About the Studio

We design homes that feel inevitable, and quietly personal.

Lunar Home Designs is an eight-person residential design studio working out of a renovated bungalow in South Austin. We take on roughly twelve projects a year so each one gets principal-led attention from concept through construction.

Origin

The studio started with a simple frustration.

After a decade in larger residential firms, founder Elena Cross kept seeing the same pattern: gorgeous concept renderings followed by a year of confusion, value-engineering, and disappointed homeowners. She started Lunar in 2019 to close that gap: a studio where the same people who design your home stay on the project through final walkthrough.

Today we work across Texas, Colorado, and California on custom homes, full-scope renovations, and a handful of resort residences. Most of our work comes from past-client referrals, which we treat as the only review that actually matters.

Design Principles

Four ideas show up in every project we do.

Light first

Plans start with a sun-path study. We design rooms around the daylight you'll actually live in, not the elevation that photographs well.

Honest materials

Limestone, white oak, blackened steel, lime plaster. Materials that age into a home rather than out of it.

Quiet detailing

Hidden reveals, flush thresholds, shadow gaps. The details you stop noticing because everything just lines up.

Built to be built

Every drawing is reviewed by someone who has framed a wall. If a builder can't price it confidently, we redraw it.

The Team

Small studio, deep bench.

Eight people. One project lead per home. The principal stays involved through construction administration on every single project.

Principal Designer

Elena Cross, CPBD

18 years residential, CPBD certified, LEED AP. Leads concept and design development on every project.

Project Designer

Marcus Lee

Construction documents, structural coordination, field administration. Former framer. Reads details for clarity.

Interior Planning Lead

Nadia Ramos

Finish schedules, lighting design, fixture selection. Translates a Pinterest board into a millwork drawing.

Credentials

Certifications

Certified Professional Building Designer (CPBD), NCBDC
Practicing across Texas, Colorado and California
LEED AP Homes (Cross, Lee)
Continuing Education: IRC, IBC, Title 24

Memberships

Professional Affiliations

American Institute of Building Design (AIBD)
National Council of Building Designer Certification (NCBDC)
U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)
American Institute of Building Design, Austin Chapter

In the Press

Recent features.

Texas Home & Living · 2025

Modern Warmth in the Hills

A 12-page feature on the Canyon Modern Estate and the studio's approach to hillside design.

Residential Build Journal · 2025

Process-Driven Luxury Homes

Interview with Elena Cross on how published process disarms the worst part of building.

Design Coastline · 2026

Top Firms to Watch

Lunar named to the annual list of small studios producing outsized work.

Next step

Curious if we'd be a good fit?

The discovery call is the easiest way to find out, and the cheapest hour you'll spend in the whole project.

Book a Consultation → Read the Process