Fresh Appeal

Matthew Morgan of The Details blends style influences to create a gracious dining room in Fort Smith ot long after tying the knot, Sheryl and Bill Steve Walker knew a redesign was in order at Bill Steve’s longtime Fort Smith residence. The house felt dark and dated, with chopped up rooms and heavy wood cabinetry. Envisioning a lighter, brighter home, the couple hired Carrington Creek Homes to reconfigure the floor plan, replace flooring, and update millwork and cabinetry.

While these changes helped the home feel more current, the challenge came in marrying the couple’s divergent design tastes: Bill Steve is a hunter with a penchant for rustic and African-inspired elements, and Sheryl desires a more feminine approach with touches of bling. To find the sweet spot between their styles, they called Fayetteville interior designer Matthew Morgan, who came on board before renovations began. “The goal was to mix botanicals and contemporary, feminine pieces with a Ralph Lauren-inthe-wild look,” he says. “It was difficult to create that balance.”

Inspired by lush banana leaf plants around the house—and Bill Steve’s backyard greenhouses—the designer covered the dining room walls with a bold floral pattern. “If you look out the windows, even in the depths of winter, you see blues and greens. I wanted to bring that nature inside,” Matthew says.

Against the back wall, the team removed mirrored wall paneling between a pair of built-ins to create a special focal point in the center: an old world-style oil painting that would be equally at home in a hunting lodge as it is in this sophisticated space. They also replaced the drawer and cabinet door fronts, added custom glass inserts, installed a new quartzite countertop, and gave everything a fresh coat of white paint.

While keeping the couple’s antique dining table and chairs, Matthew selected a modern bowl-style light to replace the room’s existing iron chandelier. “The home has a fresh, inviting feeling, and they adore it,” he says, noting the best results often come from taking risks in design. “If you’re in your comfort zone, I’ve failed. When working with an interior designer, go 15% past what's expected and you’ll wind up with something really special.”

1

Floral Focus

Taking inspiration from Bill Steve’s green thumb, Matthew selected a boisterous floral wallcovering (“Watercolor Poppy” by Carey Lind Designs for York) in a green and white colorway that reflects the home’s verdant surroundings.

2

Outdoor Inspiration

Nods to the natural world continue overhead. Schumacher’s “Stargaze” covers the coffered ceiling, bringing to mind the night sky, while a sculptural, shellinspired light fixture by Aerin for Visual Comfort mimics a natural wonder from under the sea.

3

Built On A Classic

One of Matthew’s most strongly held beliefs is to repurpose quality furnishings when possible. “You can turn your existing pieces into something completely new and one-of-a-kind that you will love,” he says. To this end, he added custom skirts to Sheryl’s antique Hepplewhite chairs to completely freshen the look. “It gives the room a whole new softness.”

4

Form Meets Function

Clean-lined cabinetry and transitional hardware bring current style to balance the room’s more traditional elements, while a crystal detail on the drawer knobs delivers a dose of glam. New quartzite countertops create a convenient bar or serving area during parties.

Never say never—that’s the lesson learned by Joy Ellis, owner of Skylark Cafe in Leslie. She was born and raised in the small Ozarks town and during that time, her mom owned a café on Main Street, which she sold when Joy was 16. “She said, ‘Joy, you might want to take this over,’ and I was like, ‘I’m never going to have a restaurant,’” she recalls.

After an internship in Austin, Texas, Joy was drawn back to Leslie with the desire to buy and fix up an old house. “My mom really loves cool, small houses, and that rubbed off on me,” she says. She bought the Dr. J. O. Cotton House, a 1915 Craftsmanstyle home on the National Register of Historic Places. She thought it might make a nice bookstore or coffee shop, and she recruited family members to help gut and restore the residence to its former time period. “People did some terrible things to old houses in the ’70s and ’80s,” she says, laughing. “We tried to take it back to what it was and keep it as original as possible.”

Today, you can visit the Dr. J. O. Cotton House not as a bookstore or coffee shop, but as the charming Skylark Cafe. Over the years, there have been changes to the restaurant Joy swore she'd never own; for example, her sister took over the business for a stint when she moved to Austin for a change of pace. When Joy returned, her husband, Denver—a Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef—came on board, and they incorporated more barbecue and Tex Mex flavorings into the menu. “We still have a lot of classics, but Denver brought his culinary expertise and really upped our game,” she says.

People come from all over to visit the Searcy County restaurant, which makes a perfect stop along the trek from Little Rock to Eureka Springs or for those looking to for a sit-down meal on trips to the Buffalo River. “We have a good percentage of locals, but our bread and butter is people going to Branson, Mountain View, places like that,” she says. The location is part of why Joy decided to move back to the Ozarks in the first place. Now, she and Denver have three children and make the most of the region’s rich opportunities. “We spend most of the summer out there on the Buffalo. We pack an ice chest and floaties and stay all day at Tyler Bend or Grinder’s Ferry,” she says. “Arkansas is just so nice. Even when the river is too low, or it’s too hot, we can hit the spring-fed creeks.

Life Discover

Last night we found a new trail with little waterfalls. I’ve lived here my whole life and there are still things to discover wherever we go.”

In the past couple of years, the Ellises have expanded their business with the addition of a neighboring field where children can run and play right outside the restaurant’s doors. They also hope to grow vegetables and flowers on the land. In 2021, they opened Little Hill Shop, a gift store featuring local artists and makers. “We felt like in this area, we didn’t have a place to buy gifts for people. We’re 45 minutes from Walmart. We wanted to make a space where people can shop for something special,” she says. “The thing about rural areas is if you have a dream, you can kind of just create it. Things are affordable, so there are opportunities. If you do something well, people will appreciate you.” Read on for more of our favorite ways to discover the Ozarks.

Shop

T-shirts, candles, home goods, children’s books—there’s something for everyone at THE LITTLE HILL SHOP (instagram.com/ thelittlehillshop) in Leslie. Just outside of town, don’t miss SERENITY FARM BREAD (serenityfarmbread.com), a bakery specializing in old-world sourdough bread. In Eureka Springs, foodies will want to visit GOURMET EUREKA (gourmet-eureka. com) for a selection of tea and spices from around the globe as well as kitchenware, coffee, and local canned goods.

Dine

A trip through the Ozarks isn’t complete without lunch at SKYLARK CAFE (skylarkforever.com). Try the BBQ Chicken Quesadillas or Smoked Brisket Tacos, but be sure to save room for one of their fresh-daily desserts. In Eureka Springs, make a reservation for a night out at GROTTO (grottoeureka.com), a wood-fired grill with an intimate atmosphere made even more enchanting by the cave walls surrounding the underground restaurant. Get your brunch fix at Eureka’s THE SPRING ON MAIN (thespringonmain.com), where eggs benedict, charcuterie, and craft cocktails are the name of the game.

Visit

On April 1, EUREKA SPRINGS SCHOOL OF THE ARTS (essa-art. org) hosts Hands On ESSA, a free event welcoming people of all ages to try something new, from watercolor and wheelthrown pottery to woodturning, weaving, and welding. Local artists and craftspeople will be offering live demonstrations and leading hands-on activities. The 60th annual ARKANSAS FOLK FESTIVAL takes place April 14-15 in Mountain View. Visit the town’s downtown square for a market of artisan vendors, live music, and a parade—all free, open to the public, and in celebration of the region’s rich crafting traditions.