Game-Changing Gourds

Gourds are a major element in Jodi’s decorating strategy, indoors and out, all year round. Praising their versatility and character, she shares, “There are so many things you can do with them.” Reflect on her tips for incorporating gourds into your living room and beyond.

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Choose a few types of gourds to work with from the hundreds of worldwide species. Jodi’s top picks are martin, Tennessee spinning, banana and gooseneck gourds for their subtle hues and smooth surfaces.

Plant or Purchase

Grow your own gourds and dry them, too, if you have the time and space. For the sake of convenience, Jodi buys hers already dried and ready for crafting.

String ’Em Along

Make sweeping garlands by carefully drilling holes through the tops of gourds and stringing them onto rusty wire or jute twine. Or, gather them in a bunch and dangle them from a peg. For textural interest, alternate the gourds in your garland with naturals such as sweetgum pods, bay leaves or dried orange slices.

Be Seasonless

Tuck tiny gourds on a faux evergreen tree like Christmas ornaments, but leave your petite gourd tree on view all year long.

Make a Scene

Fashion a centerpiece by filling a bowl or basket with rotund gourds that echo the shape and color of the container. Balance gooseneck gourds randomly on knobs and pegs. Tuck gourds among groupings and on low shelves of side tables.

Simple Show-Offs

Corral your culinary collectibles into cohesive groupings to make them stand out, like Jodi does in her dining room. Create additional storage by mounting a box with a hinged lid on the wall like a cabinet. Layer complementary textiles over the back of a make-do chair to highlight their fancy stitchwork or graphics. Break up rows of similar items, such as coffee grinders or mortars and pestles, with seasonal botanicals or handicrafts.

Jodi’s bedroom retreat proves she is a master of illusion. Take, for example, the vintage spindle headboard. There was no way to connect it to her metal bed frame, so she secured it to the wall instead and positioned her bed beneath it. A blue-patterned coverlet and stuffed figures introduce charm to the modest setting. The faux fireplace, which she made from barnwood, does double duty, hosting crackling electric logs and serving as a display space. ★

In a dining room brimming with treasured culinary prims, Jodi achieves order and symmetry. She centers the table and ladder-back chairs in front of the windows, which are draped with a sweet potato garland. To fill the wall above the windows, she flanks two stacked horizontal signs with diagonally positioned tobacco baskets. In the cupboard angled in a corner, redware coordinates with the distressed paint for a monochromatic look. A mustard-and-white checked tablecloth helps emphasize the golden hues in the sunflowers and squash in the centerpiece.

Jodi’s kitchen is a vision of yesteryear, thanks to her free-flowing imagination and self-taught skills. She cut the ceiling-hung ladder to fit and made it a focal point by adorning it with herbs and decorative botanicals. She also installed ceiling beams and woodlook vinyl flooring to emphasize the timbered feeling. The grain bags, leggy blue table and yellow butter churn add lightness among the rustic cabinetry.