Houzz Tour: Happy, Thrifty Family Home in France

Hege Morris knows that great style doesn't have to come from an expensive store in shiny chrome and genuine leather cushions. After budgeting for a new house in France, this native Norwegian knew she wouldn't be able to afford all the new, dream furniture she'd lusted after. But rather than resign herself to cookie-cutter style, she got creative, hunting for affordable (and often free) secondhand goods and reinventing them with fresh colors and innovative paint/dye treatments.

Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Hege Morris, husband Craig and son Magnus
Location: Angouleme, Charente, France
Size: 2,045 square feet; 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms

Photographer: Marcus Harvey

Morris has painted or altered just about everything in her house. "I really enjoy the process," she says. "It makes our house look more unique, too."

Morris reserved one of the bedrooms in the house for her office and craft space. An antique dresser, vintage table and DIY plywood shelving give it an industrial, utilitarian vibe.

Desk lamps: BUT; dresser, ladder, desk: vintage; curtains: Alinea; light: Ikea


Since the house has a very light color palette — mostly white or light beige — Morris punctuated each room with dark accents. Her office is mostly black and white — she even dipped this simple white rug into a black dye to help it stand out.


Other black and white elements — the Stendig calendar, Eames chair, painted tins and boxes and images ripped out from magazines — pull the room together.


Morris felt like her kitchen was too dark when she first moved in. Mixing in white elements and painting existing furniture white (like the back of the large gray dresser) changed the room's feel. The high ceiling and wooden beams add an old-world feel to her Ikea kitchen.

Countertop: Oak, Ikea; cabinetry, hood: Ikea; light fixtures, table: secondhand;


Morris purposefully chose furniture with a sense of history (including the dining table she drove an hour to pick up from an artist's studio) to add context to this space.


Playful paper mache letters became magnets with a quick squirt of hot glue. Morris bought the letter "M" too, so Magnus can practice spelling different words.

Calendar: Stendig, Zoma


Like the rest of her house, Morris's living room has a mix of styles, with a contemporary L-shaped couch, vintage coffee table and classic striped rug. She tries not to stick to one formula, instead choosing just what she likes. "I think a home takes time before it feels right," she says. "I don't believe in going out and buying everything you need in one go. It's more exciting to find things that are different from what everyone else has."

Sofa: BUT; coffee table: secondhand; rug: Alinea; curtains: Casa


Although Morris didn't want tiled floors at first, the material works well with the home's underfloor radiant heating. "After living in an old and very cold barn for a year, we wanted a warm house, so that was why we chose to listen to the plumber and electrician," Morris says. "It was a good idea, because our house is really nice and warm now." The simple white tiles are also a traditional material for the area, so it stays in line with the home's classic style.


On the other side of the living room, an antique rug and worn-in leather chair make a cozy reading nook. One wallpapered wall adds texture to the mostly white room. Morris painted a piece of plywood board in a geometric pattern for some simple DIY art in the corner.

Wallpaper: Castorama; chair, rug, side table: Antique


More wallpaper in the master bedroom ties the room to the living spaces downstairs. A secondhand headboard had a worn wood finish, so Morris gave it a shabby-chic paint treatment in white. The DIY console table is made from a halved dining table, screwed into the wall.

Morris found the tall floor lamp secondhand. After removing the faded pink fabric from the lampshade, she painted the frame gold.

Wallpaper: Castorama; bedframe: Ikea; headboard: vintage; bench: secondhand; rug: La Redoute; curtains: Casa; light: Leroy Merlin


Unlike the rest of the home, Morris's son Magnus's room glows with color. "I believe it's important for children to have lots of color around them," she says. The bright yellow rectangle on the wall adds an extra splash of bright color.

Bedding: La Redoute; shelves: BUT; pillows: Ferm Living, La Redoute; How Sweet to be a Cloud; name sign: Lets mots en laine; world poster: Tofufu studio


Morris moved Magnus's closet out of the room and into the master dressing room so he'd have extra space to play and store his toys.


Two playful restroom symbols in pretty florals greet guests on the bathroom door.

Male/female signs: Mooza Designs


Inside, a new clawfoot tub is the star of this small bathroom. Morris hung a simple piece of print art with washi tape for a modern accent.

Poster: One Must Dash; tub: New, from eBay; flooring: Vinyl, Castorama















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