The moment Lindsey Ellis Beatty first visited her family’s envisioned house in Mountain Brook, Alabama, the magazine’s former editor was shocked, not necessarily for the house’s 1950s style, but for the small details. “I loved the doors and the hardware,” she states. The sprawling corner lot, adorned with a muscadine berry, is equally appealing. “With three boys, my husband, Kevin, and I were like, ‘Oh my gosh, that yard is amazing,’ ” she says. “The lot and location were most appealing, and I thought, ‘I can fix the house and make it livable.'”
“I was the style director for Southern Living and Coastal Living. My style is a blend of both styles,” says Beatty. “I am a fan of anything traditional, but I also love spacious spaces. My style is Palm Beach, Florida, and a touch New Orleans.”
For their young family, it was necessary to convert an attic space into a sleeping area, transforming the old darkroom into a play space and filling every room with a comfortable sofa and vivid colors. Since the house was built, they’ve reimagined the place to meet the changing needs of their family.
“That’s one thing about us: Nothing stays the same for long,” Beatty says. Beatty. “We’re constantly shifting furniture, changing the layout of rooms and moving people from one place to another. We’re constantly rethinking the way we live in our home.”
For instance, the darkroom, which was once a playroom, has become her office, while their sons’ playroom is an area for recreation at the bottom of their home. “As everybody grows, what we need changes,” she declares. “That’s one of the things that I liked to this house right from the beginning. It’s a versatile layout. There are numerous ways to utilize it.”
Even as the home is bending and flexing, it’s one thing that has yet to change the front doors of Beatty’s beloved that she painted with a chalky palm springs-inspired color ( Benjamin Moore’s Victoriana 1263) immediately after the family moved into the “I talk about repainting the doors every other month,” Beatty admits. “Kevin always says, leave them to themselves! They look nice, and they work with the home. It’s your style!” In this article, Beatty describes her strategies for a gorgeous, comfortable, personal, family-friendly home.
Prioritize Comfortable (And Practical) Upholstery
“When we first moved in, I had camelback sofas, which I loved, but they’re just not conducive to watching football,” says Beatty. She swapped the top perches for a more comfortable one packed with bright shades of pillows. “Color is a great camouflage for all mishaps when you have kids, so I like to use a lot of it.” Beatty upholstered two chairs with stripes by Schumacher, an ottoman, and an armchair with a Quadrille fabric pattern. The durable white material is a surprising success for furniture suitable for families. “You can bleach it, so it’s much easier to clean than gray or beige,” she says.
Make Room For Little Things
“As a stylist, I like to have places to arrange accessories on–so I love a small end table,” says Beatty, who employed a pair in the cozy living room near the cooking area.
Carve Out Rooms That Suit Your Taste
Beatty’s classic meets beachy style design is evident in the dining area in which she set an old-fashioned dining table she found in a Destin, Florida, antiques shop with painted Chippendale rattan chairs. To make her white furniture stand out, she sprayed the walls with a vibrant Netherfield wallpaper by Osborne & Little. “I’m not sure whether this is our ‘forever home,’ but I never think about resale when decorating,” she declares. “I just go with whatever I love.”
Don’t Shy Away From A Statement
“I like an all-white kitchen–don’t get me wrong–but I wish people would take more risks with that space,” says Beatty. In her own home, she followed her advice and covered the entire length and width of a wall with the Popham Designs Sea Glass-colored Goa tile. It’s a practical move, too. The designer notes, “The whole wall behind the stove is a working area of the kitchen, so it made sense to pull the tile all the way up.” The practicality of the space also played a role in the lighting. Instead of hanging pendants above the island that would have highlighted the space’s lack of symmetry and obstructed the view, she picked ceramic flush mounts made from Cedar and Moss.
Come Up With Creative workarounds.
The main bedroom’s style started at the foot of the bed. “I loved the lines of it, but the fabric is gray-beige, which is a shade I typically avoid,” she explains. But recovering the frame was likely to cost a lot of time and money, so she embraced its neutrality instead, covering the space with Jungle Leaves by York Wallcoverings. To add a bit of oomph, she added aqua window treatments and mint and peachy coral throw pillows. “I like colorful, collected rooms that look like they evolved over time,” Beatty adds. Beatty. “I’m a maximalist and feel most at ease when surrounded by pattern and color, but I always try to balance the two.”
Go All In On Earthy Textures
Beatty added a splash of style to her primary bathroom with some serious design savvy by combining a variety made of organic materials. “I picked a bunch of things I love and packed them in together: zellige tile for the tub, terra-cotta on the floor, polished brass fixtures, and Erika M. Powell Textiles’ printed grass cloth on the walls,” says the designer. “I have a tendency to avoid natural wood, but decided to use it on the vanity. It gives the room the appearance of an island feel.”
Use Your Imagination
“We love our deck now, but it was a disaster when we bought the house,” Beatty says. Beatty. “It had a tree growing up through the middle.” As was removing the tree, the new railings and paint were a huge help. The furniture for the outdoor was found at a Find at Target and was transformed with new fabric and paint. “We start Saturdays out here with coffee and end them here with cocktails,” she says.
