Simply Chic

For a classic southern belle like Betty Chadduck, it’s only fitting that her home in Little Rock’s Heights neighborhood reflects the grace and charm of the Old South. The cottage-style house, built in 1949, was exactly what Betty wanted. ”It’s small, but it’s just fine for me,” she says.

Visitors enter the house to find a traditional-style living room, with blue walls and coordinating wall coverings by Cynthia East Fabrics. A striking antique Indian painting centers the couch, while delicate powder blue accessories tie the room together. “I love the character of this home,” Betty says, “especially the original touches such as the floors, mouldings and windows.”

Betty completely renovated the kitchen by painting the walls a cool sage green and giving the knotty pine cabinets new doors and contemporary silver hardware. She enclosed the back porch off of the kitchen, creating a breakfast room with large pass-through and outfitted with a Chippendale iron table. She focused on crafting the downstairs guest bedroom into a relaxing retreat with ocean inspired hues and an arrangement of seashells. An antique coat rack in the room prominently displays her hat collection. “The smallest hat was mine as a girl,” she says.

One of the home’s most striking spaces is the master bedroom. “In the beginning everything was taupe,” she says, “but little by little I’ve added more color.”  The walls boast a rich, chocolate brown, complemented by the handmade nightstand and dresser. The exquisite four-poster mahogany bed was also custom-made and is accented with pillows created by Betty’s daughter.

Once an unfinished attic, the upstairs has been transformed into a vibrant and cheerful room for guests complete with a half bath. Betty’s vision for the space was clear from the beginning. “I wanted everything white, even the floors,” she says. She chose red as a strong accent color for the space, and it’s found in everything from the curtains and pillows to the vanity. The room boasts several sentimental touches, including two iron beds, which belonged to her grandmother, and the adorable sock monkey, which was a favorite toy of Betty’s daughter.