Design house: Small, space-saving bungalow in Texas, designed by Katie Davis

Originally built in 1926 in the Historic Woodland Heights, Houston, this design project holds so much history.

Katie Davis, the interior designer for thisspace-saving bungalow, talks us through the this design process.

THE PROPERTY

'In wanting to keep as much of its historic charm as possible, while bringing the space up to date, we took almost all 1100 square feet of this two bedroom, two bath home to the interior studs,' says Katie Davis. 'To maximise the space, we opened up the kitchen and laundry room, reconfigured the guest bathroom, completely updated the cabinetry throughout the house, and brought the space to life through layering patterns and plenty of colour. Once the renovation was complete, we had the privilege of completely refurnishing this small space.'

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KITCHEN

Before the renovation, the kitchen offered a tight working area, very little counter space, and was shut off from the front dining and living space. 'Our team removed and reconfigured the cabinetry, moved the location of the refrigerator to open the range area, added a custom plaster vent hood, created a chef’s pantry, installed new lighting, and opened up the room to provide more space for entertaining,' says Katie. 'We used a lot of white in the kitchen to provide an open and clean feel, and added warmth with light blue cabinet paint, custom shades, brass frames with soft green floral art, and wooden kitchen accessories for warmth.'

DINING ROOM

'Opening the kitchen gave us the freedom to treat the dining room as an extension of the space. We used a statement light fixture and patterned dining chairs to create a distinction between the two zones,' explains Katie.

MUD ROOM / BAR

'We wanted to transform the hallway between the kitchen and the back porch, which is also where the client enters the home from the garage. We used the same colour paint from the kitchen, added fun brass hardware, and a custom pillow and bench cushion to give the space a little bit more personality. Where a broom closet once sat, we transformed the space into a pantry and a small bar area complete with glass floating shelves.'

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LIVING ROOM

'The abundance of natural light that fills this home is impossible to ignore. We installed all new custom drapes and shades, updated all of the furniture and created several layers of texture and colour through items such as a woven chair, a detailed brass light fixture, soft pillow fabric and a custom green console.'

GUEST BATHROOM

'The bathroom was entirely reconfigured, allowing for the freestanding bath tub to offset the window, the inclusion of warmer shades, statement wallpaper, and a custom vanity with bright green tassels. It's the perfect blend of peaceful and fun.'

GUEST BEDROOM

'While all guests are welcomed, the guest room was created as a place for a very loved niece. We used light pinks in the bedding and custom drapes, paired with a light blue paint for a calming environment, added a custom feminine light purple dresser, updated the bench and shelving unit, and added new hardware and light fixtures. We even were able to use some of our clients' loved art work in this space.'

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MASTER BEDROOM

'We used light and calming colours to make this space come to life. We reconfigured the layout to position the bed to face the unique corner window, which allowed more light into the room. The fabric chosen for the custom headboard and pillows really gave the space the feminine touch we were after. Again, we used a soft blue custom dresser and brass hardware to go complement the rest of the house.'

Photography/ Kerry Kirk

Interior design/ Katie Davis