WHEN DESIGN STYLES COLLIDE — HOW TO PERSONALIZE YOUR NEW HOME

By Wendy Smit

I frequently drive down a road in Nashville that has me passing beautiful historic southern homes and gorgeous new builds in one short drive. There is one home I drive by every day that has always caught my eye. You can tell it was recently built, but it exudes a warm Tuscan charm, nestled in rolling green hills no less, that will certainly stand the test of time.

The day the call came from the new homeowners saying they needed help furnishing the 6,000+ square-foot home, I jumped at the opportunity to see the interior of the custom-built home I have admired from afar for so long.

Like several of my clients over the past year, this family came from the West Coast and didn’t want to bring all their old furniture with them. The scope of work included furnishing the entire home, changing some flooring, and painting all the rooms in less than two months.

PHOTOS BY ALLISON ELEFANTE

PHOTOS BY ALLISON ELEFANTE

As I’d imagined, no expense was spared on the hard finishes inside the home when it was built, however, the clients had a few requested tweaks to help it feel more like their home. The interior of the house leaned on the rustic side, and their style was more transitional. In a majority of the projects that aren’t new builds, my team is always looking for the perfect way to bring the client’s vision to life, while honoring the architecture and style of the home. In most of the rooms, we were able to simply do this with new furniture and paint, however, they wanted a much larger overhaul in the primary bedroom.

In the primary bedroom, we removed the rustic feeling of the barn wood ceiling and floors by painting the ceiling to match the trim color and bringing in a beautiful plush carpet. With all new furniture, cozy finishes, and expansive views, one can’t help but feel relaxed in this bedroom.

One of my favorite rooms in the house I worked on was the boys’ room. Both of their names start with the letter B, so when I saw the perfect art prints, I jumped at the chance to call out the older and younger brother with uppercase and lowercase letter B’s. It’s personal touches like this that go a long way in making a new house and city feel a bit more like home, especially for kids. I also created a space they can grow into with the heavy-duty aluminum aviation-inspired beds and investing in quality, sturdy furniture pieces.

PHOTOS BY ALLISON ELEFANTE

PHOTOS BY ALLISON ELEFANTE

This client loves to entertain, so creating extra seating wherever we could was a top priority. Our team achieved this by adding stools under console tables that can be easily pulled out as needed, utilizing an oversized modular sectional in the bonus room, and maximizing seating in the dining spaces.

This project will always hold a special place in the history of WSI as it was our first time designing a home gym. It was a room that had no prior definition so we added doors to the room, mirrors, a padded floor, workout equipment, and a wellness corner where my client could relax, unwind, and meditate. One request we don’t get very often is to design with pinks and deep reds, so I loved selecting the color for this room. We ordered many samples, but the clear winner was Hint of Mauve by Benjamin Moore.

Full-scale projects like this are a labor of love and seeing them come to a close is always bittersweet. However, when I know my client is loving every inch of their gorgeous new home, that makes all the hard work worth it for me and the design team.

For more information on Wendy Smit Interiors visit WendySmitInteriors.com or follow them on social media at @wendysmitinteriors.

WENDY SMIT is the owner and principal designer at Wendy Smit Interiors. Specializing in residential design in Williamson County and beyond, Wendy Smit Interiors offers a variety of services to bring your design dream to life. From washing the dishes to curling up on the couch after a long day, their goal is to make those everyday moments more enjoyable, beautiful, and functional.