Date:  July 27, 2020  |   Story: Tiffany Adams  |   Photography: Rett Peek  |   Styling: Lauren Cerrato  |  

Before & After: AC Designs creates a bright and happy master bedroom for a Little Rock couple

For years, Amy Terry and Candace Davis enjoyed designing their own homes, occasionally helping friends, and creating welcoming classrooms (they are both prekindergarten teachers); however, they didn’t realize they were quickly creating a new business. In 2018, thanks to word-of-mouth recommendations from friends, the two started to take on more and more clients and launched AC Designs. “We do a mix of projects—everything from new builds and renovations to quick décor updates. It has grown more than we anticipated and has become a full-time second job for us,” Amy says.

BEFORE

For this project, Amy served as the lead design consultant, working with a busy couple to create a welcoming master bedroom retreat with plenty of color and personality. AC Designs had previously decorated the home for Christmas, so she had a feel for the pair’s style. “When they called us, the wife said they had some pieces they liked but felt like it wasn’t quite put together,” Amy recalls.

Inspired by the pair of abstract pillows seen on the bed, they opted for a hushed version of the magenta color as the main hue. Painting the walls in what Amy calls a “smoky violet” color (“Imagine” by Sherwin-Williams at 75 percent strength) makes it feel “romantic and cozy.” The team worked with the aforementioned existing pieces, including nightstands, lamps, Greek key upholstered benches, and a glass side table but brought new life with a contemporary bed, media console, and upholstered chair. The same was true for accessories and artwork; landscapes now mix with new abstract works near the television and sitting area. “This room feels so happy when you walk into it,” Amy says. “It’s amazing how a few tweaks can make such a transformation.”

Style Reflection
Amy used the couple’s existing bedside tables and gourd lamps but added large-scale antiqued mirrors to coordinate with the iron pieces in the design and reflect light to brighten the space.

Modern Mix
Prior to the makeover, the couple had a worn-wood bed. Amy updated this with an iron four-poster canopy option. “The mix of soft upholstery with the iron modernizes the room,” she says.

Classic Curtains
The designers planned to keep the room’s existing drapes but found their yellow hue did not work with the new palette. Simple white panels hung on a French return rod, which allows them to open and close easily, updated the look.

Instant Gallery
A framed television can be set to display favorite artwork, thus serving as the central focal point on the gallery wall.

BEFORES

Design Resources
Interior design Candace Davis and Amy Terry, AC Designs Accessories AC Designs and Providence Design Art AC Designs, Lauren Anderson Art, Providence Design, and Ashley Saer Fabrics AC Designs and Cynthia East Fabrics Furniture (buffet, chair, and coffee table) AC Designs and Cost Plus Furniture Warehouse Lighting and mirrors AC Designs Paint Sherwin-Williams Window coverings Angela Moore, Angel Threads