Step Inside: Ashley’s Colorful & Gracious Historic Home

How would you describe your aesthetic/style?  Well this is a loaded question. I love color first and foremost. If I had to pinpoint a style, I would describe it as boho chic meets palm beach prep, mixed with my grandmother’s antiques, vintage thrift store finds,and then throw in traditional southern monograms (in every room, I can’t help it!) I love the look of modern mixed with vintage…like the acrylic accent stools in my formal living room paired with all the antiques.

What do you think your home says about you? It completely matches my style…it even matches my wardrobe! You will never catch me wearing black, just not my thing. My favorite stores are Lilly Pulitzer and Anthropologie.  Colorful stores…just like my house! Thankfully, I have a husband who lets me get away with it.

What do you splurge on in your home? Where do you like to save? I splurged on 9×12 rugs and custom window treatments. It pains me to splurge, because I’m such a bargain hunter, but I had to do it. My interior designer cousin told me her biggest pet peeve is store bought curtains, so I listened to her. I saved with a few knock off chandeliers/light fixtures, some thrift store furniture finds and of course accessories and lamps. I love to find a copycat bargain and will hunt down a sale like nobody’s business. I’ve really had to restrain myself from buying things just because they are “on sale”. The key question I remind myself is “would I buy this if it wasn’t on sale?” I do also think it’s important to balance the room with some expensive pieces, so then no one will notice the knock offs! Like wearing designer jeans with an H&M top. I also saved BIG on furniture by inheriting antiques from my late grandmother. I painted some of her pieces (not the valuable ones) to bring them back to life and make them more current…my formal dining room chairs for example. They used to be blonde wood with royal blue striped cushions and now they are painted gray and reupholstered with hot pink Chanel tweed fabric. I’m not afraid to put a little sweat equity into a project to save some money and make it my own!

You are so resourceful at finding good deals. Can you share some of your tips?  Well I love to shop and I have the patience to dig through discount stores and thrift stores in search of a bargain. I also follow a lot of designers on social media to get ideas, and then when I see something I like, I try to copy it on a budget.

When do you think it is important not to cut corners?  On furniture that will get a lot of use and abuse…like in the family room and dining room, bedroom dressers, kids furniture, etc. Good quality furniture will last much longer than look-a-like cheaper options. Confession: I broke this rule with my 2 pink linen settees in the formal living room (thinking they wouldn’t get much use), but now I’m always paranoid that a leg is going to break every time a man sits in one! They were a bargain find on Gilt.

You have a knack for repurposing pieces in your home. Can you share an example? Half of my house is repurposed painted furniture, so the list is lengthy! My favorite transformation is probably the green console table in my foyer. I painted it a lacquered kelly green, switched the hardware to brass and then lined the drawers inside and out with super fun contact paper. In its former life, it was a boring bedroom dresser that I found at a thrift store for $75 (with a white marble top, so I knew it had potential). Another good example: the acrylic piano bench and 2 acrylic stools in front of the fire place in my formal living room. I found them at Tuesday Morning on sale and just paid to have them reupholstered in matching greek key fabric, to better compliment my décor- giving it a custom modern look.

What are some of your favorite places to shop for your home? Homegoods, World Market, Land of Nod (for kids’ furniture), PB Kids/Teen (for kids bedding, valances & rugs), Anthropologie, Serena & Lily, TJMaxx, Tuesday Morning, and I love Etsy for artwork in the kids’ spaces.

Whose home or design aesthetic do you admire? Why? This designer out of GA who I have never met, she has a blog called Addison’s Wonderland. She also has a love affair with color, like me.

What is your advice to others who feel scared to experiment with color? I try to keep some consistent neutral colors (gray tones and creams) to ground the room, and then I make sure to incorporate some nicer pieces, so it doesn’t end up looking childish.

What are your “musts” around a family-friendly space? My big “must” when we were house hunting was a dedicated playroom space that was in close proximity to the main living area. Luckily, I found just that! I don’t mind the playroom being messy, just as long as the other areas of the house are picked up.