A clever economic consumption of space , plenty of hometown support , and gallons of down paint made it possible for this young couple to make over a little cottage into their ambition family .
Nathan Schroder
As unseasoned marrieds , Mary Kate and Ben Carl wanted a family and hoped to settle in Mary Kate ’s hometown in the Texas Hill Country to be close to folk and old friend . As fortune would have it , one of those friends , a genuine estate broker and detergent builder , was key to finding their first home , an 800 - straightforward - human foot bungalow in Boerne that was n’t yet on the mart . They hired an architect to rethink the level plan , add dormer window window on the front , and contrive an accession that would duplicate its size .
Credit:Nathan Schroder
Mary Kate used her experience as an interior designer to choose construction materials like stumbler block and classical subway roofing tile that accommodate her budget so she could fling in some places . In the kitchen , for example , she prefer for panelling instead of roofing tile for the backsplash but spent money on Carrara marble counter . “ One mo can make a way , ” she says .
After nine months of construction , the distich go in and began layer their favorite things , like family heirlooms from Ben ’s granny , lamps and decorative plate from Round Top Antiques Fair , and prosperous upholstered seats .
inspire by English design , Mary Kate find her favourite blue in Parma Gray from the British pigment society Farrow & Ball , but it was beyond her budget . She color - matched the swatch to get the semblance at a better price and apply the powdery hoary - amobarbital sodium throughout the house on the trim , fireplace mantel , and kitchen storage locker . She also used it on the outside but at 50 percent chroma . “ This was my first metre seduce conclusion on my own property , ” she say . “ White would have been safe , but to me blue is a neutral color . I thought , you may never have too much blue . ”
Credit:Nathan Schroder
Mary Kate worked with an designer to add symmetric dormers to the front of the cottage . “ The dormers make the living area feel abstemious and airy . We face north , so we have a nice glow without the intense passion from the sunlight , ” she enjoin .
Mary Kate Carl
" paint the exterior blue was a substantial shock to my eye . I needed metre to sit with it and line up to change . "
Mary Kate and Ben deliver the ceiling to give the bungalow more volume . She paint the livelihood room mantel and the trim throughout the star sign in her favourite shade of bluing . The couch and upholstered chairs were made by a local upholsterer , and aFrame TVlooks like art over the mantel . Mary Kate receive inexpensive fabric ( $ 5 a yard ) on Etsy and had a pro make the drapes .
The vertical assembly line of the painted paneling force the eye up and give the kitchen a signified of spaciousness . Neutrals — the sealed sad sack - block counter on the island and marble counters — complement the schema . Plates make for warm , affordable rampart graphics .
Credit:Nathan Schroder
An arciform porta leads to the addition , which consists of the primary bedroom and a baby’s room , two baths , a larder , and a small washables .
The couple repurposed the service department into an office . Cinder - block walls remain , but new checkered flooring tile and woven shades elevate the space . Mary Kate works remotely for Katie Davis Design , an internal design firm in Houston . She ’s bump a client base in Texas Hill Country .
" I love the concept of a minor home with outspread space and how to it forces you to live nearly . "
Credit:Nathan Schroder
The wallpapered toilet accommodates both Edgar Albert Guest and kids . Mary Kate says she want to make it look like a “ fun powder room . ”
Mary Kate and Ben ’s headboard and some bedding were blue , so she beak round-eyed white-hot paint for the bedroom walls and trim . She prefer affordable striped yardage for the window treatments . “ Custom fiction stool cheap fabric expect expensive , ” she says .
The Carls use the outside dining space for entertaining , candle flame dinner on at - habitation date nights , and Saturday lunch . The freestanding pergola gives moderation from the sun . Loose pea plant gravel is easy to uphold and chokes out locoweed .
Credit:Nathan Schroder
Ben focused on transforming the backyard into another “ way ” for toy with , adding a patio , firepit , and assign green . Friends and family gather to watch golf tournaments and college football game game on the outside television .
Credit:Nathan Schroder
Credit:Nathan Schroder
