My Houzz: Creative DIY Personalizes a 2-Bedroom Bungalow

Selena Urquhart's design philosophy is simple: "Start with comfortable, practical pieces and then add funky bits you love," she says. She applied this approach with her husband, Alun, when they rehabilitated a 1920s bungalow in the Vickery Place historical district of Dallas.

"It was a darling house with a new roof, but I was happy to see that it hadn't been updated," she says. "I wanted to try my hand at some DIY home improvement projects." After eight years of living in the house, Alun and Selena have given nearly every surface personalized touches; projects include a hand-stenciled wooden deck, a custom-made breakfast nook and painted built-in bookshelves.

Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Alun and Selena Urquhart and their corgi, Magnus
Size: 1,850 square feet; 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom
Location: Vickery Place historical district, Dallas

The couple removed a nonstructural wall that used to separate the kitchen and an unusable breakfast nook. Alun, the chef in the family, had some very particular requests for the space, like a way of keeping cooking smells confined to the area. "I wanted to be able to close off the kitchen to the rest of the house," he says. "Nobody likes a curry smelling up the rest of the house." The kitchen now has two doors leading to both the dining room and their home office that can be closed if needed.

To avoid an expensive renovation process, they did most of the work themselves and allowed the kitchen remodel to be a work in progress for many years. "I found the granite countertops secondhand, bought a stone saw to cut them down and installed them myself for less than laminate," Selena says.

Stove: Dual Fuel Legacy Aga; refrigerator: Liebherr; countertops: granite, Seconds & Surplus; cabinets: Ikea; lighting: Porter Pendant, Pottery Barn


"Since the kitchen is my husband's domain, the colors [red and white] are based on the colors of his hometown soccer team, Clydebank Football Club in Scotland," says Selena.

Selena built the banquette based on plans she found online. She then made the cushions, pillows and plaid Roman shade (another nod to her husband's Scottish heritage).

The table is a cast iron Singer sewing machine base (Singers were built in Scotland until World War II) topped with a piece of scrap marble Selena got from a friend.

Corgi poster: CafePress


A door covered in red chalkboard paint and Selena's own hand lettering leads to the coffee bar, an essential part of the couple's day. "I scribble on the door for holidays, greeting guests," Selena says. "I would be a sign painter in another life. I love fonts and hand lettering."

The black coffee bar was originally in Selena's grandfather's barn. With a depth of only 15 inches, it's a flexible piece. The Urquharts love to travel, and their many trips are depicted in the photos over the bar.

Frames: Nyttja, Ikea


Like many bungalows in the Vickery Place neighborhood, the house has beautiful built-ins, a brick hearth, original hardwood floors and trim detail throughout. Magnus often lounges in front of the fireplace. The chimney is not functional anymore, so Selena filled it with a cluster of glass jar candles from the dollar store.

Selena and Alun say they don't always see eye to eye on paint colors. "I like cool colors, like blue and purple, but Alun likes warm oranges and reds," Selena says. "My theory is that being from Texas, I'm drawn to cool colors to be soothed from the heat. But Alun is from Scotland's cool climate and wants the warm tones."

Paint: Wedgewood Gray, Benjamin Moore; sofa: Greenwich, Pottery Barn; slipper chair: Cost Plus World Market


Scottish architect, designer and artist Charles Rennie Mackintosh is a huge design influence for Selena. The metal artwork displayed on the mantel was an early welding project that Selena created based on a Mackintosh stained glass design.

"I love antiques, but I also love a clean line," she says. "I don't like clutter, but I like to collect, read, craft. So my style is an attempt to make those things work together."


When designing a space, Selena usually uses one key object as a jumping-off point. The living room started with a photo she took while visiting the Greek island of Santorini, where blue and white feature prominently. "The living room is a testament to my love of all things blue and white," she says.

Blue and white porcelain garden stools pair with cobalt glass accents around the room. The vintage sunburst clock belonged to Selena's grandmother, and the blue and white pillow cover was created by Fiona Douglas of Bluebellgray.

The metal shelving units are Selena's latest steal. She bought them from her neighbor, a vendor at First Monday Trade Days at Canton. "He was unloading them, and I asked how much he wanted to not transport them to Canton this week," she says. "I love shopping from my front yard."

Club chairs: Target





The Urquharts usually shop for home goods at flea markets, thrift stores and art festivals. Their favorites include the Deep Ellum Arts Festival and Lulu B's in Dallas. "Goodwill and City Square Thrift Store in Dallas are my favorite haunts for random china dessert plates," Selena says.

They acquired the oversize art nouveau poster in Prague, at the Alphonse Mucha Museum. "I bought $6 worth of wood at the lumber yard and built a frame for it," Selena says. The stained glass windows are original to the home.

The buffet and matching hutch are the first two pieces Selena bought right out of college. She took a second job just to make the purchase.

Dining set: Rooms to Go; paint: Garden Wall, Behr


Alun's favorite place in the house is the home office, which is just off the kitchen. "When we were looking at the house for the first time, I saw this room with eight big windows and said, 'Mine,'" he says.

Selena created the storage ottoman using an existing footlocker, some foam and upholstery-weight fabric.

Paint: Jalapeño, Behr, desk, files: Bedford, Pottery Barn


Alun displays a collection of Scotch on the top left shelf. The back of the bookcase is painted in Prickly Pear by Behr.

When it comes to making design decisions together, Selena says compromise is key. "When Alun has an opinion, I take it seriously. He has really good ideas. I love the orange color he settled on for the office."


During the spring and fall, Selena's favorite place to be is on the back deck. "It's the perfect spot for coffee with the husband on weekend mornings," she says.

She painted a faux rug on the wood deck using a handmade stencil. She left the finished design unsealed so that it would chip, for a distressed look. Selena built the purple bench using two broken Adirondack chairs.


The jumping-off point for the guest room decor was the floral duvet cover. Lavender walls, well-loved antiques and family heirlooms create a calm vibe. Selena found the wingback chair for free, and the cream-colored dressers are from a local garage sale. As for the feminine color, Selena says, "So long as I'm not proposing the colors of an opposing football [soccer] team, Alun usually gives me free rein."

Duvet: Pottery Barn; iron bed, rug: Overstock.com; purple textile over chair: Cost Plus World Market


Selena's most recent DIY project is this serving tray, which she lined with pennies in an ombré pattern, starting with the shiniest pennies on one side and moving to the dingiest pennies on the other.


The lavender walls continue in the home's only bathroom, which the Urquharts completely remodeled. They tore out three different shades of pink tile and replaced it with white wainscoting and era-appropriate black and white tile floors. Selena, who tiled the floors herself, says, "This was my first attempt at tile work, but you never know what you can do until you try."

Paint: Thyme Flower, Martha Stewart Living


Selena transformed a basic glass cabinet using gift wrap secured with tape. "The clear glass was just sharing a bit too much," she says. "Shaving cream cans, ibuprofen bottles and spare rolls of toilet paper are just not that pretty. I change out the paper pattern when the mood suits."

The art piece is a hand-painted wedding invitation from a friend. The quote is from Shakespeare's Henry VI, Part 3: "Now join your hands, and with your hands your hearts."

Cabinet: Target; wrapping paper: The Container Store


The exterior has traditional brick base pillars, a gabled roof and a spacious front porch. "Since we only have one car, we were glad to find a home within a mile of Dallas Area Rapid Transit," Selena says. "We also love being walking distance from some of Dallas' best restaurants and biking distance of White Rock Lake."

Exterior paint: Sierra Madre and Eagle Ridge, Sherwin-Williams; trim: Long John Red, Ralph Lauren


A porch swing and two bright yellow retro chairs surround a wood pedestal table, which Selena rubbed with cedar oil to keep the Texas mosquitoes at bay.

Selena hand stenciled the tabletop. To create the stencil pattern, she printed the stencil image on paper, slid the paper into a clear plastic report cover and then, using an X-acto knife, traced the lines of the stencil and cut the plastic into the desired shape. Instead of paying $30 for a designer stencil, she's out only 99 cents for the cover.

Chairs: Snyder Used Furniture, Dallas; outdoor pillows: Home Depot


Selena enjoys her morning cup of coffee while Alun works behind her in the office.

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