Impressive, but approachable. Classic, but youthful. Colorful, but calming. These were the directives given to interior designer Meg Lonergan when she set out to revive her clients’ River Oaks home. It sounds like a tall order, but the designer shines at striking such a balance. Over the years, she has gained distinction in Houston’s design circles for her innate ability to master the mix—which is the very reason this couple singled her out for the job.
“The residence had great proportions and beautiful bones, so we had a lot to work with from the get-go,” Lonergan says of the textbook Georgian-style structure. The intricate crown and dentil moldings, herringbone oak floors, arched windows and wainscoting had tugged at the heartstrings of the clients, who both grew up in traditional homes and gravitated to those details for their warmth and nostalgia.
While the house brimmed with historical appeal, it fortunately came without the headaches often associated with older homes. The redbrick abode was well-built in the 1990s, so it didn’t require major repairs or a complex, multiphase renovation. It simply needed a refresh.
“With two young children, the homeowners wanted family-friendly spaces where they could spread out and enjoy a light, airy atmosphere during their day-to-day activities,” architect Dillon Kyle explains. In response, the design team—in collaboration with builders Brad Ratcliff and Cameron Simmons—worked together to tweak the formal layout and devised a more modern, casual footprint that includes an open-concept kitchen, seating area and family room. The new fluid connection allows for the spaces to live much larger than they are and enhances their association to the rest of the home. “The edits we made bring the interiors into the 21st century while retaining a sense of timelessness,” the architect says.
Sprawling antique Oushak, Tabriz and Malayer carpets lay the groundwork for the vintage furniture, decor and art that pay homage to the abode’s architectural origins and the couple’s deep family roots. Lonergan scoured Houston showrooms for soulful relics including a hexagonal gilt-wood end table, Italian brass sconces and ball-and-claw foot chairs. Buying trips to the husband’s hometown of New Orleans also yielded French finds, such as the showstopping 19th-century Empire dining table.
Some of her clients’ most cherished accents, however, were not purchased at shops or galleries but gifted from previous generations. These beloved heirloom oil paintings and watercolors are strategically displayed throughout the house among vibrant abstracts and modern original works.
“Antiques are key to creating comfortable interiors. They have a familiarity that makes them special,” Lonergan observes. “But you can have too much of a good thing, and a room with too many antiques can feel fussy or contrived.” To maintain authenticity and prevent an overly precious aesthetic, the designer blended contrasting accents that keep the rooms looking fresh.
Custom contemporary furnishings and textiles in rich patterns, colors and textures are among the layers Lonergan piled on for panache. In the living room—wrapped in a pale blue paperbacked wool wallcovering—a cotton-velvet kidney-shaped sofa complements a pair of clean-lined slipper chairs clad in an eye-popping sapphire window-pane motif. Similarly, the dining room’s tawny velvet barrel chairs and seven-arm plaster chandelier enliven the quiet ambience, seen in the white-on-white trompe l’oeil paneled walls and the sumptuous white silk faille curtains.
What keeps such disparate elements from becoming divisive? According to the designer, it is the calming, sunset-evoking palette, which stemmed from an exercise in balance in more ways than one. While the husband’s New Orleans roots influenced a desire for bold colors and broad strokes, the wife prioritized serenity and wanted to avoid the interiors feeling too loud or trendy. The answer came to Lonergan as she was practicing asanas during an outdoor yoga class.
“At the time, I was feeling burnt-out and completely void of creativity,” she shares. “I looked up, and there was this stunning sunset, and I immediately felt at peace as I basked in the glow of its gorgeous colors.” Using that pathos, the designer selected warm blues, rusts and blushes to pervade the abode, threaded with greens, golds and cloudy grays. Another lesson in perfecting the mix, the golden-hour undercurrent elegantly weighs making a statement with fostering a sense of tranquility at home.
