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[Oznell]

Love designer Meredith Ellis.  When she moved back to Texas, her family first snagged a charming rental to live in.  What is now her entry below, used to be the small living room of the bungalow.

 

Now it is a versatile entry, that contains a round table, so that thay can have "fine" dining if they wish here.

One of the things I like about her, is she isn't hesitant to use all her family things.  Her talented sister painted the heron painting, and the '40's black leather wing chairs are a family heirloom too.

I first fell in love with the kitchen--  the colors, the exposed brick, the tall ceilings...

She had an understanding landlord, who allowed her to remove the furniture-style (non-attached, I presume), island, in favor of a family-friendly table.

Having that table in the kitchen, allowed Meredith to turn the one-time dining room into the living room.  She did this so that while in the kitchen, she'd be able to keep a better eye on her children playing in the adjoining 'living room':

There are lots of global artifacts here of her husband's, a fighter pilot and documentary film maker.  The framed beads on the left were a gift to him from Masai in Africa.

Very eclectic-- everything from tribal objects, to cozy cane back chairs, to Manhattan chic.  The soft rug is a vintage Oscar de la Renta design.  I'd have to know the "story" of every last thing here!

Darling sun porch:

In her daughter Parish's room she painted striking navy walls, contrasted with lots of ivory.  I think in the South, with lots of strong sunshine, dark walls can be great.  And she smartly used an indoor/outdoor rug for this heavy play area used by both her son and daughter!

The master bedroom is both airy and cozy.   Love that bench, the pretty textiles, and simple matchstick blinds that allow the vintage architecture of the windows to shine.

A lot of the 'youngish' (for a decorator, "young" often means around 40, 45 ha) designers who get gushed over, don't do anything for me.  But I really like Meredith Ellis, even though she gets a lot of buzzy coverage, and was honored by Traditional Magazine as one of 10 great "new traditional" designers, etc.

She's not following trends.  She cleverly made her rental work for her family, and for her aesthetic.  So much so, I wonder how she ever managed to leave, when they recently bought a house in the area!

[author]

Absolutely love this bugalow!  So many wonderful details and it's put together in such a liveable style.  Wonderful.

[kate2357]

Very cozy house. I really like that painting of the heron. And the black leather wingback chair has given me an idea for two chairs I have that I was considering giving away because I was tired of the color. But to have them redone in leather .... hmmm, I think I would like them so much more done up in leather.

Once again, thank you for sharing your inspirational finds.

[stevieb]

Sure, there are things I'd change but what a sweet place and a nice concept of what 'home' means. This speaks to me of comfort and of home so much more clearly than does a McMansion or some monstrosity requiring a map to find your way around. 

[Imaoldhippie]

I really like all of it.  Especially like her colors.

[Oznell]

Those colors are very 'sympatico' to me too, and drew me in, @Imaoldhippie .

I love what you said that about the wing chairs, @kate2357 .   I'm the same way--  I'll see something in a room somewhere that starts a chain reaction in my mind, and allows me to see my own items (and their possibilities) in a fresh way...

[manny2]

I love her style. I would make a lot of changes to suit my own taste, but I really admire her attention to detail in every room. 

I am not a fan of dark walls, but I love the bedroom with the navy and ivory. The way she used the ivory is so clever. It just works. 

[Oznell]

@manny2,  I'm sorry to keep echoing what other people say, ha, but I had that exact same reaction to the navy/ivory bedroom!   She just knows how to bring it off, so well!

[Katcat1]

All I like is the black leather wing chair and the front porch with some adjustments.

[DREAMON]

This cute bungalow is very welcoming and charming.

I like almost everything and would keep it as is if it were mine (I wish).

For some reason I really don't like plates of any kind hung on walls or displayed vertically. I have no idea why this turns me off but it does. 

That is the only thing I would remove/change.

I love the colors used and the cheery vibe this adorable home gives off.

I also love the heron painting and black leather chair.