Story: Stephanie Maxwell Newton | Photography: Rett Peek |
Debi Davis strikes a balance between new and old, modern and rustic, and form and function in this home built for entertaining
“I’m never afraid to use the word ‘pretty.’ Pretty doesn’t mean something can’t be functional,” designer Debi Davis says. “A home can be beautiful and still be functional.” It was with this mindset that Debi approached the design of this family home in Rogers, a project where she deftly wove antiques and curated collections throughout the modern bones of a new-construction home.
The practical side of the design needed to take into account several factors: First, the couple has young children, pets, and an active lifestyle. Second, they have a penchant for entertaining. “We love our home best when it is full of friends or when kids’ shoes are piled at the bottom of the stairs, signaling that the upstairs is full of our children’s friends,” the homeowner says. “Our home is not a museum. Everything that we chose is just as comfortable and practical as it is beautiful.”
Debi started out with her signature airy neutral palette, weaving in glints of gold and rustic touches—like exposed wooden beams in the vaulted living room and a stacked-stone fireplace—to suit the homeowners’ style. “The colors we used in here are soft,” Debi says. “Her walls are Sherwin-Williams’ Repose Gray, so we did a ‘silver drop’ color on all her furniture—a very soft, soft gray—then all her curtains are a soft mineral color.”
Perhaps the most significant piece of this home’s design is in its combination of styles. “I’ve always loved mixing old and new pieces,” the homeowner says. “I think new homes especially need a little hint of the past to help them feel warm and cozy. My 240-year-old antique doors are my favorite—they were from a church in the Mediterranean,” she says of the doors to the study. “In the built-ins, we have family pictures, environmental and earthy items, and we have old objects,” Debi says. “It’s a very eclectic mix, so not everything is shiny and brand new.”
“Our home is not a museum. Everything that we chose is just as comfortable and practical as it is beautiful.”
—Homeowner
Above: Place settings from Tipton & Hurst
Light & Bright
In the breakfast room, an antique table with original iron detailing (found in Round Top, Texas, a famous antiques destination) was updated with a coat of patina-look white paint, while four antique dining chairs were re-upholstered in a soft paisley pattern. Transitional elements like a sculptural Lowcountry Originals chandelier and abstract painting by Katherine Watts complement the room’s more traditional dining area.
Above: Besides the refrigerator, which is disguised by cabinetry panels, all appliances are artfully hidden below eye level of the island to keep the kitchen light and airy.
Built for a Crowd
An oversized kitchen island is a perfect gathering place for large groups of friends who fill the home on weekends and after school. The room’s Shaker-style cabinetry, warm fixtures, and modern lantern-style lighting give it a present-day sensibility, while a grand range hood makes a statement that echoes what Debi calls a “slight French country influence” throughout the home.
Sophisticated Glam
The mirrors and chests in the master bedroom are a few of many pieces in the home by Reborn Relics, Debi’s line of furniture and accessories inspired by antiques and made at her shop in Little Rock. “She wanted her bedroom to be glam, glam, glam,” Debi says, noting the recurring gold-leaf details and a crystal-encrusted chandelier. A faint blush hue, seen in the ceiling, lamps, and fabrics, softens the room. “I’m a big texture person,” Debi says. “I’ll layer canvas with fur, chenille with cut velvet … when you have all these different textures, it makes the room so lush.”
Above: Custom pieces, such as the acrylic and glass coffee table in the living room, bring this house into the transitional realm. “I like invisible coffee tables because then the room looks even more open,” Debi explains.
Design Resources
Architect Kevin Canada Contractor Mark Melton, Mark Melton Construction Interior design Debi Davis, Stephen Garrett, and Jo Butts, Debi Davis Interior Design Accessories Cobblestone & Vine, Debi Davis Interior Design, and Providence Design Art, Bedding, fabrics, and furniture Debi Davis Interior Design Cabinets Morgan Millworks Countertops Verona Marble Company Lighting Debi Davis Interior Design and The Shade Above Millwork Quality Millwork Paint Sherwin-Williams Painting M&L Painting
