My Houzz: Eclectic Charm in a Baton Rouge Renovated Live-Work Cottage
Makers of handcrafted jewelry bring personalized flair to their 1,350-square-foot Louisiana home and studio
Homeowners Madeline and Dawson Ellis had originally rented out this Baton Rouge, Louisiana, house to tenants. Then the couple, owners of Mimosa Handcrafted Jewelry, decided to move into the house themselves. Madeline says, “We ended up falling in love with it — especially the location — and put our roots in here.” After moving in, they got to work updating the interior and exterior by painting the walls, ceilings, trim and doors, and sanding the floors and having them professionally stained. They also remodeled the bathroom and reconfigured the layout by opening up a wall between the dining room and kitchen and converting the back porch into a sunroom.
To decorate, the resourceful couple used sentimental pieces from their families, and sought out classic secondhand pieces online and from garage sales and thrift stores to create a charming, personalized look.
To decorate, the resourceful couple used sentimental pieces from their families, and sought out classic secondhand pieces online and from garage sales and thrift stores to create a charming, personalized look.
Madeline made the cafe-style curtains in the living room. They allow in natural light while still providing privacy. The white Barcelona chairs, a Craigslist find, are paired with a colorful textile pillow that contrasts the white leather.
Rug: Target
Rug: Target
The living room features a vintage film wheel from a local movie theater.
Martini side table: West Elm
Martini side table: West Elm
The hanging chair in the living room was originally Dawson’s grandmother’s. Like many pieces in the home, it is an heirloom that has been given new life, weaving together the family’s past and present. “The hanging chair in the living room embodies what I try to work into the house,” Madeline says. “It’s vintage, it’s made out of natural materials, it’s well-used and has been well-loved, and it adds a bit of whimsy.”
The couple was excited about the idea of having a fireplace, but after taking a closer look they realized that it was only ever meant to hold a gas heater. After weighing the cost of removing the concrete base and replacing the floor, they decided to do something creative and colorful: They tiled the existing faux fireplace with handmade, hand-glazed blue ceramic tiles by a friend of theirs, ceramicist Leanne McClurg Cambric.
This photo was taken from inside the living room. It shows the dining room and kitchen spaces, connected through arched openings.
Houseplants: Red Onion
The couple was excited about the idea of having a fireplace, but after taking a closer look they realized that it was only ever meant to hold a gas heater. After weighing the cost of removing the concrete base and replacing the floor, they decided to do something creative and colorful: They tiled the existing faux fireplace with handmade, hand-glazed blue ceramic tiles by a friend of theirs, ceramicist Leanne McClurg Cambric.
This photo was taken from inside the living room. It shows the dining room and kitchen spaces, connected through arched openings.
Houseplants: Red Onion
AFTER: This photo, taken from the dining room and looking toward the kitchen, shows the new archway between the two rooms. It was more difficult to make the opening rounded instead of squared, but Madeline wanted architectural consistency with the arch between the living and dining rooms.
With this new open layout, the children can play in the living room and are never out of sight while Madeline and Dawson are cooking dinner in the kitchen. “The round dining room table was practically made for that room,” says Madeline. “It’s such a pass-through room on all sides, and with a blanket over it, it makes a great fort in the middle of the house.” The couple found the vintage dining table and chairs on Craigslist from someone in Mobile, Alabama.
Adding double doors to the porch along the right side of the room allowed in ample natural light and changed the room’s feel.
White drapes: West Elm; copper pendant: eBay
With this new open layout, the children can play in the living room and are never out of sight while Madeline and Dawson are cooking dinner in the kitchen. “The round dining room table was practically made for that room,” says Madeline. “It’s such a pass-through room on all sides, and with a blanket over it, it makes a great fort in the middle of the house.” The couple found the vintage dining table and chairs on Craigslist from someone in Mobile, Alabama.
Adding double doors to the porch along the right side of the room allowed in ample natural light and changed the room’s feel.
White drapes: West Elm; copper pendant: eBay
Madeline and Dawson, Louisiana natives, are proud to display this large map of their home state, which originally hung in Madeline’s grandparents’ home. The buffet below was a thrift store find.
Lamps: eBay
Lamps: eBay
The dining room includes a small writing desk with a midcentury Bertoia side chair in the corner. The fiber wall hanging above the desk was created by Kat King Tapestries of Lafayette, Louisiana.
AFTER: In their remodel, Madeline and Dawson took the kitchen down to the studs. Structurally, they opened up the wall between the dining room and kitchen, installed new, larger windows above the sink and closed in the left wall that had a doorway to a bedroom. They installed cabinets along the now-uninterrupted wall and recessed the refrigerator into the space where the door used to be. The storage space on the left wall replaced the space that they lost by removing the upper cabinets. The cabinets hold small appliances so they are out of sight, making the kitchen feel open and uncluttered.
Madeline and Dawson installed white subway tile for the backsplash, which also makes the kitchen feel more open. They saved money by finding great deals on their sink, faucet and Jenn-Air range hood from Coburn’s and another great deal on their stove, which was a Craigslist find. The big green demijohn jar was a gift from Dawson’s grandmother.
Hexagonal floor tile: ProSource; light fixtures: eBay
Madeline and Dawson installed white subway tile for the backsplash, which also makes the kitchen feel more open. They saved money by finding great deals on their sink, faucet and Jenn-Air range hood from Coburn’s and another great deal on their stove, which was a Craigslist find. The big green demijohn jar was a gift from Dawson’s grandmother.
Hexagonal floor tile: ProSource; light fixtures: eBay
Another Craigslist find was this large butcher block island. Dawson hand-poured the concrete countertops, which saved a few hundred dollars over hiring someone to do it.
The room behind the kitchen was originally the back porch to the house. The couple continued the hex floors installed in the kitchen into what is now a sunroom. Dawson built the bookshelves around the bedroom door that store books, jewelry and knickknacks from their travels.
A friend of Madeline’s who lives in Mobile, Alabama, found this midcentury sofa at a garage sale for her. The two often buy furniture for each other and swap it whenever they meet. This large window looking out onto the backyard fills up the back out the house with natural light. “The new sunroom-library room is probably my favorite at the moment,” Madeline says. “I could sit and watch the birds out of the big picture window all day.”
Whale print illustration: Mikaela Fuchs of The Hungry Fox
A friend of Madeline’s who lives in Mobile, Alabama, found this midcentury sofa at a garage sale for her. The two often buy furniture for each other and swap it whenever they meet. This large window looking out onto the backyard fills up the back out the house with natural light. “The new sunroom-library room is probably my favorite at the moment,” Madeline says. “I could sit and watch the birds out of the big picture window all day.”
Whale print illustration: Mikaela Fuchs of The Hungry Fox
The small room just behind the shutters was used as the couple’s studio for Mimosa Handcrafted Jewelry before they moved into the much larger space that they have behind the house. They now use this space as their tucked-away laundry room.
The master bedroom, just off the back sunroom, is filled with sentimental pieces. The wood dressers are antiques passed down from Madeline’s mother. On the right wall is the round mirrored cake platter that held the cake for the couple’s wedding. Dawson made the bed for Madeline as an anniversary present. “It’s beautiful to look at, made out of recycled materials and has a timeless quality about it,” Madeline says. “It’s also, to me, a symbol of his resourcefulness and willingness to go out of his way to make something he knows I want.”
Curtains: handmade in Nicaragua, from Etsy
Curtains: handmade in Nicaragua, from Etsy
The couple took the smallest bedroom because they spend the least amount of time in their room. They wanted Charlie and Lillie to be able to utilize the extra space in the other bedrooms as play areas. Also, the other two bedrooms are much closer to the bathroom, which means the children have easy access — especially handy at night for potty training.
Madeline and Dawson bought this drawing that graces the bedroom wall during a trip to Japan in 2005.
Madeline and Dawson both have a background in landscape architecture and love incorporating houseplants throughout their home. The plants thrive in the brightly lit rooms. Most of them were purchased from local nursery and garden shop Red Onion.
The brass piece decorating this wall is the top of an Indian table. Madeline has the base of the table in storage but wanted the keep this piece on display.
The brass piece decorating this wall is the top of an Indian table. Madeline has the base of the table in storage but wanted the keep this piece on display.
AFTER: The couple updated the bathroom by adding clean white subway tile to the walls and white penny tile to the floors. They also replaced the floating sink with a single vanity that a friend constructed. The vanity countertop is concrete and was poured by Dawson.
The couple’s biggest splurge was a tankless water heater. “I love long, hot showers, and one bathroom having an endless supply of hot water is worth every penny,” Madeline says.
Sink, faucet, toilet, tub and fixtures: Coburn’s; shelves: Target; subway tile and floor tile: ProSource
The couple’s biggest splurge was a tankless water heater. “I love long, hot showers, and one bathroom having an endless supply of hot water is worth every penny,” Madeline says.
Sink, faucet, toilet, tub and fixtures: Coburn’s; shelves: Target; subway tile and floor tile: ProSource
Charlie’s room, decorated in bold colors, connects to the master bedroom and to a small hallway that leads to the bathroom. The yellow bed was a Craigslist find, and the colorful quilt was passed down through the Ellis family.
State Symbols of Louisiana print: Red Arrow Workshop
State Symbols of Louisiana print: Red Arrow Workshop
Madeline hung outer space-inspired shapes from the ceiling above this toddler bed in Charlie’s room. The black Barcelona chair, a Craigslist find, is well-positioned for reading bedtime stories.
Art over bed: Circle and X by Brad Wreyford, 20x40; pouf: eBay
Art over bed: Circle and X by Brad Wreyford, 20x40; pouf: eBay
This six-drawer midcentury dresser and large abstract painting were thrift store finds. The orange lamp and globe on the dresser are from a garage sale. The home has only small closets, so the family uses dressers like this one for storing clothes and miscellaneous objects and toys.
Lillie’s room has white walls and neutral bedding like the other bedrooms but is enlivened with fun, warm colors. The artworks on the wall behind the crib were all made by friends of the couple, including Brad Wreyford, Mikaela Fuchs, Holly Everett, Emily Ellis and Christina Carlisle. The rocker next to the crib belonged to Madeline’s grandmother. Madeline reupholstered its cushion with a quilt that was made by her great-grandmother.
Crib: Sniglar, Ikea; Moroccan rug: Etsy
Crib: Sniglar, Ikea; Moroccan rug: Etsy
Madeline bought these small handmade animals in China when she was completing an internship in Beijing. They were made in a village a few hours away, and she bought them without knowing what she’d use them for. She turned them into a colorful mobile to hang above Lillie’s crib.
The feather wall hanging seen here is the tail feather of a Mardi Gras Native American costume. In a long-running tradition in New Orleans, the members of the different tribes craft beautiful beaded and feathered costumes to wear during their marches on Super Sunday.
Madeline and Dawson kept the yard open and the plantings minimal so their children could run and play. They planted cypress trees, live oaks and rows of clumping ‘Alphonse Karr’ bamboo in the yard to add privacy.
This walkway leads to a backyard studio for their jewelry business. Dawson originally built this space for doing metalwork and woodworking, but as their company was growing, the couple moved their studio into this space. “We both work from home and are able to just walk out the back door and be at work in no time,” Madeline says.
This walkway leads to a backyard studio for their jewelry business. Dawson originally built this space for doing metalwork and woodworking, but as their company was growing, the couple moved their studio into this space. “We both work from home and are able to just walk out the back door and be at work in no time,” Madeline says.
Mimosa currently has three artisans working in the shop. Customers come by daily and pick up orders. The jewelry shop is named after the mimosa trees found in Madeline’s neighborhood when she was growing up. Jewelry-making started out as a hobby for Madeline but turned into the couple’s full-time business.
Mimosa’s popular Pelican Cuff bracelets embody the brand’s aesthetic — handcrafted jewelry with a dash of Louisiana flair.
Dawson, seen here working on a jewelry mold to be cast, was the owner of a landscaping business when he and Madeline bought the home, but started working full time with Mimosa after selling his company.
AFTER: “We all enjoy spending time outside, so the porch is very much an extension of the indoor living space. With the big table we’re able to easily have meals outside and even enjoy it when it’s raining,” Madeline says.
On the porch’s far wall is a large decorative piece made entirely of shucked oysters. The brass accents warm this outdoor bar. The little “Louisiana Swamp” sign on the bar used to hang at the local zoo.
The space also includes this vintage red fireplace, which Dawson salvaged from a neighbor from his childhood home. The wraparound porch is perfect for hosting parties and impromptu gatherings.
The Westdale Modern Steel Porch Swing, Handsome Industries
The Westdale Modern Steel Porch Swing, Handsome Industries
The couple added a wall built of shattered shutters along one side of the covered outdoor seating area to create more private space. It’s great for cookouts and outdoor entertaining. The vintage Eero Saarinen Tulip chairs go well with a large tree stump repurposed as a table.
The couple also maintains a small vegetable garden and compost bin.
AFTER: The outside of the home was repainted in a soft white. The couple also removed the awnings above the windows and now have greenery growing up the face of the home. Dawson reused salvaged and reclaimed wood from previous landscaping jobs to build the picket fence. The couple bought new gate hardware and poured concrete to update the walkway.
They also added a parking bay in the front, as well as landscaping, lighting and irrigation.
They also added a parking bay in the front, as well as landscaping, lighting and irrigation.
Madeline and Dawson relax on their porch.
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See more photos of this home
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
Browse more homes by style:
Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
Who lives here: Madeline and Dawson Ellis, owners of Mimosa Handcrafted Jewelry; their children, Charles, 4, and Lillie, 2; and their dogs, Willie and Lucy
Location: Baton Rouge, Lousiana
Size: 1,350 square feet (125.4 square meters); three bedrooms, one bathroom
The main living room is filled with classic midcentury pieces and eclectic finds. The organic shapes of the natural elements, such as the plants and a large spotted cowhide rug, complement the furniture’s clean, modern lines. “My biggest influence has been Luis Barragán. I love his minimal style and use of bold color and objects,” Madeline says. “I like to be surrounded by things I like to look at, but with kids they have to be as functional as possible.”
The leather pieces in the living room, including the couch, Barcelona chairs and rug, are durable options for two young children. The upholstery wipes clean when spills or accidents happen. The couch doubles as a sofa bed, converting the living room into a guest room for visitors.
The George Nelson Bubble light originally hung in Madeline’s grandparents’ dining room.
White Barcelona chairs and black sofa: Craigslist