Houzz Tours
Before and Afters
Houzz Tour: Collectibles and Color in a 1930s Cottage
An Arkansas couple downsize and work with a designer to create eclectic style using beloved antiques and heirlooms
For years Randy and Cindi Maddox filled their more than 5,000-square-foot home with antiques and other collectibles. But after raising three kids and downsizing to a cozy Arkansas cottage half the size of their previous home, the couple needed help figuring out what to bring with them and what to let go — and how to transform a house with tight rooms into a cohesive yet eclectic design that still has lots of color and a collected-over-time style. They found that help in interior designer Kathryn J. LeMaster.
LeMaster guided the Maddoxes through the design process, helping them sort through heirlooms and antiques and taking cues from Cindi’s pieces to pull in turquoise, coral and pops of lime green that light up one cheery room after the next. “We wanted to make the house honor who they were going to be going forward — that empty-nest season of their lives,” LeMaster says.
LeMaster guided the Maddoxes through the design process, helping them sort through heirlooms and antiques and taking cues from Cindi’s pieces to pull in turquoise, coral and pops of lime green that light up one cheery room after the next. “We wanted to make the house honor who they were going to be going forward — that empty-nest season of their lives,” LeMaster says.
After: LeMaster added a new island and a peninsula with a sink that overlooks a breakfast room and wall of windows. A built-in hidden range hood features a shelf to display art that Cindi painted, and a new shelf near the ceiling above the sink was an idea LeMaster had to display a colorful collection of vintage trays.
The countertops are quartz that look like marble.
Paint: Rainwashed, Sherwin-Williams (island); Alabaster, Sherwin-Williams (cabinets and trim).
Find a local designer to brighten your kitchen
The countertops are quartz that look like marble.
Paint: Rainwashed, Sherwin-Williams (island); Alabaster, Sherwin-Williams (cabinets and trim).
Find a local designer to brighten your kitchen
The small sitting room off the kitchen was originally the home’s breakfast nook, but now “everyone loves the room so much that that’s where everyone congregates on a nightly basis,” LeMaster says.
A local upholsterer re-covered the two vintage chairs. A custom-made ottoman offers a place for feet or a tray for snacks and drinks.
Wall paint: Window Pane, Sherwin-Williams
Shop for casual upholstered armchairs
A local upholsterer re-covered the two vintage chairs. A custom-made ottoman offers a place for feet or a tray for snacks and drinks.
Wall paint: Window Pane, Sherwin-Williams
Shop for casual upholstered armchairs
At the opposite end of the kitchen, LeMaster designed a built-in cushioned nook around a marble-top table of Cindi’s. Custom Roman shades pick up the turquoise, coral and aqua colors that run throughout the house.
Before: The Maddoxes loved the corner of built-in kitchen cabinets but wanted to update the countertops and add a backsplash.
After: Quartz countertops that look like marble and a beveled white subway tile backsplash update the corner, while minty green serving and other colorful collected dishes add cheerful personality.
The couple’s many collections dictated a design that maximizes storage space. These corner drawers with small compartments show how every square inch is optimized.
Other thoughtful, space-saving ideas include built-in pet bowls at one end of the island.
After: To create cohesiveness, LeMaster used paint to connect rooms and spread out collectibles to give each space personality.
Cindi had already decided on the cheery yellow (Humble Gold by Sherwin-Williams) for the living room, “but she needed me to help paint the rest of the picture,” LeMaster says.
LeMaster took detailed floor measurements and created a floor plan, outlining the sizes of furniture pieces that would pair best with the room’s layout and use. She pulled in the same aqua and coral found in the kitchen accents, making sure they’d work with the existing green fireplace tile. A local wood salvage shop made the custom coffee table. The artwork and fireplace screen are carryovers from the owners’ former home.
Cindi had already decided on the cheery yellow (Humble Gold by Sherwin-Williams) for the living room, “but she needed me to help paint the rest of the picture,” LeMaster says.
LeMaster took detailed floor measurements and created a floor plan, outlining the sizes of furniture pieces that would pair best with the room’s layout and use. She pulled in the same aqua and coral found in the kitchen accents, making sure they’d work with the existing green fireplace tile. A local wood salvage shop made the custom coffee table. The artwork and fireplace screen are carryovers from the owners’ former home.
In one corner, LeMaster created a gallery wall using guitars that Randy has collected over the years. He built the bookcase behind the sofa that stores the couple’s cookbook collection.
After: The dining room “bridges the gap between the living room and kitchen,” LeMaster says, so she pulled together the color palette from both rooms for cohesiveness.
The chairs are antiques the Maddoxes found and painted coral to pull in colors from the fabrics in the living room and kitchen. The sideboard and mirror came from their previous house. The table is a family heirloom from Randy’s side. “We were able to honor the things they really wanted to incorporate and let them guide and inform our decisions about the space,” LeMaster says.
The chairs are antiques the Maddoxes found and painted coral to pull in colors from the fabrics in the living room and kitchen. The sideboard and mirror came from their previous house. The table is a family heirloom from Randy’s side. “We were able to honor the things they really wanted to incorporate and let them guide and inform our decisions about the space,” LeMaster says.
Cindi was a former reading specialist in Little Rock schools, and the family’s shared love of reading inspired this painted staircase. Each family member chose favorite titles for the risers.
After: LeMaster designed this daybed nook to be a happy destination at the top of the stairs.
Nook paint: Tansy Green, Sherwin-Williams
Nook paint: Tansy Green, Sherwin-Williams
Shelves inside the daybed nook are filled with childhood books and treasures that once belonged to the couple’s three now-adult children. Sometimes, one of the Maddox kids sleeps here during holiday visits, and it will likely be a favorite spot of any future grandkids.
The master bedroom features a custom headboard that came from the homeowners’ previous house, as did the rug. “She wanted to keep what she had from a practicality standpoint,” LeMaster says. Vintage milk glass lamps found at a local shop fit perfectly on the bedside tables, and LeMaster finished the space with a bench and other accessories.
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More on Houzz
Tour more great houses
Find architects, builders and more to help with your project
Shop for furniture, appliances and more
House at a Glance
Who lives here: Cindi and Randy Maddox; she’s an educator, he’s a doctor.
Location: Little Rock, Arkansas
Size: 2,580 square feet (240 square meters); 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms
Designer: Kathryn J. LeMaster Art & Design
Before: The cottage kitchen had been updated in the past, but it lacked the personal touches and newer finishes the homeowners wanted. The square-tile countertops, for example, had to go.