Ep. 193: Houston week designer Meg Lonergan

It’s the final day of Houston week, and we close it out with Meg Lonergan, Founder and Principal Designer of Meg Lonergan Interiors. Since founding her firm in 2009, Meg has become one of Houston’s most in-demand designers. She talks with us about mixing classic with contemporary, how to balance investing in nice pieces while still knowing that we change our tastes and minds over the years, and get a behind-the-scenes look from her work featured on HGTV and Southern Living. Meg also has some great ideas for helping children appreciate the finer things in their home while creating an environment that welcomes play and comfortability.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• Meg is originally from South Louisiana, but she has lived all over the world and this is a huge influence on her style and open mind when it comes to working with clients.
• Don’t let a bold sofa scare you! Meg shares some of her ideas for working with bright and vibrant colors.
• Meg’s own home is filled with funky patterns and textures, and she loves the surprise element of design.
• It’s okay for your house to evolve over the years. Try to plan ahead and stay flexible, but know that things such as toy storage are more temporary.
• The importance of teaching children to be around nice things, even if there is a major spill every now and then.
• How she incorporated color with the HGTV home.
• Why Meg believes designers should push their clients to think outside the box - if you aren’t a little scared every now and then your designer isn’t doing it right!
• Meg’s experience working with dark, moody colors for the bedroom.
• Ideas for mixing your taste with the design of the home, and what to do when they are vastly different.

Decorating Dilemma

Hello! Thank you for writing in. First, we would suggest painting your cabinets a cool color. We agree that it would make it feel charming and English! Meg thinks you should do an oval or round breakfast table, and lighting is very important. We aren’t feeling the dark grout. Next, check out Ballards Seagrass rug, and layer a small rug on top to maximize your space. Even though we mention off-center art, we wouldn’t do anything off-center for your built-in. It’s all about creating a warm ambiance here, and two cabinets painted white like the trim on the house with some pretty hardware could add a nice touch. For your entryway, a console table with lamps would be nice. Under the console table, you could put some storage cubes plus a mirror on the wall for a last-minute look as you head out. Warming up the kitchen will help balance the big navy blue sectional couch. We heard that you like Jonathan Adler, and adding a pop of saturated color even by adding pillows or art can add that special funky touch. You have your work cut out for you, but we believe in you and are glad you reached out!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Meg Lonergan

HGTV

Farrow & Ball - Studio Green

Southern Living

Suzanne Kasler

@meglonerganinteriors