If one were to imagine the home of an influencer who built her brand (and livelihood) on the title Happily Grey, they might summon up a dark, shiny interior, complete with thunderstorm-inspired hues and hard, cold polished surfaces. But Mary Lawless Lee’s Green Hills home is just the opposite.
Jessica Steddom
In fact there’s very little grey to be found in Lee’s home—which she shares with her husband of nearly two years Madison, Great Danes Ali and Miles, and their newest tenant, baby daughter Navy James. Instead, the 3,900-square-foot modern home is filled with welcoming warm, tones, tangible textures, and oodles of natural light.
“I wanted it to feel contemporary but also really warm, so we have a lot of camels and tans and warmer elements,” says Lee. “April Tomlin is the designer that helped me with this space, and I told her from the beginning I wanted a lot of texture. I want it to feel rich but clean, so that's why we mixed the lighter tan colors [luxe fabrics like] leather.”
The living room, with its sunken sofas (perfect for tucking in by the fireplace—or on which to sit while watching the TV that hangs above the fireplace), is a perfect entree into the space, setting a tone for the next warm and inviting rooms to come.
“I love these couches how they're cut out in the center, so they're so comfortable but their interesting with the cut out.”
Three leather tasseled chandeliers hang above the space in varying heights, creating a focal point for the room. The pieces, sold separately, create an art-like installation that feels like it was always meant to be displayed that way. It also gives the room an additional layer of texture. (The light fixtures in the room are some of the very few in the home not by Lee’s lighting partner Hudson Valley.)
“They’re from CB2. They're sold in singles and we ordered three and hung them this way to make them look a little bit more interesting,” says Lee as she plays with some of the lower hanging tassels. “They just fit in really well and bring in another element to kind of tie everything together.”
Jessica Steddom
Adjacent to the living room is an open kitchen, not too big or ornate, but grand in its outfitting. From pegboards holding pots and pans, to a wooden spice rack above the stove, each detail has been perfectly planned to maximize space and aesthetic.
“My husband’s like, ‘Great, two things in the house that are actually functional,’” she laughs.
The house, ironically enough, was almost not Lee’s home. The original site was a few lots down. Ten months into the project Lee and her builder, Jamie Duncan of Build Nashville, were having wine and going over plans. Duncan shared that she’d gotten approval to build on another lot down the street.
“She said, ‘After learning about your style and your needs, I think it’s actually a bigger fit for you guys.’ I thought she was joking. But I came home that night and Mad and I looked over the plans and the next morning we called her and said, ‘OK, let’s switch,’ and we bought the house.” [Duncan and her partner Shaun moved into the other home.]
From the outside in, it’s clear this modern oasis was meant to be Lee’s.
The home is filled with pieces that provide personal touches, from art that elicits memories from the couple’s life and travels together, to hidden Easter eggs that nod toward Lee’s personal philosophies and background.
A piece by Italian street artist Blub hangs in the dining room—blue and abstract in stark contrast to the room’s warm and familiar aesthetic. The piece is a memento from the Lees’ trip to Florence, a key point in their relationship.
“It's one of our favorite pieces, it reminds us of that trip,” she smiles.
In both the downstairs master and the upstairs guest master, platform beds dominate the space. A bold choice in one room, let alone two.
“We don’t normally do platform beds,” she says as she stands in her master. “This was definitely the first.”
Jessica Steddom
For Lee, a low bed was a must in this room, thanks to the statement piece behind it: Spanning from floor to ceiling is a custom wood wall.
“The wall needed something to kind of make it more interesting, so we had a guy come and hand-cut all of these pieces. They make the room so much warmer.”
The low bed allows the wall to be seen in all its glory and creates a rich mix of texture.
“I love the wood and leather mix.”
The downstairs master bathroom is a welcome retreat for the busy couple, with an enormous steam shower for him, and a decadent soaking tub for her.
Upstairs, the second master boasts a tapestry by Dallas artist Lauren Williams placed between two industrial pendant lights, another platform bed and a hammock. Yes, a hammock.
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Jessica Steddom
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Jessica Steddom
The space, filled with more natural light and a warm, neutral color palette, serves as a crash pad for the new parents, thanks to its location next to the nursery. The ensuite sleek-without-being-standoffish black-tiled bathroom, with its enormous shower that fits even Miles and Allie, doesn’t hurt either.
“I wanted a black bathroom, and this tile is Ann Sacks, she’s a really cool designer. And the faucets are from a collection [fashion designer] Jason Wu did with Brizo. It’s all rose gold in here,” she says. “And we added the two skylights in here to give it a bit more light.”
The nursery was a literal labor of love for Lee, who painstakingly designed each square foot of it. Above the crib hangs a wooden mobile, descending from the ceiling on invisible strings. It’s a special piece that Lee conceptualized.
“I wanted a custom mobile that felt a little bit more artistic, so I made this with the wood maker. I told him exactly what I wanted, the shapes and the height. I wanted something that felt a little bit old school. Now that [baby Navy] is starting to see further depths she can see it and she’s mesmerized by it.”
Jessica Steddom
The space—crafted in soft white and off-white shades contrasted by rust-colored accents and rattan furnishings—is sunny and bright.
“What I love about this room, and why we specifically chose it for the nursery, is because in the afternoon it gets really beautiful light,” she says.
A portrait wall filled with art (by longtime partner Minted) includes symbolic pieces and sayings that inspire Lee—and which she hopes will inspire her daughter. Hanging by the front door is a wire sign, crafted to read “greatness is out there.” It’s a sentiment Lee hopes Navy will take with her through life.
Only a few spaces in the home use color as a focal point. One is the music room, with its inky green walls. What could easily be a dark den of a room, is brought to life with natural light by way of a glass garage door that opens to the front yard.
“It’s my favorite room in the house,” says Lee. “That's kind of a special room. Mad and I will go in there, turn the record player on, have a drink, and just chill and talk. Or if we have another couple that comes over, that's where we hang. We don’t go in there as often, so it feels special.”
Jessica Steddom
The stairwell is the home’s most lavish and eye-catching bit of color: a wall papered entirely in Life magazines from years gone by. Though their covers—featuring the faces of Hollywood’s early stars, world leaders, and more—are black and white, the magazine’s familiar red masthead creates a stunning contrast.
“I give April full credit for this,” says Lee. “The walls here are like 35 feet and we were trying to figure out what to do with this space. I told April, ‘I want to do something really artistic that spans through decades of time.’ She thought of this and showed it to me and I loved it.”
Finding the covers was the easy part—they were all sourced on ebay, but the installation took some doing.
“We had an art installer hang it. He really took into consideration the composition. We varied [the covers] so that nothing was repetitive, and it was collaged really well. It took two eight-hour days to get it up. And we used the entire magazines, because I wanted there to be texture. It’s one of my favorite places in the house.”