Interior designer's family-friendly Heights bungalow has southern charm

When Meg Lonergan started house-hunting in Houston in 2009, the Louisiana native fell in love with the bungalows of the Heights.

"The charm of the old bungalows, it's not so polished, with a little bit of a messy element that reminded me of Louisiana," said Lonergan, the owner of LeSueur Interiors. "I like that kind of character."

Lonergan quickly settled on a century-old Acadian bungalow, with an offer accepted before her husband, Tim, even set foot inside the home. Arriving from Tim's homeland of New Zealand, the Lonergans moved in with a few suitcases of clothes and books and their wedding presents. In the four years since, they've filled their home with thoughtful art, bargain antique finds and a mix of Southern touches and global inspiration - not to mention two new major additions, 2-year-old Julian and 4-month-old Margot.

To accommodate her growing family, Lonergan transformed the second bedroom from a home office into a nursery. She used kid-friendly materials around the house, such as durable seagrass rugs and Louis Ghost chairs for the dining room table, rather than upholstered seats. Despite the changes, her commitment to maintaining a design-forward home is evident in the nursery. Dramatic navy walls are balanced by pops of gold (including on the cradle), an antique Khotan rug and an exotic bamboo armoire.

"I didn't really want to have a room only suitable for a baby for 12 months, and then need a more big boy or big girl room and have to change things around," said Lonergan. "I wanted a room they could grow into. My philosophy on kids' spaces is to make them not be specific to age. I like kids' rooms to feel sophisticated and not too saccharine."

The wall color, Farrow & Ball's Black Blue, was inspired by a display wall at Boxwood Interiors.

"It just took my breath away, the depth and the quality of color. I loved it, but I thought 'Is it going to be goth?' "

Overwhelmed by the dark intensity, Lonergan tried a more traditional navy for two days before reverting to her initial choice.

"It's really cozy and it looks good with gold. It wouldn't have worked without an element of contrast, though. The seagrass carpet, the light drapes and the huge mirror lightens it up."

Over the crib, on the wall is a sculpture by Houston artist Tara Conley that Lonergan found at Laura Rathe Fine Art when she was ten weeks pregnant with her son. In gold script, it reads "I love you more than I know how to."

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Interior designer's family-friendly Heights bungalow has southern charm