Date: May 4, 2010 | Story: Diane Carroll | Styling: Mandy Keener |
In the fifteen years that Dr. Randy Maddox, his wife Cindi and their three children have resided in their Searcy home, it has suited their family just fine. They happily agree that spacious rooms, large windows and an easy flow between the living area, kitchen and study have made for comfortable family living.
Yet while the children grew and Randy and Cindi’s tastes matured, their home décor didn’t. Colors—such as deep red and hunter green—that seemed fresh a decade-and-a-half ago seemed dreary now. Likewise, dark cabinetry and thick carpets began to feel outdated.
The couple decided it was time for a round of room refreshing and called on interior designer Beth Davis to oversee the update. “They wanted to lighten up and clean out,” says Davis. “Through the years, the house had gained a heaviness that needed to be lifted.”
Davis guided the couple through revitalizing key elements in each room, beginning with all the surfaces. Cindi selected a hand-scraped hardwood flooring to replace tile and carpet, and a soothing palette of natural elements and colors followed. Davis chose a warm caramel color to replace the red and green paint on the walls and a complementary cream for molding. Windows were dressed with textural woven blinds and linen draperies. Randy, an emergency room physician who also happens to be a talented woodworker, added new trim to enhance the home’s numerous doorways and built a grid of bookshelves to help organize the study.
He turned his talents to the kitchen too, stripping and restaining the cabinets. The project soon became a full-scale redo, as the couple elected to replace their counters with Cambria quartz and update their backsplash with travertine tile and glass mosaic insets. Davis cozied up a sitting area adjacent to the cooking zone by pulling in a pair of wingback armchairs that had been in storage. She recovered them in a mix of prints and patterns with red, blue and cream colors as a lively contrast to the neutral walls.
An occasional new chair or side table was mixed in with the family’s existing furnishings, creating the “current yet eclectic” look that Davis says she had in mind for the family. “We all need to look at our rooms with fresh eyes from time to time,” she adds. “It doesn’t mean that you have to scrap everything and start over; instead, you can keep what works best and add a few updates.”
Design Resources
Interior design, furnishings, accessories Beth Davis Interiors, Searcy
Backsplash, countertops Third Generation Industries, Searcy
Fabrics Larry’s, Inc., Little Rock
Window treatments Mandy’s Custom Windows, Searcy
