Step Into the Charming Guesthouse This Designer Calls ‘The Bungalow’

Owner: Ginger Curtis, owner and principal designer of Urbanology Designs

Location: North Richland Hills, Texas

Size: Nicknamed “The Bungalow,” the 100-square-foot space is an ADU (accessory dwelling unit) that is situated about twenty feet from the main house and was previously an old garden shed. After renovation, the space became “a retreat space,” says Curtis, who uses the space for “enjoying a glass of wine after work, playing chess on the weekend with the kids, hosting a girls’ night, or even a special hangout spot for a cousin/friends sleepover.”

“[As a birthday present], my husband did all the renovation work on the garden shed to turn it into a bungalow,” Curtis tells us. “[The main house] is in a great school district, and [it’s] very spacious.”

Style

Curtis describes this charmingly small space as “relaxed modern,” with the intention of an “elevated design that feels approachable.”

With a sitting area and a dining area on the ground floor, the bungalow also features two lofts—one of which holds a queen-sized bed. While The Bungalow doesn't have the amenities required to make it a true tiny home, the design of the space serves as perfect small-scale inspiration.

“It’s perfect, I’m in love!” Curtis adds.

The Bungalow features European white oak floors throughout. “I wanted to bring an organic warmth that elevated the space,” explains Curtis. “European white oak floors were the perfect choice.”

Extra-Sweet Outdoor Access

Though The Bungalow primarily functions as a guest room, its access to the larger yard is an added bonus. “One year for Mother’s Day, Eric, my husband, built me a beautiful planter box to plant strawberries and an herb garden,” says Curtis.

Dual Spaces

The Bungalow boasts two separate lofts. “One is a reading/sleeping loft, the other is a chess nook,” explains Curtis. “The ladder that you see on the chess loft side is built to be moveable and secured to each side. This was a great way for us to save space.”

Room With a View 

Upstairs in the chess loft has the best view in the bungalow, notes Curtis: “It overlooks the garden and the pool.”

The chess loft, which is situated across from the sleeping loft, was created with one purpose in mind. “My husband diligently taught all of our kids to play chess and they love it. I wanted a cozy spot with a view where they could play chess for hours,” Curtis says.

Plenty of Natural Light 

“The Bungalow has a few small windows,” Curtis says. “It really brightened it up when we added a giant one in the loft and also glass French doors to let the natural light flood in.”

A Meaningful Dining Nook

Behind the dining table, Curtis has hung a gallery wall. But there are a few items in the arrangement that are particularly near and dear to her heart: her grandfather’s watercolor paintings. 

“All the landscape artwork is from my grandfather,” Curtis says. “He started painting at 70 years old and painted them throughout my childhood. I remember walking into the little space he carved out for himself to house all his supplies and seeing tin cans filled with speckled paintbrushes of every color and size. His paint palettes were art all by themselves. His favorite spot to paint was the living room bay window in the morning sun. This was quite the magical site for a 9-year-old girl with an innate but undiscovered creativity.

“After my Grandpa passed away, my mom began to send me boxes of his original artwork. Every time I opened a new one it was like exploring a treasure chest for the first time. I'll never forget the time I opened a box and found a landscape painting personally addressed to me on the matting. My eyes welled up with tears to know my Grandpa was thinking of me when he painted that, knowing it would be given to me one day when I could appreciate it,” Curtis says.

Along with the stunning painting, the dining nook features a few other pieces of note. “The clay vessels perched on the back ledge/table and in the window were all special gifts from my beloved team members, aka my other family,” Curtis says.