GEORGIA PEACH

A 1970s ranch is remade with a healthy helping of Southern inspiration

Written by Bridget Williams / Photography by Rachel Lutz / Andrew Kung Group

Stepping inside the home of Georgia Grigor is a bold reminder to not judge a book by its cover. There’s no hint of the disco decade remaining on the inside of this 1970s-era ranch-style home, tucked away on a quiet cul-de-sac. The faux stone, wood paneling, low ceilings, and boxy rooms are a thing of the past, having given way to a groovy open floorplan and soothing color palette suited to present-day family life.

Previously residing in Washington, D.C., Georgia followed other family members who’d relocated to Lexington to help run the family business. Georgia said that the home required “a complete blow out” to realize her vision, which she said was heavy on inspiration culled from modern farmhouse boards on Pinterest and Joanna Gaines’ Magnolia Home. To help accomplish her goals, she relied on a team comprised of Graves Architects; her brother-in-law’s father, who served as the project’s general contractor; and interior designer and good friend Isabel Ladd.

“She made it clear that she wanted, light, bright and shiplap,” explained Isabel, who made a concerted effort to incorporate design inspiration that references Georgia’s Southern roots (she was born in a small town in Georgia), as well as her enduring love for hunting and the outdoors. “This house tells a story and everything here means something to me,” said Georgia.

Interior designer Isabel Ladd (left) with homeowner Georgia Grigor

Stepping through the front door places you squarely in the heart of the home: a singular high-ceilinged space that encompasses the living and dining rooms and the kitchen. Executed in white and wood tones with popsof green, the overall effect calls to mind a chic sporting club; a notion thatis underscored by the deer trophy mount prominently displayed above an antique pine chest of drawers in the dining area. Living color is provided by houseplants of varying sizes residing in natural fiber baskets and strategically placed around the space.

Magnolia-print upholstery on the host chairs and strategically placed houseplants add color to the largely monochromatic, open-concept living and dining areas.

This carefully edited abode ensures that even the smallest details get noticed. A strip of woven grasscloth trim bisects an x-base stool placed beneath a console table in the entry. “I am obsessed with trim,” said Isabel, who pointed out that small touches like this are an ideal way to make an off-the-shelf item feel more custom. A pair of benches in the same style is found at the foot of the bed in the master suite; this time executed in pale pink upholstery and trim.

A bookcase provides display space for Georgia’s collection of pitchers and pie plates, along with family heirlooms and mementos.

Other reworked pieces include an armchair in the living room; purchased at Pottery Barn, Isabel removed the yellow slipcover and reupholstered the piece in sumptuous mossy-colored velvet and banded the area just above the legs with black and white trim. She utilized scraps from the upholstery to increase the size of psychedelic pheasant-printed accent pillows, which she describes as “so weird and awesome.”

A barn door separates the bedrooms from the living areas. Charcoal-colored drapery hung from a brass rod above the front door and sidelights were added as a solution to provide privacy.

A pair of host chairs positioned at either end of a reclaimed heart pine dining table that Georgia found at an antique shop in Americus, Georgia, hail from Scout Antique & Modern. Ladd had the “gnarly orange” fabric replaced with a large-print magnolia design on a black background. “We tried to make everything about the deep South,” she explained.

The team worked with Chris Russell of Cucina Kitchen & Bath on the design of the kitchen, which delivers the requested shiplap on both the custom range hood and on an accent wall with open shelving. During the renovation, the architect reallocated a portion of the garage to make space for a mud room.

A rustic barn door conceals the bedrooms from the rest of the home. The wall surrounding the door is accentuated with shiplap. Speaking to her love of family as well as her skills as a collector, a bookcase next to the barn door highlights the sculptural beauty to be found when simple, utilitarian objects are displayed en masse, such as her collection of pitchers and pie plates in subtly varying shades of white. A pair of airtight jars hold a collection of Georgia’s grandparent’s German silverware, while a rustic colander serves as a repository for antler sheds. Part of a recurring motif, a trio of ceramic quail seems to march across an upper shelf. “You can say I went a little quail overboard around here,” said Georgia with a laugh.

The ceiling of the master bedroom is clad in wood reclaimed from a farm belonging to the homeowner’s parents.

The trey ceiling in the master bedroom is clad in wood reclaimed from Georgia’s parent’s chestnut tree farm. While it took some convincing to get the self-professed non-girly girl to allow pink and blush as accent colors, the final result, when combined with a contemporary iron pendant light fixture with crystal drops, represents just the right mix of sweet southern sass.