Date:  April 1, 2024  |   Story: Tiffany Adams  |   Photography: Rett Peek  |   Styling: Bailey Dougan  |  

The best of both worlds combine in a new build helmed by designer Nikki Hastings

It’s no secret that renovations rarely go exactly as planned. However, for this young Little Rock couple, plans for an update turned into plans for a new build. “They were having issues with the structure; and once we got in, we learned the plumbing and electrical weren’t up to code and would have to be ripped out,” explains designer Nikki Hastings. Weighing their options, starting afresh seemed to be the most viable path. “I know there are people who are quick to pull the trigger on just level it and go, but I really feel like we did the due diligence to not have to do that,” Nikki says.

As the principal designer and owner of Tilden House, a name that references the street where she grew up in Charleston, Arkansas, as well as her own “first definition of home,” Nikki has the capability to both draft and design a space from the ground up. For this home, she considered how the couple lives now as well as how they might live in the future. “When I drew the floor plans, there were so many things that we thought about for the future as their family grows,” she says. For example, the downstairs living and gathering spaces flow into one another, a feature that allows everyone to be within earshot without having a completely open-concept home. Additionally, bedrooms and baths are all located upstairs, allowing for close proximity. Nikki also considered the neighborhood setting, creating a traditional yet fresh facade that fits the environment. “They did not want to have to relocate in the future because they love the area, so a lot of thought went into all of this,” she says.

While the owners are young, they lean heavily traditional in their style. “They turned to me for a way to marry classic and traditional with current and youthful,” Nikki says. “They love their grandmother’s antiques and want to incorporate them, but they don’t want it to feel like their grandmother’s house,” she adds. As with all her projects, the designer strived to make the home feel like her clients, asking for a list of must-have features and pieces but also pushing them to embrace color in unexpected places, such as the bookcases seen in the living room. “I mix a lot—I like doing high with low, modern with traditional, antique with new,” Nikki says. She applies the approach to each client’s situation. “Being personal in a design is fulfilling to me, and it’s fun. Knowing that my clients will walk in and can feel at peace in their home—who doesn’t want that? Home should be a refuge, not a headache.”

Maximize Floor Space
Nikki had a custom burl wood coffee table made for the living room. The generous size allowed her to surround it with plenty of seating for a crowd. The couple’s love of the outdoors inspired the quail-patterned drapery fabric. “This was one of the first pieces of the puzzle,” Nikki says. “It has a touch of traditional but is whimsical and feels younger than a heavy woodland print.” The pillows and bench fabric play off of this to accent the neutral chairs and sofas.

Highlight a Hue
The shape of the arched front door is echoed in the bookcase design, a feature that begins the transition from the living room to the kitchen in the semi-open floor plan. Nikki notes she pushed the clients to go with blue for the bookcases, a fresh color that stands out against the neutral walls and furniture. The piece was designed with both concealed and open shelving. “They had a lot of things to display, and you can’t display everything on furniture or it starts to look busy and cluttered,” the designer adds.

“They turned to me for a way to marry classic and traditional with current and youthful.”
—Nikki Hastings, designer

Bring in Pattern
Wanting the look of a traditional wallpapered dining room but also thinking about their personal style, the client and Nikki selected Anna French for Thibaut’s “Kahan.” “This one had the trees to represent the outdoors but it is fun and funky at the same time. It goes with the house really well,” Nikki says. The designer balanced the couple’s existing dark wood table and a new-to-them antique buffet with sleek white chairs that have a more contemporary look. Overhead, the floral-themed Julie Neill chandelier also plays into the home’s common thread of natural influences.

Keep It Clean
The kitchen is a hub positioned between the living room and dining room, a space planning feature that allows the couple to cook dinner and converse with nearby guests. Wanting to create a workspace with plenty of natural light, they opted for windows that frame the range rather than upper cabinets. Adjacent cabinetry stores small appliances and even a television behind closed doors to keep the countertops clear. “As newlyweds, you often have a lot of china and things you won’t use everyday that need to be stored, so we did lots of built-ins to account for that,” Nikki adds.

The office’s entry doors open to a wet bar housed in the hallway off the kitchen. “It’s connected to the spaces but a little off the beaten path for hosting,” Nikki says of the setup that allows traffic to flow throughout the house.

“Home should be a refuge, not a headache.”
—Nikki Hastings, designer

Make a Retreat
With a client who loves to soak in the tub, Nikki sought to create a primary bath design that was clean and spa-like. “We wanted it to feel relaxing and not busy; for that reason, it’s one of the most neutral homes in the house,” she says. To maximize space, the designer used both sides of the room to create separate his-and-hers vanities with drawers rather than cabinetry doors where items may be lost in the space’s depth. Timeless marble tiles cover the shower with the floor featuring a basket-weave inlay made to look like an accent rug. Blue tones, like the ottoman and café curtain trim, tie back to the home’s predominant hue.

Think Deep
With the husband frequently working from home, a dedicated office was a must-have. “We wanted this to be a reflection of him and also to be a little darker and more moody in terms of color,” Nikki says. She notes the furnishings are a “fun collection of antiquing trips and Target finds,” pointing to the vintage Chesterfield sofa and wire end tables. The cypress tree oil painting is by local artist Sandy Hubler.

Design Resources
Builder Mark Caruthers, Willmark Homes Interior design Nikki Hastings, Tilden House Accessories Cobblestone & Vine, J. Parkey, Providence Design, and Tilden House Art Bryan Frazier, Sandy Hubler, Vanessa Miller (Alabama), Amelia Ray, Ashley Saer, and Scott Shively Cabinetry Duke Custom Cabinets Countertops Countertop World Fabrics Designer Effects, J. Parkey, and Tilden House Fixtures Westlake Plumbing Framing BA Framer Furniture Cobblestone & Vine, J. Parkey, and Tilden House Lighting The Shade Above and Tilden House Rugs Tilden House Wallpaper Designer Effects and Tilden House Window coverings Christi Cooper Design