Kathryn Janes likes to hunt for fantastic antique paintings for her property, and she has a very rigorous system which keeps her decorating habit on funding. Every year she makes a pilgrimage to the Round Top Antiques Fair in Smithville, Texas. Prior to her trip, she lists. Subsequently she combs her home to what she calls purge things which she is able to sell. Janes consigns things, hosts garage sales and sells things on Craigslist to build her funding — ranging anywhere from a few hundred dollars to $1,000 — to the upcoming trip to Round Top. She states, “Once I have my money in place, its hard-stop budget, and that I really don’t move over.”
in a Glance
Who lives here: Matt and Kathryn Janes, daughters Emma (11) and Ainsley (8), dogs Harper and Thatcher, and Sprinkles the bass
Location: Lake Highlands area of Dallas
Size: 2,750 square feet; 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms
Sarah Greenman
The ice-blue and terra-cotta master suite is a tasteful collection of plush pillows, silk textiles and vintage accents. Janes replaced a ceiling fan with an antique chandelier within the bed.
Paint: Sea Salt, Sherwin-Williams
Sarah Greenman
“I desired the master bedroom to feel calm, light, soft, relaxing and pretty,” says Janes. Her husband, Matt, adore finishing their afternoon in this room and consider it their retreat. The master bed has been a present from Matt’s parents.
Bedding: Tuesday Morning and household hand-me-downs
Sarah Greenman
“My favorite place in the home is sitting on the sofa at the foot of my bed in front of the fireplace,” says Janes. “I love to place my feet up with a good book or see Downton Abbey over and over again.”
Sarah Greenman
A classic French dining table, once part of a larger piece, sits next to French doors leading to a sheltered courtyard and terrace area. “When we were house hunting, I fell in love with the home because it had a great deal of French doors,” says Janes.
Sarah Greenman
A sheltered courtyard, very similar to those Janes grew up with in Southern California, is the perfect location for outdoor grilling and dining. Climbing a hot water fountain and a potbellied clay fire pit help make a relaxed vibe.
Sarah Greenman
“A home is a reflection of who you are, where you’ve been and what you enjoy,” Janes says. Traveling along with her parents to Europe as a child and studying overseas in her school years cemented her love of the European cottage aesthetic. Plush furniture, French linens, comfy nooks and pastoral paintings fill the living room.
Paint: Napery, Sherwin-Williams; couch: Weirs Furniture; pillows: Wisteria
Sarah Greenman
No matter where somebody is sitting in the living space, there’s always a surface for a beverage or book. Instead of traditional side tables, Janes uses many different vintage boxes, stools and benches she found in the Round Top Antiques Fair. She says everybody should experience Round Top at least once.
Sarah Greenman
An antique secretary desk, which Janes found at Lots of Furniture in Dallas, sits in the corner of the living room close to a painted brick hearth. French doors bring in hot natural light and pleasant cross breezes in summer.
Sarah Greenman
To promote a French country feel, Janes reupholstered this antique bench with a classic French grain sack embroidered with her initials, by the Antique Linen Store on Etsy.
Sarah Greenman
Janes grew upon the California shore and decorates her home home with shells, coral and driftwood for a reminder of her hometown.
Landscapes and classic paintings hang from the living room on a pub wall. Many of the paintings are from City View Antiques in Dallas.
Sarah Greenman
Buttery walls painted in Napery by Sherwin-Williams throw a glow on the classic dining table and chairs. Blue silk curtains billow in the floor, and country-style shutters are affixed to the walls close to the kitchen’s entry.
Chairs: Round Top and Uncommon Market
Sarah Greenman
The Janeses upgraded their galley kitchen with granite countertops, a rock tile backsplash and ivory painted walls and cabinets. Among the latest steals is the rolling kitchen cart Janes scored for $5 at a yard sale.
The couple’s next project would be to convert the electrical range to gasoline.
Sarah Greenman
Matt trusts Janes to make most of the design decisions. She states, “My husband has only ever made one petition, which I’d honor — to come home by Round Top with fresh kitchen table chairs which would never break or get wobbly. And these will not, because they’re pure metal.”
Table: Lots of Furniture; chairs: Round Top
Sarah Greenman
This Welsh hutch belonged to Janes’ mother and used to be in Janes’ youth home. “After we moved to Dallas, we left our long family behind. I tempered my homesickness with family heirlooms,” she states. “I paid more to have them shipped than they were worth, but that I don’t care.”
Sarah Greenman
The most important room in the home is a living area connecting garage and the kitchen. “We must have an area for everybody to land their stuff somewhere,” says Janes. “The kids’ backpacks, school paperwork, my purse, husband’s wallet, keys and a homework station are here.”
Sarah Greenman
She describes the room as fundamental control. “I really like order and using coordinating systems to keep everyone on course,” she states. An industrial worktable, found on Craigslist, takes centre stage. Homework, art projects, bill paying and much more all occur here. There’s also a computer station tucked beneath the stairs with built-in storage into the right.
Sarah Greenman
Sarah Greenman
Daughter Ainsley’s bedroom is a sweet mixture of paisley textiles, bright furniture and country accents. A little desk painted in a bright orange lacquer doubles as a table. A classic hutch on the opposite wall homes books, boxes, art and other unique paintings.
Paint: Napery, Sherwin-Williams; Chair: Juliette Tufted Headboard, Goal; bedding: Goal
Sarah Greenman
Janes lately helped kid Emma transition her youth bedroom with fresh preteen-appropriate colors — a cheery mixture of pink, orange and green. She painted the bookcase, upgraded the bedding and added some glowing storage choices.
Bookcase: City View Antiques
Sarah Greenman
The desk in the corner of the room was passed down from two previous generations. Emma’s grandmother received it as a present for her 13th birthday, and her mother enjoyed the desk in her youth bedroom as well.
Paint: Sea Salt, Sherwin-Williams; desk seat: Ikea; pink storage blocks, dangling bull bust: Home Goods
Sarah Greenman
The two Ainsley and Emma concur that the upstairs living room is their favourite place in the home. This multiuse room has four distinct areas: a guest bed, an entertainment area, a home office space and a children’s library.
Bed: Restoration Hardware; couch: Ektorp, Ikea
Sarah Greenman
The hutch and children’s table are equally family heirlooms which Janes shipped from her childhood home. “That room is perfect now that the girls are older,” she states. “The girls really like to hang out here, play games and host their own friends for slumber parties.”
Sarah Greenman
After the family moved to Dallas from the Los Angeles area eight decades back, they were hoping to find a traditional-style home that was close to downtown. After seeing a parade of modern houses, they were delighted to land in Lake Highlands, which boasts big ranch-style houses.
“We painted the home exterior to update its ’70s multicolored brown brick,” Janes says. “Painting the brick in gray made it feel much more like our home.” The Janeses also added landscaping and paved the front walkway with flagstone.
Sarah Greenman
Emma takes a twist on the tree swing. “I really like our neighborhood, because it’s such a tight community,” says Janes. “Occasionally most of us meet and hang out in the front lawn, bring wine and sandwiches, and socialize with our local friends.”
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