Tour This Revamped 1930s Nashville Cottage

Light and open kitchen and dining room
Photography by Alyssa Rosenheck

Unsatisfied with the dated, cramped kitchen design that played up the Formica countertops and red-and-yellow color scheme of the 90s, Lacey decided a full rennovation was in order. She had the dining area and kitchen integrated into one open room, with an island and a large dining table defining the two spaces. Fresh white walls were complemented with pale gray cabinets. “I really love the wooden table in the dining room,” she says, noting the slipcovered bench and big leather wing chairs are among her favorite things about the new kitchen. “I just adore that room because it’s really the heart of the house. You can see the fireplace and the front door and the kitchen. Sitting there with friends and the kids is one of my favorite things to do.”

Young boy's room with gray walls and colorful accents
Photography by Alyssa Rosenheck

Her children’s bedrooms and a shared bathroom round out the main level of the home. With Julie’s help, Lacey was able to capture a hint of each child’s personality to work into the little spaces. “Her son had a hand in picking everything for his room, within reason,” Julie says. “We went for the light gray so it can easily change as he gets older. We don’t want to make everything Batman now and then have to change it in a couple of years.”

daybed in light pink little girl's room
Photography by Alyssa Rosenheck

Lacey’s daughter, a few years older and more decisive, wanted pink. Julie used a toned down version of the dreamy hue on the walls and complemented it with light pink curtains with gray rosettes to make the room a little girl’s dream. Just as the old cottage was revived, furniture from Lacey’s past finally found new life in the children’s rooms. “The brass and iron daybed in my daughter’s room was my bed as a little girl,” Lacey says. “And the bedside table and triple dresser in my son’s room belonged to my mother as a teenager—so it’s authentically Mid-century modern.”

Style Idea

When decorating a room for a small child, start with a base of light colors and neutrals, then add colorful throw pillows and accessories to reflect their personality or favorite characters. This makes it easier to match décor to a child’s ever-changing favorites.