SOUTHERN COMFORTS
Editor’s Note: This is the first of a bi-monthly series in which The Red & Black will visit students’ homes and observe individual and interesting things they have done to decorate their houses or apartments. If you or someone you know has done something unique with your space, e-mail us at variety@randb.com.
A quintet of juniors has an eye for color and a keen sense of style – they have made a charming house livable and lively.
Anna Averett, an interior design major from Columbus; Lane White, a marketing major from Columbus; Eliza McArthur, a sociology major from Vidalia; Meredith McBee, an advertising major from Dallas, Texas; and Allison Cairns, a Spanish and magazines major from Jacksonville, Fla. have created a cozy space on Woodland Hill Drive that is both welcoming and sophisticated.
To unify their leftovers from dorm life and parents’ unwanted castoffs, they first recovered a well-made but dingy couch in spiffy autumnal red, brown and green stripes. The remaining chairs they slipcovered in mustard yellow which are offset by soft cream walls.
Neutral colors amplify the feminine pillows, candles and paintings that accent the room.
Near the kitchen the girls placed a large still life by local folk artist Cecil Allee. It compliments a screen window transformed into a canvas, with hand-painted sunflowers. It’s the little details that stand out in this house – for example, a dried flower arrangement on the dining room table and a birdhouse painted with poppies.
DIY: How to Distress a Bed
To distress a bed, a picture frame or wooden cabinets, avoid bright whites and colors. Instead, pick a soft hue, and on a sunny day, paint outside if you can. Use two coats of paint, letting the first coat dry before applying the second. Buy a rough grade of sandpaper and scour corners and molded edges to expose the original color underneath. It’s easy to do and adds character to your object.
The Southern style is kept simple by masculine touches, too — exposed wood floors, an oriental rug, bamboo shades and a leather ottoman. The key is creating beauty without overwhelming or cluttering.
The girls saved money by shopping at TJ Maxx, Target and Pier One.
By adding a few affordable, small touches, like changing a few lampshades on used lamps and spray-painting a metal rack from white to brown, the girls made everything work.
Some of the bigger splurges in the house were Anthropologie pin-tucked bedding and print chairs.
In addition to the bedding, White created English country house flair by distressing her great-grandmother’s bed. Her idea was painting the wooden bed with two coats of cream color to match her dresser and desk. Averett used African beads she found in an Atlanta flea market to create funky brown and cream lamp bases for her bedroom.
Outside, the girls took original Bourbon Street bar benches and gave them new life with fresh paint.
The house breathes freshness, youth and fun while still pulling off a chic decor and without being overdone.
