A Texas Florist Transformed This 1895 House into a Light-Filled Cottage Dream
Since we featured Mary Martha Meyer-Hill‘s first apartment out of college, she’s opened a floral design business doing wedding florals, started gardening and painting, and got married! “My husband and I bought this house a little over a year ago, to get out of the hustle and bustle of Austin. It’s on almost an acre of beautiful land, with old, tall trees and lots of space for our cut-flower garden,” Mary Martha writes.
This historic house in Smithville, Texas, was built in 1895, and it was the beautiful bones that made Mary Martha and her husband, Reid, buy the property a year ago. But she also says the “previous owners had done a lot to hide the beauty of the house!” Think: “heavy black industrial-sized wall fans in every room, purply bruise-colored walls,” and more.
To combat the design decisions made by previous owners, the couple decided to paint all the walls in the home a soft white — something Mary Martha says has made the whole place feel airy and bright. “The ceilings in several of the rooms are quite tall, and it feels light and sweet but still cozy,” she writes. “I have incorporated soft pops of color, floral patterns, pretty linen textures, handmade ceramics, and flowers from our garden.”
The couple have recently decided to leave this house to move to Washington State. “Not an ideal decision to make a year after purchasing a home,” Mary Martha admits, but she says they feel like it’s the right move for them. “So sadly, our house is on the market and looking for its next steward. We love this house and the property, and we will be sad to say goodbye, but I have loved putting our own stamp on it,” she writes.
“I hope we did a good job in getting it back to its former glory, accentuating and highlighting the beautiful original features — stained glass, tall ceilings, and hand-carved wooden trim details. We breathed some light and air and love into the house, and I hope the next owners can feel that!”
Resources
BEDROOM
- Green gingham pillow — Etsy
- Side tables — FB Marketplace and repainted
- Lamps — Target
- Painting on the left side of the bed — Me
- Print on the right side — Lulie Wallace
- Green dresser — Antique find that I painted
LIVING ROOM
- Rug — Rifle Paper Co
- Couch, chairs, and coffee table — IKEA
- Blue side table — FB Marketplace find that I painted
- Paintings — All done by me
- I sewed the block-print pillows
- Added a block-print lampshade that I made to the coral lamp from West Elm
- Yellow blanket — Greenrow
HALLWAY
- Most of the paintings — Done by me
- A print — Elana Gabrielle
- A painting inspired by one done by Rosie Harbottle
KITCHEN
- Table and chairs — FB Marketplace finds (I painted the chairs a soft green)
- Scalloped jute rug — Etsy
- Chair cushions — Mrs. Alice
- Rug, couch, and stool — IKEA
- Curtains — Anthropologie
- Blue stool — FB Marketplace that I painted
- Gingham pillow cover — Casa Di La Valle
BATHROOM
- Clawfoot tub — Came with the house when we bought it
- Shelf — FB Marketplace
- Linen curtains — Etsy
- Painting — Me
Thanks, Mary!
This tour’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.
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