Marian Louise Design gives this Houston home a fresh and functional upgrade—without ever losing its history and charm.

In the kitchen, marble backsplash mingles with bright white cabinetry and checkered sand flooring.

When clients, a young family of five, set out to give their well-loved home a little pick-me-up, they stumbled upon Marian Louise Design’s posh Instagram profile and the rest was history. “After reaching out through our website, I met with the Kennedy family and walked through their home to get a better understanding of the project scope and their family’s needs,” says owner and principal designer Mimi Meacham. “The family is extremely active and is involved in sports and the neighborhood community. They came to us hoping for a home refresh that would last several years, as they have no plans to leave anytime soon.”

An oversized, beaded chandelier from Made Goods steals the show in the breakfast room.

THE PRIORITY The idea for the project was to give a well-deserved face-lift to the family’s most used spaces: the kitchen, breakfast room, powder bathroom, laundry room and mudroom. “The goal was to elevate the home’s design, add value and allow the clients to enjoy their home for years to come. We wanted to blend fun, playful prints and colors but keep a traditional cornerstone.” She adds, “Brightening the kitchen was a top priority! We updated the finishes, maxed out the functionality, and kept everything family-focused.”

Built-in shelving, crammed with fun pops of color, adds balance and texture to the space

THE CHALLENGE Leaning into the property’s original charm—while infusing modern elements and details—Meacham began a quest to create an approachable home that was both dreamy and down-to-earth. “Given this was an older home, windows and doors needed to be replaced which ate up a good chunk of the budget,” she explains. “Elevating the home’s design and resale value without breaking the bank was a challenge. We added a coffee bar in the breakfast room and kept all furnishings and selections modern and fresh, and most importantly, durable and kid-friendly.”

THE DESIGN Aesthetically, the family preferred a mix of traditional designs, with playful pops of color and fresh whites sprinkled throughout. “We brought this style to life with the paint and tile selections, classic prints in the wallpaper and textiles, light and bright stone and classic brass hardware,” shares Meacham. “I was inspired by the energy of this young family and wanted to incorporate fun details while staying true to the property’s original look.” The team carefully created a continuous color story throughout the space (think light, neutral hues paired with pastels), while a unique assortment of patterns and materials give the home a surprising texture. “The wallpaper we chose for the powder bathroom and laundry room were done in soothing colors with modern, traditional prints, and the white and beige checkerboard tile floor in the kitchen added a fun element of interest to the serene white cabinets and countertops.”

Pastel blue shelving adorns the laundry room

THE DETAILS As for Meacham’s favorite room of the renovation? She can’t help but obsess over the breakfast area. “The space combines loads of natural light from the large picture window with subtle warm whites from the gorgeous, oversized pendant,” she gushes. “It grounds itself with the custom round, light-wood dining table and warm greige dining chairs. The light green fabric window shade with playful, embroidered dots adds just the right amount of color into this casually chic space.”

“The light green wallpaper in the powder bathroom paired with the casually, chic white sconce and coastal mirror creates a welcoming and memorable guest experience.”

THE RESULT After nearly seven months, Meacham finalized the design project, and it’s safe to say the Kennedys were more than happy with the result. She reveals, “They loved it so much that we are finishing up Phase II of their project now, which includes a remodel of the primary bathroom, guest bathroom and design refresh of the primary bedroom.”

To brighten the breakfast space, Meacham fused together bright-white cabinetry, exposed shelving and whimsical display pieces, including pastel green wine glasses, a scalloped fruit bowl, shimmering coasters and more.

Design Details

Type

Single-family home

Location Houston

Builder, Carpenter, Electrician and Plumbing

Ale Renovations

alehouston.com

Interior Design

Marian Louise Design

marianlouisedesign.com

RESOURCES

Sherwin-Williams

Paint throughout

sherwin-williams.com

Topstitch Drapery

Curtains and blinds throughout

topstitchdrapery.com

Hollywood Builders Hardware

Powder bathroom, kitchen and laundry room hardware and fixtures

hollywoodhardware.com

Fabricut

Powder bathroom shade fabric

fabricut.com

Schumacher

Various wallcoverings and breakfast room window shade

schumacher.com

Palecek

Powder bathroom sconce

palecek.com

Bixby and Ball

Powder bathroom mirror

bixbyandball.com

Visual Comfort

Kitchen light fixture

visualcomfort.com

Stark Carpet

Breakfast room rug

starkcarpet.com

Made Goods

Breakfast room light fixture and table

madegoods.com

Daltile + Marazzi

Kitchen and laundry room tile

daltile.com

Arizona Tile

Kitchen tile

arizonatile.com