Date:  July 2, 2025  |   Story: Tiffany Adams  |   Photography: Rett Peek  |   Styling: Tiffany Adams  |  

The banks of the Little Red River provide an ideal setting for a family’s year-round getaway

Birding, paddleboarding, kayaking, and—yes—trout fishing are just a few of the reasons this family fell in love with the Little Red River. “He has been a fly angler for a long time and would come here to fish with friends or guides. As he grew older, he got involved in the conservation effort,” the owner says of her husband. When the pair were married, he taught her and she fell just as hard for fishing and life by the river.

Spending weekends and stolen time in their house trailer on the waterside property, they began to dream of a permanent place they could visit year-round. Not only were they drawn to the setting but also the community they had built on their street, which includes interior designer Marianna O’Dea and her family. “We both love to fish and realized we had girls the same age, and we just really hit it off,” Marianna says. Soon, she began working with the couple on their primary home in Little Rock before migrating to help them build this dream getaway.

Around the same time, architect Jim Yeary, who had worked with the owner previously, met him for a drink one night and flipped through pictures of the property. “He said he wanted a cabin but his wife wanted it to be contemporary in style,” he recalls. Jim notes he was “blown away by the way the water switches back and opens up in this particular location.” Thus, he designed the house, which has a cozy feel with more modern features, to nestle into the landscape with back windows that maximize the view. As for the finishes, Marianna put her own passion for the location into every detail, from fabrics inspired by the area’s plants, fish, and birds to furniture and lighting selections that would serve the owners while prioritizing the view. The result was a reflection of the owners’ love of the destination with spaces to entertain and unwind.

Happy to be in the completed house, they were devastated when the unthinkable happened in the early morning hours of December 23, 2022. Expecting their family for a Christmas gathering later in the day, they awoke to the sound of a smoke alarm and discovered flames rising from underneath the house. “It was one of the bone-chillingly cold nights, and we had seen power surges on both sides of the river,” the owner recalls. She and her husband ran to the safety of the front yard to await the arrival of the fire department while their home burned. “There were challenges building during COVID, so for them to finally get it finished and then watch it burn down was especially gut-wrenching,” Marianna says.

However, their love of the river remained, and they soon made the decision to rebuild. “From there, it was, Do we want the same house? and I said, Absolutely,” the owner recalls. Although they had lived there for only a short period, it had been long enough to see there were a few tweaks they would make given the chance for a do-over. Namely, they needed less closet space in the vacation home and opted to allot that square footage to an infrared sauna; they changed out a sink for a dog wash at the back door after realizing how easy it could make cleanup for waders and gear; and their daughter’s bedroom, which serves as a second primary suite, was enlarged after they lost a tree on that side of the property. “We went back with the same architect, the same builder, and the same designer,” the owner says, noting how pleased they were with the trio during the initial build. “I think everyone involved in the project would agree it’s even better this time,” she adds.

Above: While the house is frequented by guests, the couple opted for a spacious kitchen island rather than a designated dining room. “Our thought has always been that if we’re hosting a larger dinner, we want to do it on the deck where people can enjoy the view,” the owner says. The design started with a copper range hood. Cedar plank walls and green cabinetry that mimic the palette outdoors add to the natural feel.

The fish platter seen behind the range was a find at one of Marianna’s favorite stops en route to the river, Arkansas Peddlers Antique Mall in Greenbrier. The cabinetry is painted “Softened Green” by Sherwin-Williams.

Welcome In
Guests are greeted with a welcoming sitting area and views of the Little Red River upon entry to the home. This living space, which features a comfortable sectional and two swivel chairs placed near a television, adjoins the hearth area and kitchen composing one long great room. The chairs’ fabric, “Flybird” by Fabricut, references their love of birdwatching from points around the property, and the stained pine framing on the windows and doors adds to the woodsy, relaxed feel of the design.

Hearth of the Home
The family uses the home year-round, meaning it needed features that were practical for every season. With that thought in mind, the couple wanted a wood-burning fireplace that would serve as a central point in the great room. “Even in the warmer months, it’s always a little cooler here with the breeze off the water,” Marianna adds. Using the same native stone seen on the exterior, masons built the fireplace on-site. As for the furnishings, Marianna deftly wove masculine and feminine as well as classic and contemporary by pairing a cut-velvet pink sofa (a hue seen on many of the river’s trout) with plaid swivel chairs. “We wanted it to be higher-end but not museum-like. It’s still comfortable,” the designer says. The work over the mantel is by Arkansas artist Kathryn Sixbey, while the fish were all caught by the family.

A Set Apart View
“They wanted their bed to look upriver,” Jim explains. “So the primary bedroom is cantilevered to pull it out from the house and allow it to be set apart for that view.” With the scene outside in mind, Marianna opted for understated, comfortable furnishings including a low-profile, velvet-upholstered bed with integrated nightstands. A custom piece by artist Amber Weinzimer echoes the view on the wall over the bed. “It’s like a tree house,” Marianna says. “When the water is up and you look out, you almost feel like you are floating.” The walls are painted “Gossamer Veil” by Sherwin-Williams.

Spa Essentials
Luxurious elements combine in the primary bath. For starters, the soaking tub was a priority on the wish list. “I don’t have a tub at our main house, so I especially enjoy it here,” the owner says. In the second build, they also opted to install an infrared sauna, which is located opposite the tub through a walk-in shower.

In the daughter’s bedroom, Marianna employed hints of girlish pink while referencing the setting. For example, a trout-patterned bolster mixes with throw pillows in a print from Erika Powell Textiles.

Act Natural
Making every effort to highlight the view, Jim designed the house to open up to the east, looking out across the water. He also specified materials and a palette that would blend naturally into the setting. “It’s sitting in the trees, so we wanted to make the cedar shake dark to blend back in with the treeline. From there, the original thought was to make the indoor area like the interior of a tree with the wood planks on the ceiling and kitchen wall,” he says. The exterior is painted “Kendall Charcoal” by Benjamin Moore. 

A Place for Everything
The family often wades into the nearby water to fish, then follows a path back to the house that leads to this side entrance and a mudroom. After briefly living in the home, they realized a dog wash—or wader wash, rather—would be a better use of space than a sink when they rebuilt. Around the corner, custom-made fly rod holders offer storage and create an eye-catching focal point that can be seen across the living room from the front entry. Considering the height of the rods, Jim also specified 12-foot doorways to allow for easy mobility.

“To have something like the Little Red an hour from our back door in Little Rock is pretty amazing. It’s such a special place in Arkansas.”
—Marianna O’Dea, designer

Adjacent to the kitchen with a sweeping view of the Little Red, the screened porch is an opportune place for games, cocktail hours, and casual dining.

Design Resources
Architect Jim Yeary, Yeary Lindsey Architects Builder Casey Stone, Stone Custom Homes Interior design Marianna O’Dea, O’Dea Studios Interior Design Appliances Metro Appliances & More Art Ashely Saer, Kathryn Sixbey, and Amber Weinzimer Building Materials F.L. Davis Home Center Cabinetry and countertops Logan Cabinets Fabrics, furniture, mirrors, and rugs O’Dea Studios Interior Design Fireplace Hamilton Masonry and Uchtman Hand-Crafted Stone Millwork W&E Construction Outdoor furnishings Ninth & Co. Paint Benjamin Moore and Sherwin-Williams Stone Schwartz Stone Company Tile O’Dea Studios Interior Design and ProSource of Little Rock Windows Pella