Date:  October 1, 2024  |   Story: Kathryn O'Shea-Evans  |   Photography: Rett Peek  |   Styling: Angela Alexander  |  

Jonathan Parkey whips up a dashing home that will stand the test of time

That old expression, Write what you know, could apply to design, too, especially when you’re putting together your own home. For Jonathan Parkey, an aesthetic visionary behind everything from interiors to events, the muse for the revamp of his 1921 Little Rock Colonial was clear: men’s style. “Our main inspiration for the whole house was really my background in fashion,” says Jonathan, who worked closely with his husband, Chris Marsh, to design their home. “I was kind of a [fashion] designer before I became an interior designer. So a lot of what we wanted to use was inspired by men’s tailoring, and men’s suiting, overall.” To that end, you’ll spy English chalk stripe wool flannel on the window treatments in the living room, upholstery fabrics like corduroy and herringbone, and even oxford cloth sheets on the bed.

The results are a thoroughly handsome home that is as timeless as a suit itself. Case in point: the dining room, where the duo upholstered the walls in a plaid that looks sumptuous, but is made from a hard-wearing polyblend. “It’s from a Scottish company that specializes in tartans,” Jonathan says. “There’s a great craftsman here that does all of that, but it’s kind of a dying specialty to be able to upholster the walls. It took them about two weeks from start to finish to get it all done. It was quite the undertaking!” he adds. But well worth it, especially when dinner parties and events become delightfully raucous. “I joke because my husband has a very loud laugh. We love to entertain, and it’s a nice sound buffer for dinner,” Jonathan says.

If the home looks layered over centuries, that’s for good reason. “We are our family keepers of history and nostalgia,” Jonathan says. “We love being able to incorporate items and furniture that have deep meaning and personal history.” The art piece hung above the sofa is actually an old ox yoke that cleared Marsh’s family farm in Lee and Monroe counties in the 1800s. The furniture in the breakfast nook? “That was my husband’s grandmother’s barley twist table and chairs; that was where she always hosted bridge games weekly.” In other words, the perfect spot for many beautiful memories—past, present, and future.

Above: In the foyer, Jonathan notes the Schumacher “Oxnard Paper Weave” wallpaper is a bit like a grasscloth. “We love the idea of things not feeling too formal and having playful moments throughout the house, even though our house is quite traditional,” he says.

Draw the Line
While blue grasscloth adorns the living room ceiling, the walls are essentially a white envelope. “We wanted to keep that room mainly white for a bit of a gallery feeling. We love collecting art, and didn’t want to be limited in color or anything else, so we gave the texture to the ceiling versus the walls,” Jonathan says. Overhead, a Thomas O’Brien for Visual Comfort fixture lends interest. “The ceiling height is only eight feet, so I didn’t want anything that would drop too far.”

Jonathan (left) and Chris

Raise the Bar
When Jonathan fell in love with a Bunny Williams mirror, it kicked off an entire sideboard moment, complete with their collected blue and white pottery and a signed headshot of Liza Minelli. “All of our wedding china is blue and white, and we’re always trying to pull in a bit of humor and whimsy— not taking ourselves too seriously!” Jonathan says.

Style is Served
The vintage Baker dining chairs are upholstered in a cut-velvet Schumacher fabric that is intentionally a bit “off,” Jonathan says. “It keeps it feeling a little bit funky and a little bit unexpected.” Underfoot, a seagrass rug anchors the space and brings in a needed dose of casualness that “automatically feels easy and comfortable.”

Kicked Back
A separate, more casual den features leather chairs, a lounging sofa, and fireplace—making it an ideal everyday retreat. The design’s menswear thread appears on the ottoman and throws, while cherished, collected pieces fill the grasscloth-backed shelves of the built-in cabinetry.

“We love being able to incorporate items and furniture that have deep meaning and personal history.”
—Jonathan Parkey

Putting Their Stamp on It
When Chris was born, his mother began a collection of duck stamps. “She has a ton of them, and she’s always been like, ‘Y’all have got to come get these!’ And so I finally was like, ‘Alright, I think we’ve got a wall for them.’” Jonathan added his designer touch by framing them in patent leather navy.

Suite Up
The couple’s canopy bed is a master class in men’s suiting, with monogrammed pillows and custom drapery with oxford cloth on the interior and a navy herringbone wool on the exterior. “The Hermès silk pillow on the bed [references] a silk tie or pocket square to finish off the suit-inspired combination. That’s just how our brains work…and it’s a subtle through-line that we love about our home,” Jonathan says. The blue ceramics are from McCarty’s Pottery, Mississippi Delta artists they love to collect, while the piece hung in front of the shelves is by Santa Fe’s Frank Howell. “We got engaged in Santa Fe and started collecting his work,” the designer says.

Clean Slate
In the powder room, they hung Schumacher’s “Komodo” dragon-inspired wallpaper that has a patent leather effect. “We kept trying to find new ways to incorporate some of these masculine touches throughout the house,” Jonathan says. A polished Visual Comfort sconce with patterned shades completes the look.

Design Resources
Interior design Jonathan Parkey, J. Parkey Accessories Bear Hill Interiors, Cantrell Furniture Design Center, Clement, Cobblestone & Vine, Fabulous Finds, Full Moon, J. Parkey, and Roy Dudley Estate Sales Art and Framing Steven Adair, Guy Bell, Sheila Cotton, David Lusk Gallery, Evan Lindquist, M2 Gallery, John Roberts, The Showroom, Matt White, and Brad Wreyford Bedding, fabrics, hardware, lighting, mirrors, rugs, wallpaper, and window coverings J. Parkey Carpet Cantrell Furniture Design Center and J. Parkey Furniture Cantrell Furniture Design Center, Fabulous Finds, J. Parkey, and Roy Dudley Estate Sales Tile The Tile Shop Upholstery Professional Touch-Up