The Leftovers

Where most saw castoffs and clutter, designers Leanne Ford and Grace Mitchell envisioned the beginnings of a one-of-a-kind farmhouse.

- Meghan Shouse

WHEN GRACE MITCHELL AND Leanne Ford were presented with the opportunity to take ownership of an 1880s farmhouse—for free—it seemed too good to pass up. The structure was dilapidated, but that's not something either designer hadn't taken on in the past. That said, there was a catch: The friends (and sometimes coworkers) would have to move the home from one side of Round Top, Texas, to the other, where their shared vacation property is located. There, once updated, it would serve as a rental home.

It would be costly to move and restore the house, but reasoning that 145-year-old wood was worth more than the cost of uprooting it, the duo committed to the expense and sent it down the highway on a trailer. “We could see hundred-dollar bills floating out the window,” Mitchell jokes.

GUEST BATH