There aren’t too many places where an honest-to-goodness farmhouse is located a mere block from Main Street, but Fredericksburg, Texas, isn’t like most places. Nestled in the scenic Texas Hill Country, the quaint town (population 11,000) is known for its lush landscape, historic architecture, abundant wineries, quaint antiques shops, and strong German roots (it was founded by German immigrants in 1846).
Those were just some of the draws that led Barbara and Jim Thomas to relocate to Fredericksburg seven years ago. “We lived on a ranch in Comfort, Texas, about 25 minutes away, for 35 years,” says Barbara. “But as retirement neared, we were ready to be closer to more amenities.”
The couple couldn’t believe their good fortune when they found a “mini ranch” right in the heart of town that, while a downsize, certainly didn’t skimp on details. The 0.4-acre lot teems with a guesthouse, windmill, cypress water tank, picturesque trees, and a striking Texas limestone house that is a dead ringer for an original Texas-German structure. “It’s fooled many visitors. People always assume they’re walking into a 100-year-old home, but it was actually built in 1989,” says Barbara.
While the exterior was a look-alike for a Texas original, the 2,743 square feet inside was a giveaway for the home’s real age thanks to 1990s-era finishes and a layout that truly baffled Barbara. “When you walked into the house, you could see straight through to the kitchen sink. If you had dirty dishes in there, everyone would know!” she says. Then there was the head-scratching greenhouse attached to the living room. “I’m pretty sure the people who built it were from New England and had no understanding of the sweltering Texas summers when they added that,” she says.
Barbara, a now-retired interior designer, came to the project with plenty of experience, a lifetime’s worth of antiques, and two sources of inspiration that would inform her vision for a total overhaul. The first, Edna Earl Winters, was Barbara’s next-door neighbor when she was growing up on her father’s ranch in Coryell County, Texas. “Miss Edna Earl was this wonderful country rancher’s wife. She had a lot of old Texas antiques, and she made them livable and comfortable,” she says. “She was always doing beautiful things for other people, and her style was just as beautiful.”
Her second source? Meredith Ellis, an Austin-based interior designer and owner of the designer-beloved James Showroom, who just so happens to be Barbara’s daughter. While the two share an occupation, their tastes aren’t exactly carbon copies. “My mom has always been into creams and softer colors, but I like using bold, hand-blocked fabrics against crisp white walls and dark floors. They bring a certain youthfulness to a space, and Mom was picking up on that and open to it,” says Meredith.
After some construction (so long, front-and-center dirty dishes), Barbara embraced Meredith’s fresh perspective to create her own take on the Texas Two-Step—mixing the old (antique furnishings plus collections of quilts and kerosene lamps) with yards and yards of new and exciting textiles from brands including Martyn Lawrence Bullard, Clare Louise Frost, and Raoul Textiles.
Case in point: The most comfortable chair in the house, a 35-year-old armchair, was reinvigorated with a vibrant red paisley, and an old green sofa got a facelift thanks to pillows in four different patterns. It’s a juxtaposition she used throughout the house, bringing unexpected life to her well-loved treasures. Says Barbara, “All that lovely modern pattern on my dark, traditional furniture takes the edge off. It’s less formal now. It all feels right for an inviting country home. I want people to come in, sit down, and not feel like they’ll ruin anything.” It’s a sentiment that would make Miss Edna Earl proud.
Take a tour of Barbara and Jim’s home below:
Screened Porch
Once a wide-open patio, the Thomases first added a cedar arbor before ultimately deciding to screen in the space. It’s now Barbara’s favorite “room” in the house because it allows her to enjoy the outdoors, even during brutal Texas summers. “I hate being inside, but we have mosquitoes. This room makes the outdoors livable.” She livened up a wicker sofa and log settee with Laura Ashley fabric and added a coffee table that was once a dove trap and a striped rug (annieselke.com for similar).
RELATED: Screened-In Porch Ideas to Inspire You Any Time of Year
Living Room
The living room offers views of the windmill and plenty of vibrant patterns. Other special touches include a custom settee (once a spindle bed), an antique trunk, and a rug that Barbara had made 35 years ago. “I wanted it to look like a saddle blanket.”
Get the Look:
Armchair fabric: Stella by Tulu
Pillow fabrics: Red Ikat by Clare Louise Frost and Betwixt by Celerie Kemble by Schumacher
Pillow and window treatment fabric: Sultan’s Garden by Martyn Lawrence Bullard
Kitchen
The kitchen’s original cabinets were spiffed up with white paint, and Barbara replaced the upper cabinet doors with glass—all the better to showcase her collection of blue-and-white china, which includes Blue Willow, Mexican pottery, and spatterware. Mesquite wood countertops complement the “new” island—an antique gaming table.
The three-board breakfast room table came from a local restaurant. Says Barbara, “I was having lunch with some of my friends, and I said, ‘I love these tables.’ A few weeks later, I drove by and the place was going out of business, so I bought one!”
Get the Look:
Wall Paint Color: White Dove by Benjamin Moore
RELATED: Best White Kitchen Ideas for a Room You’ll Love Forever
Mudroom
The airy mudroom is home to practical items (washer, dryer, dog bowls) and decorative touches like an antique-inspired bench, framed artwork by the Thomases’ grandchildren, and blue tile that looks like wood (try MSI’s Dellano in Exotic Blue for similar).
RELATED: Stylish Mudroom Ideas to Help Keep You Organized
Primary Bedroom
The Thomases found they couldn’t close the bedroom armoire with a television inside, so they took off the doors and converted them into “shutters” flanking the window. Jim and Barbara installed the wallpaper on the piece as newlyweds. “We put it in upside down, but nobody knows that,” she says.
Get the Look:
Wall Paint Color: Gray Owl by Benjamin Moore
Primary Bathroom
The blue-and-white color palette continues to the bathroom with a pretty patterned wallcovering and plaid cushion on a blue vanity chair.
Bunk Room
The Ellis kids love their bunks, which feature storage as well as handy lighting and ledges to make bedtime reading a little easier. The custom cotton mattresses were a so-smart design by Barbara. “I had the mattresses upholstered and topped with bedrolls, so I never have to put sheets on them,” she says. “That way, the kids are comfortable, but we don’t have to get up there to make the top bed.” Artwork is framed in red to coordinate with the tufted mattresses.
Get the Look:
Wall Paint Color: Weston Flax by Benjamin Moore
RELATED: Try These Nostalgic Bunk Room Ideas
Guest Bedroom
Located in the backyard guest house, the secondary bedroom references its location with Z-style barn door window shutters and post-and-beam bracket-style millwork. Out here, reds and yellows lead the color palette, starting with the punchy red-and-white quilt atop the red painted iron red.
The Backyard
The Thomas family’s Texas property features an old wooden water tank; a two-bedroom, one-bath guesthouse; and plenty of space for lawn games for the entire family. Pictured from left: Jim, granddaughter Parish (age 9), son-in-law Hunter Ellis, daughter Meredith Ellis, grandson Bourne (age 7), and Barbara.
This story originally appeared in the June 2019 issue of Country Living.
Photographs by Dana Gallagher; Styling by Becki Griffin.
