Date: March 28, 2025 | Story: Stephanie Maxwell Newton | Photography: Rett Peek |
A South Arkansas fixer-upper becomes a happy first home at the hands of designer Jeremy Carter
Location, location, location—that’s about all this Monticello home had going for it when Halley Ryburn-Powell first considered calling it her own. Having recently moved back to her hometown, she found the house hunt to be more challenging than expected. Eventually her dad had an idea: “When I couldn’t find anything,” she says, “my dad came to me and said, What about the house next to us?” Sure enough, the rental property next door to her parents was available for purchase. “Of all the times I passed this house, I never imagined I would end up living here,” says Halley, who now shares the home with her husband, Johnathan.
Built in 1951, the house lacked the amenities and flow of modern living, not to mention the personal touches that would help Halley feel at home. Enter Jeremy Carter, a Little Rock-based interior designer who has become a friend of the family in recent years. Jeremy got straight to work on a renovation that touched every surface—from a new roof and refinished hardwood flooring to the addition of a back entrance, garage, and laundry room. “The only rooms that are in the same spots as before are the living, dining, and the kitchen, kind of,” Jeremy says. “We also reworked the staircase to the second floor and all the dormer windows. My goal was really to make it like an English cottage,” he adds.
At the very start of the project, Halley had one request: a kitchen with cabinets painted in her favorite hue. “When she said she wanted a purple kitchen, I thought she was nuts,” Jeremy says. Now, he admits the unconventional choice was the right one, inspiring decisions throughout the house—from the dining room wallpaper to fabric selected for the bedroom—that reflect his friend’s classic style.
The duo also stayed close to home to furnish the house, mostly shopping in what they refer to as “the warehouse,” which stores antiques that once belonged to Halley’s late great-grandmother. “It was perfect because it made the house feel collected instead of everything being brand new; and that’s not my aesthetic anyways,” the designer says, noting most of the pieces received new upholstery or custom lampshades to bring them up to date. “My main thing was that I wanted to put a modern twist on a classic,” Halley adds. “I wanted to use my great-grandmother’s things and have the history of our family, but in a new way.”
Couture Kitchen
Halley was happy with the shape of the existing galley kitchen but desperately needed more storage. To remedy this, Jeremy reallocated square footage from rooms on the opposite walls to create two walk-in pantries—one for food near the back of the kitchen and one for china and servingware closer to the dining room. The latter is disguised with cabinetry panels, a trick Jeremy also employed with all the room’s major appliances to help the space feel larger. While originally a skeptic about Halley’s color request, Jeremy was on board with the final product. “It turned out so fabulous. It’s one of my favorite kitchens I’ve ever done,” he says. The cabinetry is painted “Inspired” by Benjamin Moore.
Building on a Scheme
The kitchen’s signature color continues past the cabinetry in the form of a vinyl grasscloth wallcovering that offers texture while being easy to clean. The breakfast table and chairs are both from Halley’s great-grandmother’s collection; Jeremy gave the table a fresh coat of paint and reupholstered the chairs in a Schumacher fabric that fits the scheme. A gilded, sculptural bowl chandelier brings a touch of glam to the space.
“I really wanted the dining room to feel like a solarium.”
—Jeremy Carter, designer
Updated Classics
While the kitchen was entirely revamped, a new apron-front sink is situated in the same spot as the original below a window that overlooks Halley’s parents’ house. The Roman shades here and in the breakfast nook feature box-pleated valances with a Thibaut accent tape in a shade of green that echoes the drapes in the adjoining dining room. “Calacatta” marble countertops, a bridge-style faucet, and inset cabinetry further the room’s polish, while ceramic rabbits from McCarty Pottery—a wedding gift from Jeremy—are a thoughtful addition symbolizing good luck and prosperity.
Style in Bloom
The dining room’s design started with the Victorian-style bird cage, an heirloom Halley remembers playing with at her great-grandmother’s house as a child. “With the bird cage and big windows, I really wanted the dining room to feel like a solarium,” Jeremy says. He leaned into that inspiration with a flowering mural wallpaper wrapped around the room and French cane motif overhead. “I love getting to use my great-grandmother’s dining chairs and buffet,” Halley says of the room’s furnishings. “The sconces were also hers, and the wallpaper is similar to what she had in her dining room. This whole room is like an ode to her.” Striped drapes, a tulip table, and an updated take on a crystal chandelier balance the more traditional elements of the room.
Halley in her Monticello living room. A painting by Sheryl Hibbs from The Showroom in Little Rock plays off the home’s palette while its contemporary style enlivens the classic pieces all around.
Now & Then
While other common spaces are doused in color and pattern, Jeremy wanted the living room–a central hub and the entry point to the home—to employ more neutral tones. “I love color, and not everyone lets you do color like she let me do color,” he says. “But we didn’t oversaturate it. You get some breathing points.” With reworked inherited pieces—including the bamboo table, wingback chair and ottoman, and floor lamp—alongside contemporary swivel chairs and abstract art, the room exhibits a quintessential mix of new and old.
Small But Mighty
If the living room is the home’s neutral zone, the powder bath nearby is party central. After joking together about selecting a Gucci wallpaper, Halley found this pattern by the fashion brand and fell in love. “I sent it to Jeremy and he was like, Yes, yes, yes!” she recalls. Berry-colored hexagonal tiles continue the playful feel underfoot, as does the French Victorian porcelain waste basket. “It’s over the top, and so is that bathroom,” Jeremy says.
Layered & Luxe
What is now the primary bedroom was once a sunken den added onto the home later in the 20th century. Jeremy raised the floor to be level with the rest of the home and installed French doors leading to the space to make it feel grand. Paramount to the room’s design was a wall of built-ins to house Halley’s shoe collection. “I wanted it to be a focal point, so we designed the cabinetry with a little more detail,” Jeremy says. Schumacher’s “Versailles” appears on the draperies, bedding, and accent pillows, and the designer customized the headboard and lampshades to reflect their lavender hue. A painting by Arkansas artist Steve Griffith introduces blue into the bedroom’s palette.
Clean & Classic
Besides a purple kitchen, Halley’s biggest dream for the house was a true primary suite. After reimagining the den as the couple’s bedroom, Jeremy was able to take square footage from the home’s original primary bedroom and turn it into a totally new bathroom and closet. “Carrara” marble countertops and cut-glass cabinetry hardware play off the structure’s traditional bones while Schumacher’s “Fuzz” wallpaper adds a touch of whimsy.
Design Resources
Draftsman Michael Rogers, Michael Rogers Designs Interior design Jeremy Carter, JC Designs and The Shade Above Accessories Art of Design, Fabulous Finds, Providence Design, The Shade Above, and Urban Pad Appliances Metro Appliances & More Art Art of Design, The Shade Above, and The Showroom Cabinetry and millwork Capitol Custom Cabinets Countertops Midway Marble & Granite Bedding, fabrics, and wallpaper JC Designs Fireplace Acme Brick Fixtures Falk Plumbing Supply Flooring Maxwell Hardwood Flooring Furniture Art of Design, DP Designs, The Shade Above, and Urban Pad Hardware GW Lighting & Home Lighting The Shade Above Mirrors Clearview Glass and Mirror Painting M&A Painting Rugs Aladdin Rugs & Home Decor Tile The Tile Shop Upholstery Professional Touch Up Furniture Restoration & Upholstery Window coverings Barbara Evans Drapes Windows and doors Lumber1 Home Center
