Redesigning my Childhood Home

Post 2 - August 14th, 2025

Some of my earliest memories here are not inside the house at all. They are outside, exploring the land. I spent hours building forts in the woods, picking peaches in the orchard behind the house (even though at the time I never ate peaches), and enjoying the chickens, goats, and horses we had during different stages of my childhood. This land was my playground, and those memories are still woven into the soil, the trees, and now into the way I approach redesigning this home.

Coming back as the designer has been a unique experience. My goal was never to create a home I never had because my mom always made sure our house had personality. Instead, I wanted to add character and charm to an already sentimental place. I wanted to create a functional space that works for my niece and nephews, who spend their weekdays here while my sisters are teaching, and to weave in nods to our family history and the land we live on. My mom now helps raise this new generation in the same home and on the same land where my sisters and I grew up, and I want these spaces to be ones they will enjoy and utilize for years to come. That meant incorporating details like photos of herons like the ones that visit our pond and creating a timeless feel the moment you walk in.

I feel incredibly lucky that while I work on these projects, I get to watch my niece and nephews grow up here. I am part of their everyday routines, hearing their laughter echo through the same rooms I once played in. Knowing that I am helping shape the spaces where they will make their own childhood memories is something I do not take for granted.

There were no strict rules from my parents about what could or could not change. Still, there are pieces that will always remain in the house. My mom’s curio cabinet that holds her and my dad’s yearbooks and baby books. Her collection of pecan resin gnomes she has gathered over the years. Little markers of our life here that carry so much meaning.

We started the redesign in the garage and then moved into the kitchen, breakfast room, and dining room. Those spaces are now almost complete. One piece I loved reimagining was a large farmhouse-style dresser in the utility room. It had a shabby chic whitewash finish, but we repainted it to match the cabinets and swapped the hardware. Now it is refreshed, practical, and still tied to the home’s history.

Color has been a key part of the design. My mom gravitates toward blues and greens, and we have embraced those shades throughout the home. They are trending as the new neutrals, but for us they feel timeless. One of the biggest transformations came when Krystin McPhail, a local artist, hand-painted wallpaper in the kitchen and breakfast room. It completely shifted the energy of the space and gave it a one-of-a-kind touch that feels rooted in the community.

Working on this home means more to me than any client project. I want to get it right, but I also know it will always evolve. That is what makes it a home. My hope is that when people visit, they feel both the history of our family and the history of the land. This property has been in our family for generations, and it all lives within the home my dad built in the late 1990s.

In the past year of working on the house, there have been moments that remind me exactly why I love where I come from. One morning I pulled into the driveway and found the neighbors’ cows wandering through our front yard. It is not the norm for most, but it made me laugh and appreciate the quirks of the place I grew up. These moments, along with the wide open views and the ties to the land, are part of why I love our agricultural community so much.