Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: A Home That Honors Family in Little Rock
A third-generation homeowner keeps her family history at the forefront of a thoughtful remodel
This 1930 storybook cottage in Little Rock, Arkansas, has been in the homeowner’s family for three generations, and has always been a gathering spot for friends and loved ones. When the house was passed down to the homeowner in 2015, she was determined to keep its original spirit alive. A heartfelt makeover of the home incorporates stylish new finds with a bevy of family antiques and heirlooms.
The front door opens to the living room, which the homeowner uses as a quiet retreat for reading and as an overflow space when hosting parties. The antique settee is a family heirloom re-covered in a coral-hued silk fabric that pairs well with two new Chippendale-style chairs in a similar shade. Interior designer Kathryn J. LeMaster says the color of the original brick fireplace made the feature too prominent, so it’s now covered in white paint to better blend into its surroundings.
The homeowner, an avid gardener, had high hopes for the former screened-in porch that had turned into a glorified storage locker over the years. The space has been transformed into a garden room with a new cement floor, ceiling-mounted pipes for hanging plants, a watering sink made out of a galvanized steel tub and a potting table. The light blue ceiling is a nod to the old Southern myth claiming that a blue ceiling helps ward off bugs and evil spirits.
One of the porch’s arched windows became a doorway allowing for direct access to the side yard. The same type of flagstone used for the front stoop was again used to create a new stoop in front of the stained cedar door.
LeMaster says that a large center island made the original kitchen a tight squeeze. “It’s not a very large kitchen to begin with, but with the island, there was only 2 feet between the wall cabinets and the island. I always recommend at least a 3-foot clearance, and even that’s cutting it close.” The designer calls the decision to remove the island a “no-brainer.”
The homeowner wanted two distinct stations for the new galley kitchen: one for cooking and one for baking. In the cooking station, having easy access to supplies was the goal. A metal rod above the stove holds pans and utensils, and a magnetic rack keeps knives handy to the left of the stove. A set of open shelves made from stained cypress lets the homeowner grab serving ware without having to rifle through cabinets.
The kitchen’s baking station features a quartz countertop that LeMaster says looks almost identical to limestone but with the durability of composite stone. The large central cabinet below the counter includes a pullout shelf for the homeowner’s Kitchen Aid mixer. A prep sink at the end of the counter makes for easy cleanup.
Kitchen Counters: Stunning, Easy-Care Engineered Quartz
Kitchen Counters: Stunning, Easy-Care Engineered Quartz
A former laundry room off the kitchen has been converted into a cheerfully colored home office. The two glass-front cabinet doors came from the original kitchen. “It broke my client’s heart to rip out the old kitchen cabinets, so we saved two of them to reuse in the office,” LeMaster says.
The family room was added to the home in the mid-1990s and features wood-paneled walls. “This is the room that my client spends most of her time in, so we wanted to make it very cozy and comfortable,” LeMaster says. The big splurge in the room is a custom down-filled sofa covered in a subtle herringbone linen. The abstract painting over the fireplace is by local artist V. Noe.
LeMaster says that when she took her first walk-through of the house, the homeowner pointed out a yellow-framed painting sitting in a closet and told her that she wanted it to be used somewhere in the house. The family heirloom now hangs over the bed in the master bedroom and is the inspiration for the room’s design. The painting’s antique yellow hue is reflected in the curtain and pillow fabric. Shades of gray were selected for the wall paint, rug and bedding to complement the yellow.
The honeycomb-patterned Walker Zanger tile selected for the master bathroom shower surround inspired the choice of light blue paint for the walls. The modern and airy space also features a porcelain tile floor that gives the appearance of gray-stained parquet wood but allows for radiant heating underneath.
“One of the first things my client told me was that she wanted a purple room somewhere in the house. I don’t think she even particularly likes purple — she just thought it would be neat to have a purple room,” LeMaster says. The homeowner’s wishes came true with a lilac-hued guest bedroom that includes two twin beds with antique headboards. The room is a mix of high and low, with its luxurious custom-made bedding and curtains existing happily alongside a campaign desk from Target.
LeMaster drew this rendering of the home’s floor plan with colored pencils.
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Location: Little Rock, Arkansas
Who lives here: A single retired homeowner
Size: About 2,500 square feet (about 232 square meters); three bedrooms, two bathrooms
Design: Kathryn J. LeMaster Art & Design
The home’s exterior received a few small but significant updates: A flagstone stoop replaced the former concrete one, a fresh coat of cream-toned paint on the trim now covers a previous coat of dingy white, and a new front door provides better insulation and energy efficiency than the original arched front door.