Why revisit a home tour of an inspiring new-ish build in Winedale, near Round Top, Texas? This European country modern French Texas farmhouse never really leaves my mind. So much unforgettable goodness to admire about an effortless, authentic, natural, synthesis of Old World and modern. It’s an injustice to reduce the identity of something so thoughtfully created to a few descriptive words. Today’s media is saturated with short sound bites for wee attention spans. Timeless innovation from Eleanor Cummings follows.
Texas Modern French Farmhouse: Eleanor Commings
Photos: via Eleanor Cummings; Architecture: Murphy Mears; Source: MILIEU
Texas Modern French Farmhouse (But Not THAT Modern Farmhouse)
One of the elements catching my eye straight away was the fact the farmhouse was sited on a piece of land which looks very much like my own home in Northern Illinois.
No mountains or beautiful rocky coastline, yet a sense of spaciousness and big sky, held by expanses of blue and green.
The soft palette inside reflects faded, timeworn, sunbleached natural tones to which I am ever drawn. Wood tones are light and raw. Floors and accents are greyed. In spite of this being a new build, you can feel a passage of time and character.
Humble moments designed for rest, contemplation, quiet, and memory making are also present throughout.
It is as if the designer at the helm understands how much is just enough. Where the unnecessary would spoil the mix.
Texas Farmhouse Timeless Kitchen
Oh this Texas farmhouse kitchen! Where to even begin the accolades? It feels utterly comforting, collected, purposeful, and timeless. Even if the space would accommodate a larger island…why sacrifice years of intimacy, shoulder rubbing, and daily ease made possible with the selection here?
Also, I often hear complaints muttered about open shelving and the associated extra dusting required. But who could complain about the small collections of dishware and serveware here? It hardly seems overwhelming even if you were away for a week or two, to load the dishwasher or give them a bubble bath in the beautiful farm sink with bucolic view.
You get a sense of “enoughness” from these glimpses inside the rustically elegant country home. No fancy built-ins with bespoke cabinetry and fancy polished hardware for essentials.
It is all within hands reach, and quiet can live large and free here. If you live in a home with lots of clunky doors and hard surfaces, maybe you see what I’m getting at.
There are ways to design for calm that will reward your nervous system daily. I think it is why this house continues to be a touchstone for me. How do we create surroundings and retreats for our families that align with the emotional milieu we’re after?
Rustic Antiques in Modern Rooms
I’m ever intrigued by antique dining tables that are narrow as this orchard table is. Who decides the proper distance between friends and family who break bread?
Isn’t it a lovely thought that rather than modify an antique or reject its proportions, we could go with it? We could explore the possibility of loving how its scale may encourage connection and warmth?
I know not everyone finds it stimulating to think such deep thoughts about interiors. Especially in the world of design (if conversations with design-freaky folks is any indication). More often, I run into interest for discussions of provenance, preoccupation with rarity and value, and detached or arrogant stirrings about aesthetics and identity.
At this stage of my spirit’s journey, I’m curious about subtle energies flowing between objects, materials, art, collections, and inhabitants. I’m curious about synthesis and new energies created from an eclectic mix.
Just imagine the coolness of these concrete floors. I would draw so much comfort and peace sweeping such a smooth surface free of grout, grooves, and fuss.
I’m also smitten by the ceiling height and these lovely interior wood shutters, by the cremone bolts on French doors welcoming so much natural light.
Pared Down Decorations and Trims
We’re DIYers here, and when I direct my beloved to images like the one below and remark how much I love the absence of trim, the energy drains from him! So so so much extra finishing work and time to achieve this look successfully. But aren’t we inspired when a few souls choose to assume the expense and build these bespoke designs with authenticity?
Psst. The Texas farmhouse above is the designer’s own getaway, and she designs elegant spaces such as this unforgettable bedroom in 2020:
Personal Reflections Then (a year ago) and Now
2024: I know so little. Life around my village, my region, and the globe grow more and more complex. Even though I know we’re evolving as a species and nothing new is really new at all, it’s confusing and strange to be here.
2025: ditto
2024: Staying grounded in the present feels so countercultural, and some of us don’t see the fruit or encouragement to ground. I personally catch myself running from the “here” often in favor of my mind where new horizons blossom. Living in places of “someday” keeps me from embodied presence now.
2025: It has been a rough year, and I have grown more courageous about staying centered in the NOW. I’m still in a terrible flare of Lupus. t’s uncomfortable and yet I consider this practice an investment in my future. Someday is not promised. Only the present moment is.
2024: More embodied living looks like stepping away from screens. It’s why I pull weeds and meditate on trees and strike my piano’s black keys. It’s why I write music to express deep longings of my soul.
2025: I now consider these practices even more sacred and golden since I often don’t have the energy to lift my voice in song, and yard work is very difficult for me in my weakness at the moment.
Last summer found me reading lots of Thich Nhat Hanh who compares anger and rage to a crying infant relying on us to arrive with love and comfort. We prefer the more convenient response…repression or numbing the pain temporarily. Touching the hurt places with love and acceptance is what true healing looks like.
Spiritual Journeying
I still wrestle with ideas about joyful living and satisfaction. How do we define “satisfaction?” Does it begin with getting in touch with our core values? Why the restlessness even when we know in our minds that what the culture defines as “satisfying” is only a marketing ploy?
Right where I am, I am aching with new aches about what it means to need so much time for recovery. So conditioned to be productive and re-invent, as a creative person, it’s confusing to feel a shift into doing so much less.
How Much Solitude is Too Much?
As more of my friends have moved far away for work and retirement, I find myself longing for more community. It’s one thing to be famous on the internet (fine…Pinterest) and quite another to feel out of place in the sleepy town where you have lived for 26 years. Am I ready to retire? I am more likely to start a new career to join kindred spirits and enjoy less lonely golf widow days! Hahahaha. If you know of a creative opportunity where I might bring value, do get in touch.
I am as wobbly as I was a year ago when I shared reflections with this tour. Maybe more wobbly. Have you read my personal reflections lately? But things have a way of getting messy when we’re in these growth chapters, yes? I have survived others and braved my way to new shores.
Thanks for reading with such tender hearts.
Peace to you right where you are.
-michele
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