A tour of the carefully curated Cantrell house
Although I spend more time than I'd like behind a desk, I take any chance I can to walk the floor, and I love that it grants me the opportunity to get to know some of the familiar faces that pop by the shop. Barb Cantrell (Barbara Ruth, Barbara, Auntie Babs — she goes by many names!) is one such customer-turnedfriend. When she offered, I jumped at the opportunity to tour her home, and she was kind enough to allow me to bring you along for the journey!
Barb and John
Cantrell, alongside Nell Hill's designer, Anne, have carefully curated a home full of French influences coupled with New Traditional flair. They've been working together for several years now, since Barb and John made the move from sunny Texas to settle at their beautiful estate in Prairie Village, Kansas. Anne would have me remind you that this transformation didn't happen overnight! It's the product of a lifetime of collecting and treasuring pieces, leaning into the couple's style, and slowly building the design.
The entryway
The Cantrell residence opens up to a grand entryway that, like the rest of the house, is home to a combination of French antiques and New Traditional statement pieces.
Every piece tells a story. The sconces were found on a trip to France, and they're among my favorite details found in the space. They are a lovely accent to the Calais chairs sitting below them. I love the way the soft blues work together to create a calming and inviting entryway.
One of the first things to greet you when you walk through the front door is the entryway table. For larger square foyers, a round table is arguably the best table shape to work with, and the most common, while a long rectangular console can be perfect against an open wall with the
proper styling. It can be used as an area for tossing your keys into a basket, or a way to create a memorable first impression with flowers, like these lush hydrangeas, and other stylish decor pieces.
The living room
The entryway opens
up to a dining room on the right and this living room space on the left, a space that features a fresh, bright and fun color story. Dark wood accentuates the design, lending to it a newmeets-old appeal. You can find New Traditional shapes in the tufted ottoman, accent chairs and
even in the light fixtures.
Some risks are worth taking when designing, and this green sofa is one of them. The trick is to create a space that doesn't compete with the furniture piece by weaving it into the color palette of the room it's in. Barb and Anne accomplished this through mirroring the green in the art and in the tonality of the curtains.
The husband room
While Barb prefers to spend her time in the solarium, her husband prefers to retreat to the opposite wing of the house, which we are affectionately dubbing the “husband room.” This is John's favorite place to spend his time, which is usually time spent working and tending to his never-ending inbox.
The dusty blue of the walls is a perfect accompaniment to the light and airy colors found in the painted cement floor tiles, from which greens and yellow hues are pulled and incorporated through the ottoman and the decorative throw pillows. A grand piano on the right side of the space anchors the room, drawing out the dark wooden legs on the upholstered pieces and wood furniture accents. Bright treatments line the windows and are softened with a sweet tassel trim.