Date:  2026-10-01 08:10:27  |   Story: Tiffany Adams  |   Photography: Rett Peek  |   Styling: Julia Glover  |  

Rich with character, collections, and a curated palette, interior designer Stacy Sheid Epps’s Fayetteville home has a soul all its own

It’s not every day you walk into a new build with an old soul feel—but that’s exactly how designer Stacy Sheid Epps and her husband, Josh, envisioned their Northwest Arkansas residence when they started planning. “We wanted a casual, charming home—but not a farmhouse,” she says. “I wanted a big front porch, and Josh and I have both always loved the Low Country aesthetic,” she adds. In particular, visions of a creek in the backyard, a swing on the front porch, and dogs running in and out of the house seemed to play in Stacy’s head like the trailer to a favorite movie she didn’t want to end.

After purchasing a coveted piece of wooded property in east Fayetteville that was ideal for these visions, they held onto it while giving thought to siting and layout. Meshing plans to get a fit that felt right for their family, they created a house well-suited to both their life and their style. The open floor plan connects the kitchen to the family room, meaning their teenage children, Gracie and Rowe, can always be within earshot and their beloved dogs, Cash and Minnie, can roam from room to room.

Breaking ground in 2020 handed them a rollercoaster of ups and downs. While time was ample, there were supply shortages across the board and lumber costs raged. With Josh being in commercial construction, he served as the general contractor. “He said, I don’t care what you do but stay on budget—and I did exactly!” Stacy says with a laugh. Handpicking where to splurge and save, she prioritized giving the home’s walls character along with comfortable chairs and sofas that would make everyone feel welcome and able to really live and relax inside the home. With some of her top picks being out of stock or out of reach due to extra long lead times, the designer made small concessions, pivoted, and even found pieces she admits she likes better than her original selections. Case in point, when the range she specified for the kitchen was no longer an option, they opted for a Bertazzoni one that has become a highlight of the room.

This adaptability and eye for mixing new with old stems from her childhood, which was spent at Sheid’s Furniture in Mountain Home. With her grandparents founding and later her father owning the well-known store, case and upholstered goods are something she has collected as readily as the architectural etchings and engravings that line the entry staircase. There’s the serpentine chest that served as payment for accompanying her dad on a buying trip to market that is now her bedside table, an occasional chair in the sitting room she plucked from the showroom floor, and her beloved Drexel Heritage dining table, which was purchased by her great-grandparents for her parents when they married. “I’ve eaten every meal of my life there. No other table could ever be as good because it holds too many memories,” she says.

Since this was the couple’s first build, they also relied heavily on advice from friends and family, including Stacy’s mother, interior designer Donna Wood, who had recently built a nearby home. “Mom would say, Yes, go for it, or No, you don’t want to do that, or ask if I thought I would tire of something,” Stacy recalls. “I tried not to rely on any one trend so that the house wouldn’t time out, which is important because that is what I preach to my clients all the time.”

The result is a layered aesthetic where vintage prints and furniture are at home alongside contemporary photographs and current fabrics that are still rooted in tradition. “There’s an algorithm in décor right now,” Stacy says. “Historical pieces are becoming the it thing because when you scroll, you can see a dupe of nearly everything that is newly made today,” Stacy notes. “My advice is to buy what you like and quit worrying about what other people think. It’s OK not to be perfect. How a home feels is just as important as how it looks, and we want people to feel welcome here.”

“I can’t even tell you how long I’ve collected these,” Stacy says of the architectural etchings shown above and engravings that line the stairwell, which are just one of her print collections displayed throughout the house.

Family Dining
The centerpiece of the dining room is a beloved Drexel Heritage table and chairs that originally hosted meals in her parents’ home. Stacy admits the wallpaper was the fourth choice on her list, but it’s one she absolutely loves now and wouldn’t trade—another happy hiccup along the way. It is softened by drapes in “Grande Frond” from Heather Chadduck Textiles. “I’m really into pale blue and olive right now,” the designer says of the pairing. The Audubon prints are originals she purchased from Fayetteville’s Art Emporium.

Perfectly Imperfect
In contrast to the painted cabinetry, the island is made from stained knotty alder wood. “I wanted the knots to show and didn’t want to sugarcoat them with paint,” Stacy says of the distinguishing feature. A brass rail behind the range holds copper pots and skillets that are used on rotation in the family’s kitchen. The kitchen cabinetry is painted “Skimming Stone” by Farrow & Ball

In the Middle of It All
“I needed light and sunshine in this room,” Stacy says of the decision to forego additional upper cabinetry in favor of a wall of windows that creates a focal point in the kitchen. “I can put flowers or tomatoes in the window, and I can see people coming down the driveway from there,” she adds. To make the best use of the other cabinetry, she worked countless hours on the layout and what would go where, leaving no wasted space. Rather than a tile backsplash, she opted for wood that allows her to easily hang a plate or painting along the expanse while also keeping with the grounded tone of the house. On the perimeter and the island, honed black granite counters give the look of soapstone with the benefits of a lower price point and greater durability.

Sit a Spell
Cozy and eclectic was Stacy’s vision for the sitting room. Dark woods, a textured grasscloth wallpaper, and no shortage of throw pillows set atop the sofa’s mohair cushions combine to invite the family and guests alike into the room. Heirlooms—the tea caddy lamps were her maternal grandmother’s and the miniature footstool belonged to her paternal grandmother—hold memories while providing a function. The result is a spot where she finds her kids doing homework, her dogs sleeping, and where she likes to needlepoint on a rainy day. “Sometimes we’ll move the trunk out and push over a game table for Rummikub,” she says of the multifunctional space.

Wanting a contemporary photograph to hang above the sofa, Stacy reached out to photographer David Hillegas, the husband of one of her best friends, fellow designer and stylist Heather Chadduck Hillegas. After her initial selection was shot down, they found this one was a fit for the style, size, and palette—and the subject happens to be Heather. “It makes the whole room,” Stacy says. “It just wouldn’t be as cool without it.”

Seas the Space
A large-scale Lee Jofa wallpaper (“Indian Zag”) sets the tone in the powder bath. With a bold print on the walls, Stacy opted for a pared-down exposed-leg vanity in polished chrome—a defined departure from the brass finishes seen in the rest of the home. “I wanted to go a bit nautical here, and I love the moody impact of the paper. It’s so dramatic for a small space,” she says.

Patterns at Play
Stacy’s love of pattern is displayed in the primary bedroom. “I think some people are scared of a large-scale fabric but when you mix it with smaller prints, it works,” she says, pointing to the progression seen on the pillows, to the Penny Morrison chair fabric, and finally the large-print Thibaut drapery fabric. The Paul Schneider Ceramics lamp is a classic yet more contemporary selection, while vintage bird prints are a collected-over-time addition to the walls.

“I tried not to rely on any one trend so that the house wouldn’t time out.”
—Stacy Sheid Epps

Rooted in Nature
As with many items in the Eppses’ home, the cast-iron tub has a story. Pulled from a client’s home during a remodel, it fit the primary bath in this house perfectly and brought a sense of age and patina that can’t be bought new. Wanting to give the room a more masculine bend, Stacy covered the walls in V-groove paneling and opted for Farrow & Ball’s “Pigeon” (an all-time favorite paint color of hers) on the his-and-hers vanities. Warm brass accents, an inlay table, and framed dog prints on the wall further the down-to-earth appeal.

Mudroom Mix
Stacy fell for the mudroom’s Robert Kime wallpaper after using it in a client’s home. Its warm berry hue is complemented by painted paneling that gives architectural interest to the new home. Framed botanical prints and an antique piece of tramp art bring a decorative element to the highly functional space. The paneling and trim are painted “Pigeon” by Farrow & Ball.

Design Resources
Contractor Napa Construction Interior design Stacy Sheid Epps, Stacy Sheid Interiors Accessories, bedding, fabrics, fixtures, furniture, hardware, lighting, and rugs Stacy Sheid Interiors Appliances Metro Appliances & More Cabinetry Collins Custom Cabinets Carpet Tom January Floors Countertops Verona Marble Company Framing and mirrors Art Emporium Millwork Osage Custom Trim Tile (bathroom) C&D Interiors Tile (mudroom) M&M Tile & Carpet Company Upholstery Joe Ellis Upholstery Wallpaper (installation) Tammy Melton Window coverings Sheryl’s Sewing Room Windows and doors Builders FirstSource