The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Inspired by divorce, designer creates home that heals
After a sudden split from her husband of 10 years, Stevie McFadden discovered firsthand that our surroundings play an influential role during times of crisis.
The residential and commercial designer found herself in need of a home where she could overcome her heartache and create a new life for herself.
McFadden, who has a graduate degree in organizational behavior — the study of human behavior within an organization – and an innate eye for design, owns the interior design firm Flourish Spaces in Richmond, Va.
“It's a thread that we try to weave through all our projects,” she says. “What are we putting in people's surroundings that evokes emotions of belonging and feeling supported and cared for?”
After separating from her husband, McFadden bought a 120-year-old brick rowhouse in the capital's historic Jackson Ward neighborhood.
Just two blocks from her office, the 2,300-squarefoot home provided McFadden with a blank canvas to design the backdrop to her new life.
“We all have a narrative identity about who we are, our place in the world and our relationship to others. And when your story changes, you have to figure that all out,” she said. “Maybe a chapter ended very unexpectedly, and you have to rethink the next chapter and the implications for your identity.”
McFadden walked herself through a four-step plan to design a home where she could overcome the grief of her separation — and through the process, she learned how a space can heal and unlock potential.
“The places we inhabit – that is the stage where our lives take place,” McFadden said. “The stuff in our homes, it's the artifacts of our lives and our stories up to that point. So what do you do with that stuff ?”
Evaluate space
Start with where you are and consider where you feel stuck. Evaluate how each space makes you feel, inventory items and assess their function.
McFadden started to ponder what her solo life required. She wanted her new home to show her connection to family, especially her parents and grandmother. Those positive relationships reinforced a joyful part of her identity that she wanted to celebrate daily.
Ponder the future
What do you imagine the next chapter of your life could look like? What possibilities exist that maybe you never let yourself consider before? Imagine your future self, how you feel when you come home and how the space makes you feel.
McFadden pondered her emotional connection to each piece of art, decor and furniture.
“What stays and what goes? What goes away for a little bit?” she said. “That's how grief works. The pain doesn't go away, but you integrate it back into your life in a different way.”
It was difficult for McFadden to look at certain photographs, gifts and mementos from trips. She didn't want them on display, but she didn't have the heart to throw them out, so she tucked them away until one day she can associate the objects with positive memories.
Assess your items
Acknowledge the provenance and value of each item as you determine its future in your home. Ask yourself how each item makes you feel.
Purging burdensome things that remind you of a painful memory will liberate you, and displaying decor that makes you smile will raise your spirits.
To bring her new space to life, McFadden had to get creative with the furnishings and decor she was left with after her divorce. “I had to make it work,” she said. “There is nothing worse than a space that feels downgraded.”
Hand-me-downs and pieces from her old house had to be reimagined.
The china hutch from her nana that was once in her dining room now sits in her bedroom and is filled with books.
By simply adding a coat of paint, furnishings were transformed and given new meaning.
Bold peacock-colored chairs with citron cushions that previously sat in the foyer of her old house were toned down, painted in a crisp white so they fade into the background. "They now feel more sophisticated and calming," McFadden said.
Get help
If you're feeling stuck and attached to items, ask for a friend's opinion to help you wipe the slate clean. Repurpose items and paint them as needed, but consider palette. Purchase to fill the holes.
As we experience the collective trauma of the novel coronavirus pandemic, McFadden hopes her process can help people reconfigure their spaces to make room to recover.
Our surroundings matter more than ever, she says, and creating a home where we can feel happy, supported and safe during times of uncertainty is necessary.
“People are fearful of how to put a space together. They need to trust themselves,” McFadden said. “If there are things that bring them joy or that have a great story or that they just like because they are beautiful, don't feel afraid to incorporate them. An interesting home is a beautiful home.”