BLUSHING BEAUTY

THE HOLIDAY ISSUE

Home

SEASONAL CHARM Blushing Beauty

Shades of pink and vintageinspired accessories inspire this Little Rock home’s Christmas décor

WRITER TIFFANY ADAMS PHOTOGRAPHER RETT PEEK STYLIST LAUREN CERRATO

A Louis XVI bust sits atop the large-scale island. “He’s probably my ultimate favorite piece I’ve ever bought, and he travels all around the house,” Anna says of the resin statue, which is easier to relocate than it may appear.

AnnA Dickinson likes to think outsiDe the box.

Having spent a number of years in the design industry, formerly as the owner of Little Rock home design store White Goat and now as owner and lead wedding designer and planner at Perception by Anna, she’s been exposed to a variety of styles. This continues to push her to go beyond the norm when it comes to her own home.

After starting their family in a smaller house, she and her husband, Thomas, felt the need for more space, which prompted a move to a nearby neighborhood. “I walked into this house, and it had the aesthetic appeal I was looking for. I especially liked the wide plank floors, the beams, and these unique little latches on all of the doorknobs,” she says. Anna hired Katie Rees of Katie Grace Designs to help her “put the puzzle pieces together,” using her collection of vintage home goods along with a few new additions. “I can walk into a wedding venue or someone else’s home and tell you exactly where to put things because I’m not personally attached to them; but it’s much different in your own home,” she says.

The same goes for her Christmas décor, which was brought to life by Tanarah Luxe Floral. “Anna epitomizes the word whimsical, and at Christmas, with all of its magic, I can’t think of a better way to be,” owner Tanarah Haynie says. “I had never done pink before,” Anna says of the palette’s main hue, “but I found a pompom tassel that I thought was really fun. I took it to Tanarah and she said, I can do pink Christmas!” “I don’t want to walk in someone else’s home and see the same things as I have in mine. I love it when people ask, Where’d you get that?” she says.

KITCHEN CHARACTER The Dickinsons were fortunate to purchase a home with a recently updated kitchen and, therefore, did little to the space outside of bringing in personal style through barstools, rugs, and accessories. Midcentury modern chairs and an upholstered bench pair with a vintage marble-top table to create a cozy breakfast nook (above). The artwork over the banquette was purchased at a fundraiser for juvenile diabetes and was a joint creation by a child involved with the organization and artist Eleanor Dickinson, who is also Anna’s sister-in-law.

“I don’t want to walk in someone else’s home and see the same things as I have in mine. I love it when people ask, Where’d you get that?”

—Anna Dickinson, homeowner

ROOM AT THE TABLE Last year was the first time Anna and Thomas hosted his side of the family for their 30-year tradition of Christmas breakfast together. Anna purchased the marble table, which can seat 12, with this gathering in mind. She kept the original chandelier and paired it with contemporary wishbone chairs with fur seats to mix old with new. Pink chargers at each place setting and magnolia wreaths on the interior of the windows carry the holiday theme throughout the home.

SITTING PRETTY “This is my room,” Anna says of the sitting room where the family tree is on display. “I love everything about this space, especially that so many of the pieces are vintage.” Case in point, the Queen Anne chairs, antique Oushak rug, and refurbished midcentury modern coffee table, all of which fit together in a seemingly effortless reflection of her personal style. Additionally, the monarch-style portraits and bull horn are both finds from one of Anna’s trips to the antique markets in Round Top, Texas.

ALL IN THE DETAILS Clockwise from top left: Tanarah Luxe Floral topped the sitting room’s mirrored chest with fresh flowers and greenery along with pink accents to complement the scheme. They also dressed the staircase with a garland featuring faux poinsettias, shimmering greenery, and striped ribbon. Anna and Thomas’s daughters, Evelyn and Mary Harmon, collect Nutcracker figurines (seen on the shelf), each adding a new one to the group every year. Anna collects Cody Foster & Co. Christmas houses to fill the shelves of an alcove with vintage-inspired charm. At one time Anna had shoe forms in her store, White Goat, and had always regretted selling them. After spotting a few at Tanarah Luxe Floral, she asked their team to weave them into the holiday design.

WHITE SPACE Working in the wedding industry where she sees numerous palettes, textures, and motifs, Anna says she wanted to be able to come home to a “clean, serene, and subtle white bedroom.” “Working from home over the past few months, it’s been so nice for me to be able to come upstairs at the end of the day and have this separation from work,” she adds.

Design Resources CHRISTMAS DÉCOR Tanarah Luxe Floral CONTRACTOR (ORIGINAL) Jack Hartsell Construction INTERIOR DESIGN Perception by Anna and Katie Grace Designs ACCESSORIES Cobblestone & Vine and Tanarah Luxe Floral ART Anna Dickinson Art, Eleanor Dickinson Art, and Lauren Meredith Art CABINETRY, COUNTERTOPS, AND FIREPLACE (ORIGINAL) Jack Hartsell Construction FABRICS Cynthia East Fabrics FURNITURE Cantrell Furniture Design Center, Cobblestone & Vine, Katie Grace Designs, South Main Creative, Sweet Home Furnishings & clement., and Tanarah Luxe Floral PAINT Sherwin-Williams WALLPAPER Katie Grace Designs WINDOW COVERINGS Cynthia East Fabrics and Simply Charming Window Works & Design