Date:  November 24, 2009  |   Story: Diane Carroll  |  

Architects Bret and Stacey Park devised an open floor plan for the family home, where informal living, dining and kitchen spaces flow together easily. “Because of that, we use every room in the house, every day,” says Jamie. “There are no off-limit formal areas or unused spaces.” Building on that concept, interior designer Lisa Claybrook, ASID, worked with the family to choose paint colors, furnishings and fabrics that would add to the home’s warm and welcoming style.

“In the living spaces, we used earthy colors that blend from room to room,” says Claybrook. “And we chose durable, kid-friendly materials to ensure that the furnishings would look good but be easy to clean.”

Last year, the home was included in the Junior League of Northwest Arkansas Winter Dreams Home Tour, and Jamie opted to play up the house’s earth-tone look with all-natural decorations, including magnolia leaf wreaths and garlands created by the design team at Flora. Holiday décor specialist Jennifer Apolskis collaborated with Jamie on the rest of the seasonal elements, including a festive live tree trimmed with orange, blue, gold and red ornaments to complement the color palette of the living room.

In the adjacent kitchen, a room that Jamie considers the heart of the holiday season, the family creates and displays gingerbread houses each year, a tradition that Jamie says both she and Michael enjoyed as children. For the home tour, the family’s efforts became part of a much larger gingerbread house display involving such elaborate constructions as a recreation of Old Main from the University of Arkansas campus and a building named “Two Girls and a Boy Toyshop” in honor of the children, all created by Rick’s Bakery.

The memory-building decorations also extended to the children’s bedrooms, where small white Christmas trees decorated to match each child’s room were set up on their bedside tables. “They became the kids’ nightlights, because they loved the glow so much they didn’t want to turn them off when they went to bed,” says Jamie.

The holiday magic continued into the children’s playroom, where Apolskis added a full-size tree outfitted with colorful, kid-friendly ornaments, the final touch in a house full of family-oriented holiday décor. “We designed this house to be a place where our family memories are made,” says Jamie, “and the holidays are a big part of that.”

Design Sources

Architect Park Co. Architects, Fayetteville
Builder Landmark Homes, Fayetteville
Interior design Lisa Claybrook Interiors, Inc., Fayetteville
Holiday décor Jennifer Apolskis, Rogers
Art in living room Ashley Saer Cook, Little Rock
Custom upholstery, bedding, draperies and shutters Greenvalley Window Solutions, Inc., Fayetteville
Floral and fresh greenery Flora, Fayetteville
Gingerbread houses Rick’s Bakery, Fayetteville
Living room sofa and furniture Mertinsdyke Home, Little Rock