By Rachael Lindley
Photography by Thanin Viriyaki
When Susan and Lee Tyner moved into their 1919 Cottage-Craftsman in 2023, they didn’t just plan a renovation — they planned a revival. With the help of designer Lisa Teakell of Lisa Teakell Interior Design, the couple transformed a well-worn historic home into a warm, welcoming space that celebrates both hospitality and the importance of community, making it an ideal stop on the Candlelight Christmas in Ryan Place home tour.
A Storied History to a Charmed Present
The home originally belonged to Peter Kinchen (P.K.) Thompson and his wife, Mary Lee Hornbuckle Thompson, who purchased the home for $16,500, which was four to five times the average price of a house in those days. The Great Depression brought hard times to the Thompson family when the bank foreclosed on the property in 1930, and Mary Lee died in 1931. P.K. remained in the home with their two adult daughters and took in boarders to generate income, ensuring the family could hold on to their beloved home.
Decades later, David and Carolyn Burros became devoted stewards, preserving original millwork, windows, and hardwood floors while updating essential systems. Their careful renovations honored the home’s historic character and prepared it for its next century of life.
The Tyners moved to Fort Worth from Mississippi and lived in the home’s basement during the year-long renovation, a true rarity in Texas. The result has been a return to the craftsman’s former glory while embracing the family’s collected yet refined style.
Teakell recognized the family’s need for hosting space and opened up the floor plan, adding a bar that anchors the main level and reimagining every room while honoring the original architecture. The home repurposed doors, light fixtures and even the bricks from a former gazebo to preserve the property’s spirit.
Susan’s style blends artwork from dear friends like Sidney Creekmore Crews with McCarty Pottery and dinnerware from Merigold, Mississippi. Teakell sources furniture and other finds herself, such as silk panels they framed and placed in her bedroom. The color palette features serene shades of blue and green, perfectly displayed in the home’s heart, its kitchen. The forest green zellige tile backsplash draws parallels to the property’s surrounding trees.
“The handmade Moroccan-style tile is known for its variation in color and texture. Each one is slightly different, so it’s not perfect, just present,” Teakell says.
The home boasts a formal dining table but also a second dining space adjacent to the living room in the form of a banquette table with custom cushions.
Holiday Hostess
The couple stays busy with five grown children, two new in-laws, and a steady stream of church and neighborhood guests, meaning they desperately needed a layout that could host the masses. But the family’s favorite time of year by far is Christmas.
For the Tyners, Christmas isn’t just a season; it’s a ritual of joy, hospitality, and memory-making. Their Ryan Place home glows with whimsical pops of candy-colored decor and lights, vintage finds and the kind of joyful holiday chaos found in large families.
“We’ve always had an open house kind of Christmas,” Susan says. “If there’s a family whose people aren’t together for the holidays, they come here. There’s always room at the table.”
That table, of course, is set with heirloom dishes from her mother and vintage ornaments collected from estate sales. Each place setting includes a small favor — a nod to Susan’s grandmother, who always made Christmas dinner feel magical.
One of the family’s longest-standing traditions is their Christmas Movie Marathon Day on December 23. It began when Susan’s five children were small and she was feeling overwhelmed. “I told Lee, ‘I just want one day to watch Christmas movies,’” she says. “He said, ‘Pick a day and we’ll say no to everything else.’”
Now, the day is sacred: everyone asks for their favorite snack, piles onto blankets in the basement den, and watches holiday films until midnight.
Christmas Eve brings a formal dinner — smoked turkey and dumplings, followed by her signature Bananas Foster, a showstopper that occasionally singes an eyebrow or two. “It’s not Christmas without a little fire,” she jokes.
By Christmas morning, stockings are stuffed, the house smells like pine, and Susan’s gift of Southern hospitality is on full display. “I like to make it feel a little magical,” she says. “Because that’s what I grew up with — the sense that something wonderful was happening right in your own living room.”
The Tyner family views their Ryan Place home as the ultimate act of hospitality. Their home stands as proof that with creativity, patience, and a great designer, old houses can be reborn with heart.