Commit to an exacting color palette throughout your home for a seamless design and easy rearranging from room to room. Reverse the wall color and trim color in adjoining spaces to draw attention to unusual details, like the millwork in Terry’s turret alcove in the great room.
Opposite the dining area, a second faux fireplace in the great room provides a focal point beneath the soaring cathedral ceiling. Terry prefers seating with wingback and camelback silhouettes—he found most of his upholstered pieces online and had them re-covered in prim fabrics. Hanging musical instruments on the wall elevates them to artwork status. “These were handmade by my paternal grandfather and his cousins, all of whom were talented Appalachian craftsmen,” Terry says.
A loft over the great room serves as a guest bedroom and storehouse of youthful memories thanks to old-time toys and school-related accessories. Antique finds commingle with family heirlooms, including the metal bed where Terry’s father was born and a child’s rocking chair made for Terry by his grandfather. The double-seat student desk came from the one-room schoolhouse that Terry’s father attended. “If you try hard enough, you can always find room for one more thing, especially if it’s a family piece,” he relates.
A mirror framed with vintage shoe lasts centers attention above a handmade chest. Family mementos dot the vignette in the loft, including clothing from several generations. “On top of the chest of drawers are various items, including a kerosene lamp that once sat in my paternal grandparents’ bedroom and an assortment of snuff cans, boxes, smoking pipes, wallets, eyeglasses, and hair combs and pins that belonged to various ancestors,”Terry says.