Country Living Magazine Cover’s New Old House Project

As a long-time fan of Country Living magazine, earning their February cover featuring a beautiful new home I worked on was so exciting!   We gave this new Franklin TN home a little patina and age to achieve a more rustic, relaxed feel.

To share more of this gorgeous home and and lots of tips on how to create your own dream house, I'll be speaking at the upcoming Country Living Fair THIS WEEKEND! Details and a ticket giveaway are below! 

The February cover story was especially meaningful because the homeowner, Mandy Reeves,  has been a dear friend for almost 30 years. She has impeccable taste and had a very clear vision for her new home, built by Carbine & Associates in the Franklin area. So, how do you create an "Old" new house?  Here are my tips on adding age and interest to new construction.

1. Incorporate vintage or antique architectural elements during construction.  For example, add old transoms over doors for extra height, shiplap to walls for texture and stained glass pieces for color.

   

2. Display family heirlooms in a fun new way.  Pretty lace doilies mounted on natural linen and framed in lucite shadow boxes are given new life.  For extra impact use four or more and hang in a grid pattern.

   

3. Add Texture! Consider seagrass floor covering, vintage or grasscloth wallpaper and reclaimed wood floors.  Find what you love and you’ll find a place for it.

   

4. Create curb appeal. Add limestone, cast iron, and reclaimed brick to the exterior.  Also, bold additions like large antique planters to flank the front entrance are beautiful and welcoming.
5. Befriend your landscaper.  Get advice on what plants grow quickly, stay green and endure unpredictable weather.  Then, add a pergola and plant wisteria at its base.  Within three years, you’ll have a gorgeous outdoor retreat that feels like it’s been there for ages.

These are just some of the tips we used to achieve that old farmhouse feel for the Reeves’s home. I’ll be talking about some of these elements and steps for creating a happy home at the Country Living Fair this Friday, April 22 at 3 p.m. at the James E Ward Agricultural Center, Lebanon, TN. 

Want to win tickets? Join me on Instagram for your chance to win!

Are you interested in scheduling an interior design consult? We've got several different ways we can work together. Check out our Interior Design Services.

Nashville Flipped Airs This Wednesday on DIY Network

I have been dying to share with you all that has happened in the past several months.  In late summer of last year I was asked to join the team of Nashville Flipped, a TV show that will air on the DIY network starting this Wednesday!

The show was created to follow, builder and house flipper, Troy Shafer, as he finds, restores, and ultimately saves old, neglected homes from being torn down.  

The houses we worked on for the first season were in and around Nashville and varied in age and style, but all were in disrepair and needed a lot of love to return to their former glory.  Each 30 minute episode follows our steps as we learn about a home’s history and then work quickly and thoughtfully to renovate it and get it on the market to sell.

Though the months we filmed were hectic, to say the least, I loved my “second job!” To keep my first love, my interior design business on track, my team, Brooke, Amy, and Rachel worked so hard, and I had lots of early morning and late nights playing catch up.  

But the people on the crew were wonderful to work with, and I made great friends while learning all about the entertainment industry.  Of course, I knew absolutely nothing about the process of filming a TV show or being on camera.  But when the opportunity fell into my lap, I was excited to take the leap and learn.  It was so much fun to do what I love on another platform, sharing decorating ideas and tips while working on a tight budget and a tight timeline.

I’ll be writing about my experience on each episode just after it airs to give a behind the scenes look at what we did and how we made it happen.  So stay tuned for more details, and please tune in (or set your DVR!) this Wednesday night, April 13th at 9pm central to watch our first two episodes! 

xo

grandest grand opening!

We are so thankful to be celebrating the official opening of our new office and retail showroom!

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Julie Couch and Dana Tucker

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God has blessed us over the past eight years beyond belief. Scarlett, our lead designer, may be the biggest blessing to our business but also to my life. I could write a novel about her kindness, but if you meet her you’ll know within minutes that she has the biggest heart in the whole world. Rachel has been a wonderful asset to our showroom and is able to juggle the craziness of client installs and leisurely shoppers.  She has great style and great taste- not to mention a sweet heart.  Amy is our newest team member and has seamlessly become an integral part of our team.  Her kindness and design expertise make her a perfect fit especially for our commercial projects.  And Jordan who has been with us for almost 3 years is the most proactive and hard-working  designer around! She is fun and funny, but she takes her role seriously and is fabulous working with our fabulous clients!

We had dozens of wonderful friends come out to support us, and we are so thankful for that! The showroom and design studio is complete, and we are loving working here!

Rob Bolin provided incredible live music and Jordan provided her specialty homemade J-Fo pimento.

Please stop by and shop with us! Monday- Friday 10-5.

xo, jc

southern porch perfection

I was so pleased when the fabulous ladies at Style Blueprint asked me to share one of my projects with them.  Just in time for warm weather, they asked for an outdoor living space to show their readers.

And it just so happens that an amazing client and now good friend, Allison, has one fantastic space she was kind enough to let me photograph and show off to all the SB readers.

So, grab some inspiration from these photos, a glass of lemonade, and relax as you check out all the ideas we made happen for her in this amazing, newly added, screened porch.

And in case you missed it, click here to see the full post with my 12 must-haves for your soon to be favorite summer space!

xo, jc