The boutique Sonoma interiors firm headed by Alex Mutter-Rottmayer and Austin Carrier marries thoughtful design with hands-on craftsmanship (see their richly detailed home in the March/April 2023 issue). Married since 2019, the two say they appreciate classic Wine Country design but think that the look is ready for a shake-up — a revolution they’ve pioneered in award-winning designs for Healdsburg’s Marine Layer tasting room and Sonoma’s Valley Bar + Bottle restaurant.
The couple are now launching three new capsule collections for their furniture line, Haus of Hommeboys, and opening a new woodshop and cabinetry studio just off the plaza in downtown Sonoma.
“It’s kind of scary,” admits Mutter-Rottmayer. “Doing all this work to see if anyone will actually like it. But we’ve always wanted to have a store. Every designer’s dream is to have their own showroom.”
Haus of Hommeboys, 141 Church St., Sonoma. hausofhommeboys.com
Mixing materials
Alex: “Design is in our blood. It’s what drew Austin and I together. We are always trying to mix the materials we are using, playing with different shapes in plaster, stone, wood. We definitely focus on more organic and natural materials. It’s what we are drawn to. It’s synonymous with California and this part of this country, and this gets routed back to our furniture line, which is very organic and earthy.”
Rustic inspiration
Austin: “We’ve been playing with wood for years. One of the capsule collections is dark, ebony stained, hand-notched cedar furniture. We wanted it to feel raw, rustic and edgy. The shapes are very anthropomorphized, inspired by the backdrop of California’s golden hills.”
On shaping design
Alex: “What’s the process? You just do it! One of the bedrooms we are designing had all of this green velvet from a photo shoot we were doing. And we were like, what if we just cover the walls in green velvet? What can you do with what you have? A lot of design inspiration and process comes from a desire to have fun with it.”