JOY COMES FIRST

When happiness gets prioritized above resale value, you decorate fearlessly. It's how one homeowner brought this charming San Antonio cottage back to life.

DINING ROOM

A floral motif in the archway acts as a transition from the living room to the dining area with its striking Manuel Canovas wallpaper. Dining table set and sideboard: family heirlooms. Chandelier: vintage.

A PERFECT HOME FOR HER MOTHER.

When interior designer Galeana Younger first encountered this 1929 cottage in San Antonio's historic Monte Vista neighborhood, its luster had faded, but she recognized the house still had plenty of potential to sparkle. She also knew that shining it up would be essential, because the space would soon be inhabited by an especially vibrant gem of a client: her 77-year-old mother.

The first decision the mother-daughter duo made was to transform the 1,666-square-foot house into a one bedroom with 1.5 bathrooms. It might not be the layout that holds the greatest appeal to future buyers, but Chica Younger, Galeana's mother, didn't care-she has no plans to ever move out.

"I won't have to worry about resale. I'll be dead," she says. "And I'm too old not to live how I want." "Her environment has always been important to her," the designer says of her mother, who loves to layer fascinating artwork, bold colors, and unique collections. So Galeana sought to imbue every aspect of this project with her mom's personality and taste. They dubbed the cottage Casita Chica: "A play on words-Spanish for 'little house' and my mom's nickname, Chica," the designer explains.