Date: March 14, 2015 | Story: Ashley Gill | Photography: Nancy Nolan | Styling: Ellen Scruggs |
Designer Andrea Brooks works with open-minded clients to breathe vibrancy and timelessness into their new construction El Dorado home
For Andrea Brooks, home design is less about achieving a particular ‘look’ and more about finding a way to, as she says, “bring a space to life and connect it with the homeowner.” Such a deeply individualized approach to each project demands compatibility and a deep trust between herself and her clients. “The relationship is such an important one,” Brooks says, because it’s “got to be the right fit, or no one will be happy with the end result.”
That’s why, when former clients Ted and Glynis Impson came to her before building a new home at the Mystic Creek Golf Community, located just outside of El Dorado, she jumped at the chance to work with them again. “[The Impsons] knew my design aesthetic well and really put themselves in my hands. They gave me full creative license. There is so much freedom in that. They wanted me to be proud of this project and not hold back,” Brooks says. The result of such creative freedom is a home that expresses—through the designer’s signature use of color and texture—the distinctive character and charisma of the family who lives there.
Home Latitude
Brooks has worked in the so-called new traditional style since the start of her career—before the label was a common watchword in the industry—and for this project she found it to be a natural projection of the Impsons’ personalities. “They are definitely traditional at their core, but they love color and have a strong desire to be surrounded by things that are a little different—things that are not just like their neighbors’ [things],” she says. It was Brooks’s mother’s best friend who first inspired her to take this approach in her work and put an updated, more personalized spin on traditional interior design. Brooks, who was fresh out of college at the time, remembers: “[She] became my design mentor and introduced me to collected, layered interiors. She taught me the art of mixing metals, textures, and color. It became second nature to me.” The interplay of contrasting finishes and elements from various time periods and cultures—in conjunction with the free rein given her by the Impsons—allowed Brooks to instill in this new construction home a sense of individuality and to keep the furnishings from having what she calls “that ‘off the showroom floor’ look.”
Hunt and Gather
Indeed, some actual treasure hunting was required in order to achieve the acquired-over-time yet unfussy look Brooks wanted to give the home. “I love the thrill of the hunt for that unique find that brings depth and interest to the space,” she says. Both the dining room and breakfast room chairs are examples of vintage sets that were purchased and revitalized to her specifications. Selecting the original artwork displayed throughout the home was, similarly, a matter of searching for exactly the right pieces to enhance the experience of each space. Brooks explains: “I don’t choose art because it matches the sofa or pillows. A couple of the pieces I had actually discovered before this project because they spoke to me. They didn’t connect with other clients but immediately [seemed] at home here. That’s what you want art to do—to feel like the space wouldn’t [be] the same without it. It needs to have a distinct voice in the room—whether in-your-face bold or just there to bring peace and comfort.”
Expectations Aside
In this home, it is the color palette that takes center stage, as is true for many of Brooks’s designs. Knowing that Glynis’s favorite color is blue, she took a risk and proposed a striking periwinkle shade for the dining room. “That was the most powerful first decision that was made,” Brooks recalls. “Layering color is my specialty,” she says, and that blue “was the foundation for the other blue tones: cobalt, navy, orchid, and purple.” It is in doing what she does best—and in embracing bold choices in line with her own creative vision—that Brooks has, perhaps, been able to make the home feel as unique and multifaceted as its residents. “It has been surprising to some people who know Glynis that she would have a home with that much color,” Brooks says, “but she loves it and says it’s perfect. She just wouldn’t have had the confidence to do it on her own.”
Design Resources
Architect Nathan Alderson, Alderson Design Company, Little Rock, (501) 690-2471
Contractors Boyd Corley, CorCo, Little Rock, (501) 868-9222; Gary Johnson, El Dorado, (870) 310-4445
Interior design Andrea Brooks, Andrea Brooks Interiors, El Dorado, (870) 314-1334, andreabrooksinteriors.com
Kitchen design Duke Custom Cabinets, Roland, (501) 868-8111, dukecustomcabinets.com
Accessories Andrea Brooks Interiors, El Dorado, (870) 314-1334, andreabrooksinteriors.com; Cantrell Furniture Design Center, Little Rock, (501) 225-0002, cantrellfurniture.com; Cobblestone & Vine, Little Rock, (501) 664-4249, West Little Rock, (501) 219-3676, cobblestoneandvine.com; Main Street Antiques, El Dorado, (870) 862-2020; Providence Design, Little Rock, (501) 372-1886, providenceltddesign.com; Sydney Murphy Design, El Dorado, (870) 863-6625, sydneymurphydesign.com
Appliances Metro Appliances & More, Jonesboro, (870) 933-7800, North Little Rock, (501) 758-1988, Springdale, (479) 750-2200, metroappliancesandmore.com
Art Backwoods Art & Frame, El Dorado, (870) 863-5254; Bear-Hill Interiors, Little Rock, (501) 907-9272, bearhillinteriors.com; Cobblestone & Vine, Little Rock, (501) 664-4249, West Little Rock, (501) 219-3676, cobblestoneandvine.com; Sandy Bennett, El Dorado, sandybennett.org
Bedding Andrea Brooks Interiors, El Dorado, (870) 314-1334, andreabrooksinteriors.com; Cobblestone & Vine, Little Rock, (501) 664-4249, West Little Rock, (501) 219-3676, cobblestoneandvine.com; Laura’s Draperies, Maumelle, (501) 256-6725, laurasdraperies.com
Cabinets Duke Custom Cabinets, Roland, (501) 868-8111, dukecustomcabinets.com
Carpet, flooring, and tile Storey’s Floor and Carpet, El Dorado, (870) 862-9446, storeysfloor.com
Countertops Classic Marble and Granite, El Dorado, (870) 863-5033, marbleexperts.com
Fabrics Andrea Brooks Interiors, El Dorado, (870) 314-1334, andreabrooksinteriors.com; Laura’s Draperies, Maumelle, (501) 256-6725, laurasdraperies.com
Fixtures Southern Bath & Kitchen, locations statewide, southernbathandkitchen.com
Florals Tipton & Hurst, locations throughout central Arkansas, (501) 666-3333, tiptonhurst.com
Furniture Cantrell Furniture Design Center, Little Rock, (501) 225-0002, cantrellfurniture.com; Cobblestone & Vine, Little Rock, (501) 664-4249, West Little Rock, (501) 219-3676, cobblestoneandvine.com; Marshall Clements, Little Rock, (501) 663-1828, West Little Rock, (501) 954-7900, marshallclements.com; Providence Design, Little Rock, (501) 372-1886, providenceltddesign.com
Hardware Andrea Brooks Interiors, El Dorado, (870) 314-1334, andreabrooksinteriors.com; Lumber One Home Center, Mayflower, (501) 470-1122, Stuttgart, (870) 673-3601, lumberonehomecenter.com
Lighting Andrea Brooks Interiors, El Dorado, (870) 314-1334, andreabrooksinteriors.com; Marshall Clements, Little Rock, (501) 663-1828, West Little Rock, (501) 954-7900, marshallclements.com; Providence Design, Little Rock, (501) 372-1886, providenceltddesign.com
Mirrors Backwoods Art & Frame, El Dorado, (870) 863-5254; Cobblestone & Vine, Little Rock, (501) 664-4249, West Little Rock, (501) 219-3676, cobblestoneandvine.com; El Dorado Glass & Mirror, El Dorado, (870) 862-0001
Paint Sherwin-Williams, locations statewide, sherwin-williams.com
Rugs Hadidi Rug & Design Gallery, Little Rock, (501) 225-8999, hadidiruggallery.com
Windows Lumber One Home Center, Mayflower, (501) 470-1122, Stuttgart, (870) 673-3601, lumberonehomecenter.com
