Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: New Texas Country House With Timeless Touches
This antiques-filled home by a designer found on Houzz and others has love of family, fun and barbecue built right in
KK and Ryan McKenzie are Texas natives with strong family connections to the city of Sulphur Springs, which sits an hour and a half east of Dallas. So it made sense that when it was time to build a home for themselves and their three daughters, they chose to put it on 50 acres of rolling pasture and scattered forest right on the edge of town. First, they tapped Mark Hoesterey of SHM Architects to design a spacious two-story residence that tips its hat to the old farmhouses dotting the region. Then the ball really got rolling when KK found her aesthetic kindred spirit — interior designer Sommer Tate of Folkway Design & Wares — on Houzz.
Over the year that followed, the fellow antiques collectors worked together to fill the home with well-worn treasures and hardworking surfaces that will develop a beautiful patina with age. Their aim was to cultivate a cozy country house look and feel, where nothing is too precious or pristine. “It’s just going to wear like an old house would,” Tate says. “It’s going to have those signs of life in it.”
Over the year that followed, the fellow antiques collectors worked together to fill the home with well-worn treasures and hardworking surfaces that will develop a beautiful patina with age. Their aim was to cultivate a cozy country house look and feel, where nothing is too precious or pristine. “It’s just going to wear like an old house would,” Tate says. “It’s going to have those signs of life in it.”
A standing-seam metal roof covers an assortment of teak and wicker furniture on the front porch, and a copper gas lantern hangs from the ceiling.
In a matter of months, a new orange-toned teak table and chairs weathered to a handsome silver.
The eclectic yet intentional look of the porch’s furniture mix continues throughout the house. “We really wanted it to have a feeling of being collected,” Tate explains. “We wanted it to feel comfortable and welcoming and lived-in.”
Shop for patio furniture
The eclectic yet intentional look of the porch’s furniture mix continues throughout the house. “We really wanted it to have a feeling of being collected,” Tate explains. “We wanted it to feel comfortable and welcoming and lived-in.”
Shop for patio furniture
A screened porch runs along the back of the house, with a TV and casual seating at one end. Sweet as it may look, the porch is a tough match for the elements. “The mosquitoes are horrible here,” Tate says. “It gets hot, so there are fans. And it gets cold, so they have infrared heaters. You really kind of need all of that here to be comfortable.”
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The family is very active in the community, so ample entertaining space was a priority. A dining table from the owners’ previous home is ready to welcome all comers.
The far end of the porch is Ryan’s domain, according to Tate. He requested the custom barbecue smoker at the get-go, and Tate designed the outdoor kitchen around it. Not seen here are a grill with a large vent hood and a refrigerator. The floors are ipe and the countertops are concrete-look.
The front doors open to a living room decorated with an antique hutch found on one of the team’s treasure hunts. Its shelves are filled with old books and family silver.
On the largest windows, off-the-rack curtains hang from iron rods, some off-the-rack and some custom-forged. Here, Tate paired them with a coordinating linen slipcovered couch and chairs. The walls and ceilings in this room (as well as in the primary bedroom and kitchen) are lime-washed, which gives them a romantic, old-world patina.
Paint: Coconut Milk lime wash, Sydney Harbour Paint Co.
On the largest windows, off-the-rack curtains hang from iron rods, some off-the-rack and some custom-forged. Here, Tate paired them with a coordinating linen slipcovered couch and chairs. The walls and ceilings in this room (as well as in the primary bedroom and kitchen) are lime-washed, which gives them a romantic, old-world patina.
Paint: Coconut Milk lime wash, Sydney Harbour Paint Co.
In addition to displaying heirlooms from KK’s mother and grandmother, Tate and KK scoured antiques stores and fairs, including Texas’ famous Round Top Antiques Fair, to find much of the furniture and art throughout the home. Each woman shared photos of her finds so the other could weigh in.
For both, provenance mattered less than charm. “One thing we both love is picking up art,” Tate says. “As long as you’re drawn to it and you love it, it doesn’t really matter if it’s expensive or not.”
For both, provenance mattered less than charm. “One thing we both love is picking up art,” Tate says. “As long as you’re drawn to it and you love it, it doesn’t really matter if it’s expensive or not.”
Beams used throughout the house came from a pro from Fort Worth, Texas, who travels the northeastern United States and Canada to reclaim wood from old structures. “They’ll be there for another hundred years,” Tate says.
The floors are reclaimed French oak. The custom linen Roman shades above the window seat were made locally.
The floors are reclaimed French oak. The custom linen Roman shades above the window seat were made locally.
The fireplace surround is fiber cement board, the same material as the home’s siding. It’s fire-resistant, so they were able to install it right up to the edge of the fireplace.
On the floor in front of the fireplace is one of several of the home’s antique or vintage Oushak rugs.
Shop for rugs
On the floor in front of the fireplace is one of several of the home’s antique or vintage Oushak rugs.
Shop for rugs
The original plans called for an open-concept living room, kitchen and dining room. But KK loved the feel of older homes’ cozy, individual spaces, Tate says, so they added a wall back in between the kitchen and the living room.
KK found the Bianco Carrara marble slab used on the island and countertops. Above the island are schoolhouse pendant lights with milk glass globes and antiqued brass down rods, purchased on Etsy.
Paint: Walls and ceiling, Coconut Milk lime wash, Sydney Harbour Paint Co.; cabinets: custom
KK found the Bianco Carrara marble slab used on the island and countertops. Above the island are schoolhouse pendant lights with milk glass globes and antiqued brass down rods, purchased on Etsy.
Paint: Walls and ceiling, Coconut Milk lime wash, Sydney Harbour Paint Co.; cabinets: custom
KK and Tate scored the shelves at either end of the counter when they were looking for the ceiling beams. Originally part of a threshing floor, they still show the marks where farmers used to beat wheat against them to separate the grain from the chaff.
Between them, a pull-down faucet in distressed weathered bronze pairs with a single-bowl sink with a tall apron, and a cafe curtain hung from an iron rod gently filters the sunlight streaming into the kitchen.
Between them, a pull-down faucet in distressed weathered bronze pairs with a single-bowl sink with a tall apron, and a cafe curtain hung from an iron rod gently filters the sunlight streaming into the kitchen.
The dining-breakfast room table, which is positioned next to the island, was one of KK’s Round Top finds. At least the bottom part of it was: It’s actually two tables turned into one to create the oval shape they desired. They paired it with several vintage chairs, a new brass chandelier and heaps of throw pillows in a comfy window seat.
Shop for pillows and throws
Shop for pillows and throws
A vintage runner dresses up the mudroom, where the kids drop their book bags and coats en route from the carport to the kitchen.
A downstairs powder room features an antique mirror, a sink stand made from a found cabinet and a vintage-style floral wallpaper by Swedish wallcovering company Boråstapeter.
Alternately referred to as the den and the music room, this inviting space is where the family gathers to jam on the piano and Ryan’s guitars. Note the beautiful reclaimed planks and beams on the ceiling.
Paint: Custom Sherwin-Williams mix
Paint: Custom Sherwin-Williams mix
KK, an avid photographer, has a small office hiding behind a pocket door off the den. Tate’s mother is a seamstress and whipped up the little curtain that hangs in front of the lower built-in shelving.
At the end of the hallway leading to the downstairs primary suite
is a huge folk art piece that KK found in a local antiques store. The painting was a little wide, so the contractor cut it down and rebuilt the frame so it fits just so.
is a huge folk art piece that KK found in a local antiques store. The painting was a little wide, so the contractor cut it down and rebuilt the frame so it fits just so.
The artwork over the slipcovered bed in the primary suite, purchased online, is one of the few prints in the house. It captures just the right airy and light feel for the serene space.
Paint: Coconut Milk lime wash, Sydney Harbour Paint Co.
Paint: Coconut Milk lime wash, Sydney Harbour Paint Co.
Speaking of airy and serene: Here’s the view of the backyard from the bed, through another set of cypress doors. The pool is surrounded by synthetic turf and a landscaping border, with open pasture beyond it.
This is the view from the pool looking back at those cypress bedroom doors. An espaliered apple tree adds to the country flavor.
Ryan and the contractor were skeptical about using wood paneling on the front of the soaking tub and on the floors in the bathroom, Tate says, but the custom-colored marine-grade paint assuaged their worries. The tub deck is Taj Mahal marble, and layered rugs add texture and softness underfoot.
In the laundry room, old French terra-cotta floor tiles have a whimsical detail: “There’s actually an animal [paw] print in one of them because they used to make them and then dry them outside,” Tate says.
The bridge-style faucet’s unlacquered, raw brass is an example of a “living finish”: With age and use, it will develop a dark patina. The butcher block countertop, too, will evolve over time.
Upstairs, you can spy one of the two younger girls’ bedrooms past the quartz countertops of their adjoining bathroom. You can just make out the bedroom’s painted V-groove ceiling paneling and half wall, which serves as a headboard. (The teen daughter’s bedroom and bath, not pictured, are downstairs.)
To make the upstairs floors look like they’d been there forever, Tate asked the contractor to space the boards irregularly by placing different sizes of coins between them during installation. Then they painted the boards to create a casual feel.
To make the upstairs floors look like they’d been there forever, Tate asked the contractor to space the boards irregularly by placing different sizes of coins between them during installation. Then they painted the boards to create a casual feel.
The second upstairs bedroom has lime-washed walls, a slipcovered headboard and quilted bedding. KK’s father lives next door, and both girls’ front-facing bedroom windows offer a view of his horses.
Paint: Irish Linen lime wash, Sydney Harbour Paint Co.
Paint: Irish Linen lime wash, Sydney Harbour Paint Co.
Reclaimed beams in the upstairs hallway break up the long, narrow space. Its windows are at the back of the house, with views toward the pool and pasture.
Beside the pool sits a guest house with two additional bedrooms and bathrooms. It was originally supposed to have fiber cement siding to match the main house, but to give it a more rustic look, Tate opted for cedar siding treated by the builder with a special stain sealer that immediately ages and seals the wood.
A nearby fire pit invites après-swim lounging.
A wide view of the property offers a better sense of the buildings’ layout and idyllic pastoral setting.
More on Houzz
Read about other farmhouses
Get porch inspiration
Plan for your dream home
More on Houzz
Read about other farmhouses
Get porch inspiration
Plan for your dream home
House at a Glance
Who lives here: KK and Ryan McKenzie; their three daughters; and their English bulldog, Greta
Size: Four bedrooms, 4½ bathrooms and a guest house with two bedrooms and two bathrooms
Designers: Mark Hoesterey of SHM Architects (architecture) and Sommer Tate of Folkway Design & Wares (interior design)
Builder: Jeremy Durrett of Durrett Homes
KK found Tate toward the end of finalizing the home plans, so Tate was really able to be involved from the ground up. “We worked on Houzz … and pulled a lot of different designs and pictures and made boards to home in on exactly the look that we were going to settle on,” Tate says.
They chose double front doors custom made from raw cypress, a wood prized for its durability and rustic character. The home’s white siding is smooth fiber cement, and the chimney’s stone is a facsimile of Pennsylvania fieldstone, which wasn’t readily available in northeastern Texas. A Dallas mason found by builder Jeremy Durrett of Durrett Homes artfully weathered the stone to get the look they wanted.
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