My Houzz: A Handcrafted Bohemian Homestead in Texas

Artist, biologist and plant ecologist Mary Phillips calls her Texas homestead a “7-acre experiment in sustainability and creativity.” She and her husband, Eddie, who is also an artist, have made it their life’s work to create an environment for extraordinary creativity by repurposing, reenvisioning and retooling their house.

The couple took recycling to a new level when they built their home, piecing together a derelict house, a lakeside cabin and a Wienerschnitzel fast-food restaurant — all of which were trucked from their original locations to the homestead. The Phillips family members also grow their own food, raise chickens and work from home in their welding and sculpture studio.

The homestead has grown from a single-family operation to an artist’s co-op. “When we realized we had enough space to host more than just our own Guard’n Gallery,’” Mary says, “we housed the whole shebang under the umbrella of Guard’n Planet and opened ourselves to the idea of adding more artisans to the mix.”

Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Eddie and Mary Phillips; their children, Soren (age 18) and Sally (15); their dogs, Milo and Henry; Trent the cat; a goat named Mama; and an assortment of chickens and other fowl
Size: 2,000 square feet (185 square meters); 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2 studio spaces
Location: Near Mansfield, Texas

The first house to anchor the homestead was moved in its entirety on skids and transported by truck. The couple has since moved five other structures to the property: two to complete the main house and two freestanding homes that have been transformed into art studios.

There was no existing garden, so the couple began by creating a front porch and a stone path. A cabin, found at Lake Whitney, was then added to the left of the house, and the Wienerschnitzel structure, purchased from Hester House Movers, was added to the right.


AFTER: A whimsical bottle tree oversees the entrance to the main house. The couple’s welding and sculpture studio, called Forgotten Works, is named after the fictional place in Richard Brautigan’s novella In Watermelon Sugar. Last year two artists joined the co-op. Dave Goodwin of Green Doors Studio leased Eddie’s old welding shop for his photography business, and Mike Hoelcher joined Guard’n Planet by setting up a beekeeping operation.


A cobalt blue sculpture, titled Jazz, greets visitors as they ascend the porch steps. The blue and red color scheme is repeated throughout the home’s exterior. Eddie’s metal sculptures are peppered all over the grounds.


The back patio was created with stone and brick laid out in a mosaic style. This area is set up for large gatherings and includes a stage for live music, a fire pit, overhead lights and a view of the garden. On the other side of the patio, the couple built a greenhouse and toolshed equipped with rain barrels to water and care for the herb garden beyond.

Eddie’s family has lived on this property for several generations. The family connection goes so far back that the closest road bears his family name.


The couple created this oversize kaleidoscope for their back deck. It stands 4 feet tall and has a commanding view of the herb garden. The meandering gardens transition from one section to another in an organic fashion, rather than adhering to fence lines or rows.

“For me stewardship begins with keen observation and curiosity,” says Mary. “I can happily spend hours in one area of the garden, closely examining each insect, poking my fingers in the dirt and studying the weeds and wildflowers.”

She continues, “The more intimate I become with our land, the better I am at understanding it: knowing what willingly works well with it — and on it — and what is most likely to flourish with the least impact and smallest amount of resource consumption. These are the things that I can then bring to my community. They become my contribution to the whole.”



Eddie created these steel ring trellises in the side garden. Mirrors hang like windows on the exterior walls of the house, creating a greater sense of space and perspective.


A handcrafted garden gate oversees the family’s herb garden. “I am careful to honor the space,” says Mary. “Is it sunny? Will there be wind exposure? Does the soil drain well? Will frost and freeze affect the location? The first step in planning is to be sure that the plants selected for each area will be likely to survive in these spaces. Beyond that I have simply worked in zones — starting right outside the doors and slowly expanding to areas further from the house.”

Within each zone the garden beds are pretty informal, natural and unfettered.



A driveway leads to the main house and encircles one of Eddie’s many iron bottle trees on the property. This massive sculpture is one of the first art objects to greet visitors coming up the dirt drive.

A large chicken coop is situated at the end of the drive. As the gardens progressed, hungry grasshoppers took a toll on the plants. “We didn’t want to use chemicals,” Mary says, “so predatory birds seemed like the best idea. What can be better than turning grasshoppers into eggs?”


The couple first bought chickens in the spring of 2009. Rhode Island Reds and Araucanas are hardy chicken breeds that the couple has found to be good layers. Mary admits that she is far from an expert on raising hens. “Anytime we need to know something about chicken keeping, I Google it or look on BackYard Chickens,” she says. “We like to farm via the Internet.”


A field of native Texas wildflowers sits opposite the herb garden. Mary is currently attempting to propagate persimmon trees in this area. Her undergraduate degree was in biology, and her graduate work was in plant population ecology. Her main focus was on the preservation of the genetic diversity of food crops.

“This course of study exposed me to the works of Wendell Berry, who was probably the first inspirational writer-advocate for rural life and culture, small-scale agriculture and a ‘livelihood of meaning and purpose’ that really lit a fire in me,” she says.


The kitchen lies at the center of the main house. The pine floors were once library bookshelves. The cabinets are original to the house. A small baker's rack stands at the center of the space, but the couple has plans to build a proper island.


Since the old house lacked a pantry, Eddie transformed an antique armoire into food storage with sliding shelves and interior lighting. A pot rack mounted in the far-right corner keeps cookware handy and saves valuable cupboard space.

Doors to the left lead to the Wienerschnitzel addition. That space currently serves as son Soren’s bedroom but will soon become Mary’s glass studio.


The couple showcases their artwork all over the house, just as they do in the gardens. This totem was created by Mary using an empty Altoids tin.

“Art is about applying creative solutions to challenges,” Mary says. “The challenge may be to create visual interest in a courtyard that is otherwise void, or it may be to build a functional space using the least financial investment possible. Or perhaps the task is to inspire others to spend more time connecting to nature, to build something beautiful that will draw them into their homes and gardens.”


The dining room is an eclectic mix of books, art and furniture. Eddie built the dining table using reclaimed wood and two large bisected pipes. Most of the chairs in the house are secondhand and came either from friends or consignment and thrift stores.


A gallery wall, showcasing Mary’s paintings, is the first thing guests see upon entering the house. The dining room is open to the kitchen, a small media den and a hallway leading to the bedrooms.


Mary, who admits to painting and tiling anything that will stand still, created a mosaic leaf pattern on the floor of the hall bathroom. An antique dresser was gutted and transformed into a vanity for the bathroom sink.


A dark and cozy den provides yet another opportunity to showcase art created by the couple and friends of Guard’n Planet.

Sofas: leather, Ikea


The master bedroom boasts a wood-burning stove, which Mary surrounded with mosaic tiles.


Mary covered most of the master bathroom in art. An enormous china hutch has been transformed into the sink vanity, providing ample storage. The mosaic floors, walls and window create a swirling oceanic effect around the claw-foot tub.


A recycled door has been given a new life in the bathroom; it’s decorated with ironwork and painted scenes, landscapes and birds.


Mary and Eddie enjoy some twilight hours in their garden. “Biology taught me that everything on earth has a pattern to it,” she says. “Layers and layers of beautiful patterns that magically marry the organic to the geometric.”

My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.

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