Tour a Memphis Home Where Even the Kids' Bedrooms Are Sophisticated

Leslie Murphy — owner and creative director of Memphis-based Murphy Maude Interiors — knew she’d have to bring her "A" game when she undertook this project in Germantown, Tennessee. “My clients are a lovely family who are third-generation home builders in the Memphis area,” she explains. With their background in development and construction, they had a very particular set of design expectations.

“They have two young children — a boy and a girl — so they were looking to create a comfortable space that could not only accommodate the needs of their growing family, but also allow for entertaining on occasion,” Leslie adds. “The other important (perhaps actually the most important) factor was fostering a connection to the outdoors. The home is set on a rural property and serves as their retreat from city living.” With a combination of bold tones, functional-yet-stylish neutral furnishings and well-chosen accessories, she conjured a fashionable and adaptable home away from home. Follow along as we break down the moves that helped her strike that balance.

Leslie’s team created 15-foot drapes for the wall of windows in this space, then pushed them wide open. “Those big windows are just divine and we wanted this great room to feel just that — great, grand and open,” she says.

When it came to the furniture before those windows, “we wanted to capture the way this family lives,” Leslie continues. “First and foremost, our goal was for the space to be functional for their daily lives, but still stylish. With this in mind, we opted for custom pieces that were designed specifically to their needs with the coffee and side tables [integrated with] the modular sectional sofa."

The handsome material Leslie selected for the hearth didn’t have to travel too far to become part of this Tennessee hearth. “We chose Indiana Buff limestone for the great room as we were very inspired by the natural surroundings of this home,” she says. “Limestone is a natural-toned material with muted flecks and slight movement at the surface, so we thought it added just the right amount of artful touches and ornamentation to this room.”

Leslie is passionate about collaborating with local makers, and she turned to Dan Schroeppel of 38 Woodwork in Memphis to create this one-of-a-kind dining table with reclaimed wood, epoxy and metal. The delicate pendants, in turn, are her own custom design (crafted by Hammerton Lighting). “I’m a big fan of dramatic accent lighting,” she says. “When done right, it can really serve as a centerpiece to your room and change the entire mood of a space.”

The Cambria quartz Leslie chose for the kitchen’s counters is so nice she decided to use it twice. “We took it all the way up to the ceiling for a cohesive look that ties the room together,” she explains. To capture that look of elemental luxury, “I’d say don’t be afraid to get creative and try to think of unique ways to use materials — whether for their intended purpose or not.” The kitchen cabinets, in turn, are Sherwin-Williams’ Mindful Gray.

Given how handsomely all that Cambria quartz frames the stove area, this kitchen doesn’t need much in the way of embellishment. Leslie leaned a simple framed sketch against the wall, then placed a casual arrangement of flowering branches in a sleek glass vase beside it.

Pulling together a pro-level assortment of items like the one on this console table is easier than it may seem. “In my opinion, tablescapes are meant to be a fun, creative outlet,” Leslie says. “It’s a chance to showcase objects that speak to you or are special and unique in some way. My best advice is to try to loosely stick to a general color scheme, but have fun with materials. Try the unexpected and try to add some whimsy through textures or colors.”

Your picks don’t need to be big-ticket objets. “I also find you can never go wrong with plants,” Leslie adds. “Keep it simple with greenery or branches from your own yard or neighborhood in a pinch!”

With sweet feather wallpaper and shibori-inspired bedding from Murphy Maude’s custom Mable Originals line of art, wallpaper and fabrics, this bedroom is both style-conscious and perfect for a young girl. Its furniture and window treatment will also be perfect as the occupant ages. When creating a kid’s space that’s congruent with a home’s overall look, “you’ll want to keep the needs of the child at the forefront of the design,” Leslie says. “What’s important to understand, however, is those needs will change as children grow, and they’ll change fast.”

So, how do you navigate those shifts without extreme makeovers? “My best advice is to pick furniture that will last for at least five years so you get a little longevity out of it. I’d also try to stay away from themes: a light touch or smaller themed piece here and there goes a long way, but designing a whole room around your five-year-old’s love of unicorns might not be the best idea.”

This dreamy oversized photo was a natural choice for this space: “The family’s daughter loves to ride horses, so we thought this was appropriate,” Leslie says. The beaded pendant, elegant mirror and textural desk chair she added to the arrangement add layers to its femininity and share a delicate ivory tone.

In her clients’ young son’s room, Leslie used all-ages pieces and treatments to create a fanciful space. “This floor to ceiling wall-mounted headboard design was such a fun project,” she says. “It’s truly a showstopper in this precious little boy’s room. He’s younger and this design provides the perfect spot for him to play, create, dream and relax.” Geometric textiles and a wall-spanning world map feel both polished and playful.

The pairs of sculptural table lamps and bright, textural nightstands Leslie used to flank the bed and wall treatment would look right at home in an adult’s bedroom; topped with a bedtime story and a T. rex, they’re just right for a little one. The matching-nightstand provides lots of room to tuck away toys when it’s time to turn in.

Leslie used a sun-loving shade of blue paint (Sherwin-Williams’s Moody Blue) to accentuate details on these cabinets in the kids’ bathroom, then finished them off with lovely glass knobs. That trio of farm-dwellers beside the mirror? An in-house project, if you will. “The animal portraits were done by the daughter’s grandmother,” Leslie says. “The family is super talented.”

Leslie’s team collaborated with Rosalie Grubb, an artist from Charlotte, North Carolina, to create a fabulous children’s decor collection (presented through Mable Originals) featuring these huggable monsters. These charming pillows breathe life into these bunks, and they’re easy to swap out for new patterns as the sleepers who snuggle in them get older. The bunks themselves are a deep, cozy neutral — Benjamin Moore’s Kendall Charcoal — that pairs well with the bedding and contrasts beautifully with the paler walls.

While it’s tempting to audition an ultra-deep tone like the one enveloping this bedroom with a single feature wall, take a cue from Leslie’s gorgeous work in the main bedroom and take a proper plunge. “This was such a risk that our clients allowed us to take and I think it really paid off. When looking to try out a darker color scheme, I encourage clients to go all in and don’t be afraid,” she says. “We used Benjamin Moore’s Soot here and paired it against a sophisticated, neutral palette with warm accents and an interesting wood detail on the ceiling. I find the neutrals pop much more against a dramatic, moody paint color and keep the design feeling very clean and contemporary.”

This sunny sitting area functions as a stylish geometry lesson. Leslie paired squared-off pieces upholstered in a greyscale patterned fabric with an organic wood end table that boasts a graceful, swooping interior. She also topped that table with a trio of books in tones that match the chairs. A modern vase arranged with vivid clippings adds a bit of movement and completes the scene.

The nubbly, diamond-patterned chenille Leslie used twice on the bed is a favorite. “I love the multi-dimensional look of this fabric pattern,” she says. “It’s called Ganado from Romo Fabrics and it’s a modern twist on a traditional Navajo pattern. It adds such an interesting element and sense of depth to the room.”

Swapped in for a paler pillow, this striking symmetrical bolster makes an already-lovely arrangement of bed linens look downright spectacular. It’s a custom piece based on “Navigating the Labyrinth,” an artwork created for Mable Originals, and it’s an excellent illustration of the idea that textile arrangements deserve major style moments of their own.

No matter what tones and textures one deploys in a room of this scale, there’s no getting around the fact that it’s big — and would swallow a low-slung bed whole. Leslie used a strong, sculptural canopy to create a space within the space, then softened that sleeping area with an upholstered velvet headboard in pale orchid pink.

The primary bath is one of Leslie’s favorite design moments in the project. “Between the marble floors, chandelier and elegant tub, it’s such a sophisticated, dark and sultry space. I’m so glad our clients trusted us to go bold here,” she says.

Matching the molding, window hardware and door to the walls emphasized the room’s immersive effect. “We’re really into a dark tone-on-tone look in a space right now,” Leslie explains. “We find it has such a dramatic impact and provides a moodier aesthetic to a room by making the textiles and accessories pop.”