Inspiring your Home and Lifestyle
Designer Whitney Romanoff personalizes a previous renovation to create her family’s West Coast-inspired abode
During her years living in Washington, D.C., and later Oakland, California, Whitney Romanoff had occasionally considered moving back to her home state of Arkansas—one day, maybe. However, the start of the pandemic in 2020 provided a shift in perspective, and she, her husband, Stephen, and their daughter, Sofia, put down roots in Fayetteville earlier than expected….
A west Little Rock couple enlists local pros to update their gathering spaces
Family and time together were the driving forces behind the renovation of this home’s main living areas. Having built the house more than two decades ago, the couple were ready for a more contemporary, open floor plan as well as a style update. “We have a large extended family and love to host during the holidays and entertain throughout the year,” one of the homeowners says. “Our kitchen was tight and the living room wasn’t being used as much because it was shut off.”…
A Clarksville couple transforms their bed and bath with the help of designer Beth Reed
While a roof leak presents obvious problems for homeowners, Lauren and Jonathan Nichols saw water damage to their property as an opportunity. “We discovered a slow leak over our shower that had caused the drywall to bubble,” Lauren recalls. “I have a hard time not doing anything all the way, so my husband said, This is your chance. Go big or go home.” A friend shared the name of Beth Reed, designer and owner of Design Actually, and Lauren reached out immediately. “I love to decorate, but with the scope of this project and everything we wanted to incorporate, I couldn’t imagine where to start,” she says. …
In Jonesboro, Beau Jones instills his remodel with a winning combination of polish and panache
When artist Beau Jones started looking for his first home, he had several must-haves: First, as an artist, a space to use as a working studio was vital. Second, he wanted plenty of walls to display his growing art collection. Lastly, he and his boyfriend, Cody, love to entertain, so rooms that could be versatile functionally were also important. When he found this home on the market, it fit the bill. “It had such good bones, and as I walked through, I could see myself giving it a more modern approach,” he says. …
Designer Carrie Kidd teams up with a friend to bring character, color, and charm to a Little Rock home
When Jill Storey Matthews first laid eyes on her Heights cottage, it had an overgrown exterior and dark interior palette. “You almost couldn’t see it from the street but I knew it had a lot of potential,” she says. Having lived in eight different homes—and remodeled every one—Jill wasn’t afraid of the challenge, and she set to work on a punch list of items to make the home her own. “There’s no perfect house unless you build it yourself,” she says. …
In Fayetteville, designer Melissa Haynes updates a family home to match the cheerful, fun-loving personalities of its owners
A beautiful setting, tight-knit neighbors, and a location in the heart of Fayetteville were just a few of the reasons this family loved their previous home. So when the chance to purchase a house in the same neighborhood with a larger yard and acreage presented itself, they couldn’t pass it up. “We actually bought our last house from this same couple, and were completely flattered when they called to say they would be moving again and wondered if we were interested in their home,” one of the owners explains. “It had amazing bones, and we knew it was a great fit,” she adds. …
Designer Katie Rees employs a light palette and industrial accents to bring transitional style to a formerly dark lodge
East of Little Rock sits a picturesque country retreat with an abundance of outdoor amenities and no shortage of peace and quiet. “We really fell in love with this property and wanted to be here all the time,” says one of the owners of the land and an existing home, which was originally meant to be a getaway. They sold their main residence in 2009, made a few practical updates to the cabin-like house, and moved there full time. However, after nearly a decade they were ready to give the space new life.
“It started with me coming out to tweak the kitchen and paint. Over time it turned into much more,” says designer Katie Rees of Katie Grace Designs. “They wanted it to be right.” After several conversations and with proper respect to the setting and the home, they settled on a style one of the owners refers to as a “modern farmhouse with industrial flair.” “We were going in a million different directions with ideas when Katie came along. She really helped us to pull it all together.”
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Designer Jonathan Parkey of J. Parkey blends patterns, styles, and collections to imbue a Jonesboro home with life and history
Like his path from Arkansas to New York and back, Jonathan Parkey’s design is anything but ordinary. A Jonesboro native, he moved to the Big Apple to pursue a career in theater after college in Michigan. Following a stint off Broadway, he found himself working in the fashion industry in luxury womenswear. “I opened up both retail spaces for the fashion startup I worked for, and that’s where I caught the bug of working in design professionally,” he says.
Four years ago, Jonathan moved back to Arkansas—“one of the best decisions I’ve ever made,” he says—where he works with design clients in both his hometown and Little Rock. When the owners of this home called him on board, Jonathan had a vision for the house that would help them feel like they’d lived there for years. “The previous homeowners built the house with so much care and purpose, so the bones were spectacular. This project was about taking the bones and stripping it down to fit the new homeowners’ style.”
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Jill White uses a cohesive palette and a heavy dose of current style to update a Little Rock family home
A burled wood console table offers a drop spot for mail and keys at the front entry. Garden stools and graphic art give a hint of what’s to come in the house.
When Jill White first met the owners of this Little Rock home, she knew that with several coats of fresh paint, a few updated furnishings, and some current accessories she could help them infuse their fun-loving style into their home. “This was a great house, but it wasn’t truly reflective of their personality,” she says. The couple had worked with Jimmy Lasley to build the home in 2007 but, as time had passed, hadn’t put the same attention to detail into the furnishings. “Even though it’s a newer home, they wanted someone to help them truly finish it out,” the designer says.
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Yeary Lindsey Architects and Jill White Designs team up to convert cramped quarters into a stylish family abode
When the owner of this recently renovated Little Rock home approached architects Ellen and Jim Yeary of Yeary Lindsey Architects, he didn’t foresee a full-scale remodeling job in his future. “He said, Hey, I need y’all to come look at this house—I just need to do a little work to it,” Ellen recalls. “A little work” evolved into a lot of work, and eventually, the house was hardly recognizable from the disjointed duplex it once was….
At Home in Arkansas offers you a look inside the state's most inspiring homes. The magazine features monthly advice from the experts to help you plan your next remodel or redesign, entertain at home, or find Arkansas's best kept secrets. It is your definitive guide to the state's finest homes and gardens, design professionals, fashion and entertaining essentials, and premier shops and showrooms.