*Lamps from* *MM Lighting, Custom Fabrics from* *James Showroom*

This week we are throwing back to our Merrill Project. These sweet clients, a young family who transplanted to Houston from Denver for their Oil & Gas business, came to us through our friends Brooke and Lucas at L&B Limited. (L&B was the builder on the project.) We were brought on to work together on all aspects of construction, and later to furnish the interiors. The homeowners, along with their three kids, are extremely cheerful and considered in the way they live, and they wanted their home to reflect that.

The wife’s style is eclectic and bohemian, while the husband leans more modern. In fact, I’m fairly positive that if he had his way, the whole home would be grey (Ha! We worked with it). Together, they both love mid-century lines. We told them that as long as they were willing to take a more vintage approach to mid-century, we were all in. Our main goal was to blend these styles while still layering pattern and color, like we love to do.

In the living room, we started with the color palette. We used neutral hues (think gray, black, deep blue, and tan) as our base, and layered in earth-toned patterns and contrasting texture. On the custom sofas, we highlighted The wife’s boho style with the pillows, piling on the pattern with fabrics sourced from James Showroom. The colors, navy, clay, sage and tan, give vintage vibes, and because they are all in the same family the mix isn’t too bold or distracting. The woven texture of the armchairs, plus the wooden table and woven shades offer warmth and comfort to the space that might have otherwise felt a bit cold. We did introduce clean lines with the mantle, the console and side table, and floor lamp, to really drive home the couple’s love of mid-century. We are obsessed with this mix because it contains so much depth and interest.

The office was a really fun room to design because of a few meaningful items that we were able to source. Specifically, the art and the desk.

When thinking about art, we were immediately drawn to Holli Addi’s colorful, yet sophisticated and clean aesthetic. By chance, we showed the couple a piece similar to one that we eventually commissioned for their home and it just so happened to be a painting that was inspired by the exact mountain range where their oil and gas exploration is located. We loved the personal touch that the painting gave to the space—after all, we tell clients over and over again, art is always personal.

Out of all the nods to vintage in this home, the Hans Wegner-inspired desk is at the top of our list. We stumbled upon this piece at a charming French booth in Round Top. As soon as we saw it, we knew we had to have it on our inventory. The Merrill project was the perfect home for this special piece.

For a family of five, we wanted to create a kitchen and dining space that was clean and functional without sacrificing the beautiful, finished look that carried through the rest of the home. We incorporated soft whites and blue, rubbed bronze hardware and lighting, and textured seagrass counter stools for an inviting, family-friendly space that we were truly delighted with, and that the homeowners loved.

Scroll down to shop the style of our mid-century(-ish!) Merrill project.