Decorating Therapy

There’s a small blue ceramic donkey that sits on the kitchen counter of Natalie Lea’s Houston, TX, house. It’s cracked, and you might not notice it if you walked by. But as a hand-me-down from her mother, the sculpture tops the list of Natalie’s most cherished belongings—and is just one of the ways she has paid homage to her mom, Diana, who passed away from cancer two and a half years ago.

Diana liked a traditional look "but with flair," says Natalie, an attorney who has two kids of her own. So after buying a three-bedroom home with her husband, Matt (here with their daughter, Harper, 1, son, Houston, 3, and Maltipoo, Milly), in 2013, Natalie enlisted the help of a pro. Bailey McCarthy, Houston designer and owner of Biscuit, worked with Natalie to create the home she envisioned. It took about seven months for the two women to transform the 1950s ranch house from dated and choppy to open, cheerful, and packed with personality. "Decorating this home with Bailey brought color back into my life after a very dark spell," says Natalie. "I feel like we’ve captured my mom’s spirit in every room."

In the formal dining space, pieces Natalie inherited from her mother, including an antique buffet and blue-and-white pottery, mingle with modern finds like Eero Saarinen chairs and a graphic rug from The Rug Company. "My mom always had fun with design, and I do, too," says Natalie. Even unlit, a painted chandelier glows against the barely there lavender walls (Nosegay by Benjamin Moore).

The house’s Crayola-inspired color scheme comes from this playful F. Schumacher wallpaper, which Natalie chose in honor of her mom’s love of butterflies. "I feel her presence as soon as I walk through the front door," says Natalie. The wainscoting and trim are painted Jet Black by Benjamin Moore.