Happily ever after
YOUNG COUPLE BUILD DREAM HOME IN CABOT
When Ryan and Tiffanee Miller decided to build their first home when they were in their mid-20s, they said some people were skeptical of their plans because of their young age. After only five months of building, however, they were able to move into their new home in the Greystone area of Cabot.
“We’re not very old to be owning a home this nice,” Tiffanee said, “but we enjoy it, and we’re glad we saved for it.”
ECLECTIC STYLE
The home boasts a neo-eclectic design with inspiration drawn from a medley of sources, and the front porch offers a Craftsman vibe with cedar posts and a tongue-and-groove ceiling, from which dangles a magnificent metal chandelier. Dark-brown finishings and handmade shutters add warmth to the gray-brick exterior, which sets the home apart from its redbrick neighbors.
Inside, a gray palette with industrial qualities mingles with farmhouse touches to create an atmosphere that is both crisp and cozy. Dark hardwood floors offer a rich contrast to the home’s gray walls and white trim. The TV show Fixer Upper sparked many of the interior design ideas, Tiffanee said.
“I thought I was really Fixer Upper farmhouse style, and I am, but I also like the industrial-modern side of things,” she added.
In fact, she said, the clean-cut white gaslog fireplace in the living room is the same as the one in the bedroom of the show’s host, Joanna Gaines. The fireplace creates an excellent focal point with exposed shiplap, upon which hangs a giant barebones clock. Opposite the fireplace, floating shelves made from repurposed wood display knickknacks and family photos, and an oversized metal ceiling fan hangs overhead.
The living room is open to the kitchen, where the industrial-farmhouse style runs through gray cabinets, metal light fixtures, a subway-tile backsplash and a barnyard-inspired stainless-steel sink. The countertops, like those in the bathrooms and laundry room, are made of marble.
One of the room’s most unique features is the glass door leading to the pantry. A solid door might make the room seem closed off, Tiffanee said, so she opted for glass.
“Being able to extend your visual to a back wall makes the space seem more open,” she said. “Even though our space isn’t massive, those little tricks help you make it feel bigger.”
She added that the kitchen is her favorite room.
“I just love being in it, and I just love everything about it,” she said. “I love the colors, and I just feel like it’s really relaxing.”
The couple opted for an eat-in kitchen with a sleek breakfast bar and a dining area anchored by a rustic dining table. Adjacent to the foyer is a front room that could be used for a formal dining room, Tiffanee said, but the couple decided such a room would be impractical for their lifestyle.
Instead, the room houses Tiffanee’s study, which features a butler’s pantry and a funky sputnik chandelier. The room sits behind a sliding barn door chosen for both its style and practicality, since a traditional door might block the front entrance.
Paramount to Tiffanee’s design, an open floor plan allows for effortless entertaining, whether guests are gathered
to watch a football game or an episode of The Bachelor.
“I love it because I can cook for them while we’re all still watching the TV and hanging out,” she said. “I love that it gives me the freedom to be in both places.”
Just outside the kitchen, a back patio provides a place for the couple to host cookouts and other outdoor get-togethers. The area mirrors the front porch with its wooden beams and ceiling, and the spot is lit with strings of Edison bulbs. Stained and pressed concrete offers an appealing alternative to a basic slab. With the home situated on three-fourths of an acre, the lot provides the couple’s dog with plenty of space to frolic in the backyard.
The Millers can also accommodate overnight guests in two well-decorated bedrooms situated near the living area.
“We don’t have any children, so we like to host a lot for people, and we like to have somewhere for them to stay,” Tiffanee said.
She added that she hoped to create a spalike atmosphere in the guest bathroom. Curtains that reveal the oversized white tile in the tub-shower combination create depth in the snug space.
On the other side of the home is Ryan and Tiffanee’s master bedroom, which boasts a beautiful tray ceiling. The room connects to the sumptuous master bathroom, where there are two sinks, a dressing vanity, a private water closet, a glass shower and a separate tub.
“My favorite spot to spend lots of time is right here in this bathtub,” Tiffanee said.
Through the master bathroom is a space that seems like a high-end fitting room rather than a walk-in closet. In addition to the shelves and hanging rods lining the room, the area offers a built-in full-length mirror above a built-in bench for putting on shoes or laying out clothing.
Near the master suite is the laundry room, as well as built-in lockers for extra storage.
“I wanted to do as much storage as possible,” Tiffanee said. “I just wanted to make sure that we had enough space that if we needed to put something somewhere, we didn’t have to try to put it under a bed or search for somewhere to put it.”
Nearby, a set of stairs leads up to Ryan’s favorite room, the man cave. Because Ryan likes the way carpet feels on his feet, the area offers the only carpeting in the house. The space also features a built-in window seat and paintings by Ryan’s mother depicting his favorite sports-teams’ mascots.
“It’s just me up there relaxing,” he said.
CREATING THEIR SPACE
The high school sweethearts began dating 10 years ago and continued their courtship throughout their college years at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway before they were married almost three years ago.
After the wedding, the couple lived with Ryan’s parents while they saved up for their first home.
“Them letting us live with them helped us save so much money because we essentially had one bill, two bills, and that’s it,” he said. “I could save all of our money completely and put it in a savings account to help pay for the house.”
Although most young adults might have reservations about moving back in with their parents, the Millers delighted in their time together.
“His mom and I, on the side, do a lot of interior decorating for other people, so I knew what I wanted,” Tiffanee said, adding that she did not fall in love with any houses that were on the market.
“We just decided that to get what we wanted for the best price, it was better to build,” she said.
Although the couple had not planned to live in Cabot, they found a great deal on a lot in the Greystone neighborhood. They found blueprints of the home online and changed a few features, such as the exterior and the position of the fireplace. Ryan’s parents had self-contracted when they built their home, and the young couple decided to do the same.
“He was constantly on the phone or here,” she said. “Luckily, he had a job that allowed him to do that, or it would have been much harder. We would have had to have a contractor then.”
Managing the construction and inspecting every step of the process were challenges, Ryan said.
“You kind of wrap your head around how you’ve got to do the slab, and then you’ve got to do this; you’ve got to build your frame — just trying to make sure you do all the steps right,” he said. “I’d never done it before, so I did a lot of online research about what all I needed to do.”
The couple’s young age presented another challenge, and in many cases, it was a struggle to be taken seriously as homeowners, Tiffanee said.
“Don’t let people tell you you can’t just because you’re younger,” she said, adding that young adults might not feel like they are ready to build or even buy a
home, but experienced professionals can offer plenty of direction.
Ryan has a background in finance, which allowed him to save for the home’s construction, budget effectively and manage all the paperwork.
His mother also helped by recording every step of the process on a calendar. However, he said that choosing small details such as crown molding or door patterns was “overwhelming.”
That’s where Tiffanee’s design experience came into the spotlight. While Ryan managed the logistics, she navigated the home’s interior design.
“When we bought our lot, he gave me a decorating budget, and I’m pretty sure the day we signed on our lot, I started buying furniture,” she said, adding that the home had a dining-room table before it had walls.
That dynamic is a hallmark of the couple’s relationship, Tiffanee said. Ryan is more analytical, while she is more interested in aesthetics.
“If you just took control, we would be broke,” Ryan said. “If I just took control, we wouldn’t do anything. We would just sit here every day and never spend any money, so it’s a good balance.”
MAKING MEMORIES
Construction on their home began in December 2015, and the home was complete the following May. Ryan and Tiffanee said they were so excited to have their own home that they spent the first night asleep on the floor.
Almost a year later, the two are hardpressed to find anything they would change about their home. Tiffanee said she has considered adding shiplap to the dining area, but she has not made up her mind yet. However, the couple do plan to build again.
“I want to do one more once we have children and just have a forever home and live there forever,” she said.
With that in mind, the couple made several decisions geared toward reselling the home in the future. For example, Ryan insisted on hardwood floors rather than laminate to increase the home’s value. The couple also enlarged the door to Tiffanee’s study so that future homeowners could move in a dining room table if they wanted. Other details, such as the subway-tile backsplash, were selected with resale in mind.
“We put a little more money into those things that we liked but we also knew, for resale, would be good,” Tiffanee said.
At this point, the couple and the abode are still in their honeymoon phase. Tiffanee hosted Thanksgiving for the first time in her life last year, she said, and she enjoyed decorating for Christmas. The couple bought all the decorations on sale after Christmas the year they bought the lot, she added.
“This Christmas, I had about a million boxes to open of things we had bought 50 percent off the year before,” she said. “It was exciting to finally get to have my own tree.”
Both agreed, however, that their favorite memory is not a festive celebration. Instead, it is a quiet night they spent together playing cards for hours, just the two of them.