Southern Charm and Heritage in a Dallas Cottage

Southern Charm and Heritage in a Dallas Cottage

“Rotating pieces inside the household is a great way to edit,” says first-time Dallas homeowner Ann Jane Cox. “I have discovered it to be a cost-effective, guilt-free method to declutter and keep things fresh.” Cox, a public relations specialist, actively swaps finds with her 96-year-old grandma and her mother, Frances, aka “Fancy.” She features her design inspiration partially to her upbringing in north Louisiana and time spent attending Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi. “The rest,” she states, “is probably hereditary.”

After much amassing, bartering and experimentation, five years later, Cox finally feels settled in her 1950s brick cabin. Her cozy yet formal house proves you don’t need to sacrifice style for material — particularly if you design with aim and from the center.

at a Glance
Who lives here: Ann Jane Cox
Location: Dallas
Size: 1,600 square feet; 3 bedrooms
That’s interesting: A framed 1963 home-economics job of the operator’s mum’s graces the guest bedroom.

Taylor Shead

This area originally had no mantel or shelves, and the walls were “so textured it might badly cut you,” Cox says. They were also, coincidentally, painted blood red. Cox added a new coat of white paint and built in shelving to help make a elegant and cozy cabin look.

Among Cox’s decorating hints for different homeowners is to be fearless when looking for things in nontraditional places. The Lucite coffee table came from a friend who sells finds exclusively on Facebook.

Walls: White Ice, Benjamin Moore; Lucite table: GypsySoulInteriors

Valerie McCaskill Dickman

The mantel painting once hung in the den of Cox’s youth home. She believes the guy featured is the daddy of this artist and admits to enjoying the painting’s subtle intensity. The blue and brown color palette is replicated in different portraits throughout the house.

Valerie McCaskill Dickman

This piano bench was built by Cox’s great-grandfather and accompanied her to college. Prior to this, Cox’s mother also took it with her to college. Both mom and daughter went through color phases through the years, as seen in the layers of paint on this bench.

Art: Meredith Pardue (abandoned); garage sale find (right)

Taylor Shead

Among Cox’s purposeful possessions are two vintage chinoiserie chairs that once belonged to her family’s beloved, longtime next-door neighbors. “I remember the chairs from my youth, and they symbolize many terrific memories,” she states. After the neighbors passed off, a girl gave her chairs. “They mean a fantastic deal to me personally and are the very first thing that I put in the area.”

Valerie McCaskill Dickman

These turtle shells and antlers, much more youth mementos, were found on the land surrounding Manilla Plantation, Cox’s grandmother’s house on Lake St. John in Louisiana.

Wall paint: White Ice, Benjamin Moore; palaces and lamps: HomeGoods; English torso: On Consignment, Dallas; artwork: Ikea

Valerie McCaskill Dickman

Among the family pictures in Cox’s entryway are images captured by friends in Mississippi.

Taylor Shead

Cox experimented with a darker wall color in the dining and sitting areas to assist showcase her grandmother’s wedding-gift Wedgewood, circa 1930s.

Wall paint: Wood Grain Brown, Benjamin Moore; chandelier, dining table and chairs: On Consignment, Dallas

Taylor Shead

Most large bits in Cox’s house lean toward traditional, but she likes to “bring in certain quirk” with small items. She began collecting busts several years ago and urges getting others to pitch when creating acquisitions. “One year, all the presents I received were busts,” she states. “It made for a somewhat bizarre Christmas, but I really like it!”

Taylor Shead

Her mum purchased this secondhand portrait for $15. Now Cox continues the tradition of giving the positive, nameless dame a second home.

Taylor Shead

The sitting room, adjacent to the dining room, shares a fireplace with the master bedroom and proceeds the blue and brown color scheme from the living area.

Louis XV chairs: Hermitage Antiques; brass table: Again and Again; Shade: Ikea; peacock feather artwork: White Elephant; curtains: habit, Childress Fabrics

Taylor Shead

Cox says custom bedding and window coverings are a must. “To mepersonally, this really is like getting dressed,” she states. “It makes it really feel like you are putting your own postage and doesn’t need to cost just as much as some people today think.”

To get a mixed window, she suggests looking the remnant cloth sections of shops to get luxe materials and brands at reduced prices. You might even keep it basic but mix and match. By way of instance, her master bedroom headboard includes a custom-made reversible slipcover.

Taylor Shead

A picture of Cox’s grandma and an antique porcelain heart-shaped box Cox obtained for high school graduation sits to a Wisteria mirrored chest that she uses as a bedside table.

Taylor Shead

Cox made a guest bedroom around this four-poster bed, which is over 120 years old.

Wall paint: Ashley Gray, Benjamin Moore

Valerie McCaskill Dickman

Continuing to think outside the box and celebrate her loved ones, Cox proudly showcases a framed job of her mum’s in the 1963 Louisiana State University home economics course.

Taylor Shead

Cox says she feels most at home when she has visitors staying over. The enlarged vintage photograph is of Cox’s grandma when she was in her 20s.

Lamps: www.isuwanee.com; mirrors: Goal; cushions: Ikea; blankets: Pottery Barn Teen; paint color:
White Ice, Benjamin Moore

Valerie McCaskill Dickman

Inside this youth photo, Cox sports a sour disposition as a result of inadequate lemonade sales.

Taylor Shead

Owner Ann Jane Cox in the home. Though devoted to rearranging as a continuous sport, she pauses momentarily to delight in her closing “phase one.” “You can just design for where you are in life at this moment,” Cox says. “For me, for now, this reflects who I am.”

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