For interior designer Tom Chandler, of Chandler and Associates in Little Rock, great design is not always about purchasing an entirely new house full of furnishings. “We really pride ourselves on taking into consideration what the client already owns,” he says. “More times than not, we can create a totally new feel by simply rearranging the client’s existing items and adding a few key pieces.” This is what he and his team were able to accomplish for Jim and Joyce Faulkner. “We looked around our house and said, ‘Well it looks like we have everything, but it’s not in the right place,’” says Joyce. “That’s when we knew to call Tom.”

“The Faulkners had wonderful art already,” Tom says. “We rearranged everything except the dining room table and master bed.” Tom’s approach to reworking a home begins with analysis of traffic flow and moves to purposeful furniture groupings and the home’s visual vistas. “I consider the architecture of the Faulkners’ home timeless, and they have great taste, which offered us wonderful items to work with,” he says. “The first thing I considered when placing furniture is traffic flow. This should be the springboard for everything else. Secondly, I focused on crafting areas of purpose that are obvious to people as they enter the room. It should be discernable that there’s a specific area for conversation, a music space, a game space, a bar area, a writing area and whatever else the room calls for.”   

Tom then moved on to the details of each of these designated spaces, making sure the design is independently strong. “Each grouping needs appropriate lighting and a usable surface,” he says. “I define this surface as anything flat as long as it would accommodate a scotch on the rocks, a Bible or both.”  In the Faulkners’ home, Tom took cues from the fireplace and windows when designating furniture placement. “We concentrate on the vistas provided by the house, and this is really anything that stops the eye,” he says. “A fireplace suggests a primary conversation configuration, and we take care not to obstruct any views from large windows.” Tom’s team was able to create an office space in the master bedroom, casual seating around the fireplace in the den and more formal offerings around the fireplace in the living room. He also took care to place the Faulkners’ works of art in prominent places. “I particularly enjoyed working on this house,” he says. “I enjoyed the people and their beautiful possessions. Their range of fabulous art from paintings to sculptures and accessories presented on pedestals allow for an almost gallery feel, while still being very welcoming and comfortable.” The Faulkners were amazed by their new home. “Everything was perfect,” Joyce says. “We built this house 20 years ago, and many people who come over think we purchased all new furnishings. Re-envisioning a space is truly one of Tom’s talents.”