don’t do it! Shell out for the rental.”
By October 2021, everything was in place and settled, and not a moment too soon. “All I can think about are my kids and the memories and the parties and the family gatherings,” Sigler says. “We have so much space to entertain and host. That’s all I wanted.”
Actor Jamie-Lynn Sigler, who is on ABC’s Big Sky , and her husband, Cutter Dykstra, moved with their two children and dog, Bean, from Los Angeles to Austin in 2021. Their spacious Spanish-style house needed a cosmetic refresh to reflect the couple’s breezy style. The design team of Erin Fetherston and High Street Homes honored the 5,000-square-foot home’s architectural details—note the beams and arches—but injected a modern flair into the space.
The house has an open living plan with kitchen, dining, and living areas flowing into each other. Fetherston used sisal rugs by Annie Selke to define the dining and living areas. Another Moroccan rug, also by Annie Selke, gives an additional layer of texture beneath the matching cognac sofas by Lulu and Georgia . The brand’s Kora accent chairs covered in a shaggy Mongolian fur add just the right touch of softness and whimsy. Finally, the pillows are from Anaya Home .
Sigler sits on one of two matching cognac sofas by Lulu and Georgia. “I considered doing just one sofa in rust and the other maybe in ivory,” Fetherston explains. “But in the end, I felt like we had to do two and Jamie just loved it.”
Contrasting with the dark wood floors and ceiling beams, the riff cut white oak shelves and cabinets in the living room provide space for art and pottery, including Sigler’s SAG awards vintage art.
The design team painted the walls throughout the home in White Heat by Dunn Edwards . With this simplified base, the Mediterranean-influenced arches framing the outside doors, indoor hallway, bookcases, and fireplace became a stronger, more interesting element to the home’s overall design. All of the light fixtures in the home are from Circa Lighting .
The Texas design-build firm High Street Homes took the lead on the kitchen renovation. Husband and wife team, Brett and Kara Phillips, were able to give Sigler the green kitchen she wanted, while making the space function better by redesigning the layout from two islands into one large one. The countertops are a luxurious yet practical Calacatta Primavera marble. The appliances are Monogram .
In the new kitchen, the team at High Street Homes took care to include handmade and vintage items to tie the design into the existing space. The floor tiles are handmade by Arto and the vintage runner comes from Fort Worth’s Simple Things .
Fetherston made the primary bedroom a relaxed, adult space with Rove Concepts’ Arya line of comfortable, lounging furniture. The brand’s Ophelia bed is made up in linens by Annie Selke. The window treatments are from The Shade Store .
In a tiny powder room, High Street Homes injected a dose of drama with paired floating marble shelves that hold the sink and provide storage. The strong green color is Sharkskin by Benjamin Moore . The marble slabs, like those seen in the kitchen, are from Aria Stone Gallery . The fixtures are Kohler , while the tiles are from Bottega Design Gallery .
Before beginning the indoor renovation, Fetherston furnished the outdoor spaces so the family would have a refuge during the construction phase.
The large turn teak sectional and hazel teak dining table and chairs all came from CB2 . “We have a huge outdoor entertaining space,” Sigler says. “It has proper living and dining areas, and even a fire pit on the lower level.”
Sigler gets a rare turn—she has two sons ages three and eight—in the outdoor patio’s hanging chair from CB2.
A final look out at the pool area of the house.