Home Before & After Photos With A Colorful Transformation, This Cherished Home Is Ready For New Family Memories Designer Allison Allen helps one family make a home their own. By Betsy Cribb Watson Betsy Cribb Watson Betsy is the Senior Home and Features Editor at Southern Living. She writes about a veritable potpourri of topics for print and digital, from profiling Southern movers-and-shakers and celebrating family traditions to highlighting newsy restaurant openings and curating the annual holiday gift guide. Prior to joining the Southern Living team in 2017 as the style editor, she worked at Coastal Living as an assistant editor covering pets and homes. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Published on February 14, 2023 Anna Robinson grew up just five doors down from her grandparents’ 1960s Georgian-style brick house, where childhood holidays were spent drinking sparkling cider from Waterford crystal or splashing in the front yard’s creek with her 14 cousins. Even so, she never imagined that the place where her father and his four siblings grew up would one day be where she’d raise her own children. “It was such a beautiful home, but I didn’t think it would ever be within reach,” says Robinson. However, after her grandmother passed away in 2019, she and her husband decided to take the plunge and bought the property from her father. The beloved house came with plenty of good features: classically scaled rooms, a rolling backyard bursting with azaleas, and her grandparents’ entire collection of antiques. But not everything was a keeper—it had a dark library, a cramped kitchen, and tired upholstery. So the couple brought on Atlanta designer Allison Allen, Robinson’s childhood friend, to revamp the house and create an easygoing haven that feels just right for the young family of four. Here’s how Allen pulled off a floor-to-ceiling transformation that honors the past and colorfully caters to the present. Brian Woodcock; Styling: Page Mullins Brian Woodcock; Styling: Page Mullins Focus on the Finish Allen opted for a dramatic entry, covering the walls in Benjamin Moore’s Clinton Brown (HC-67). The secret to making the hue feel playful? A high-gloss finish, which summons light rather than smothering it. The look is formal but practical. “It’s so durable for cleaning off fingerprints,” says the designer. “You can just walk up the stairs and wipe the walls down, which is nice.” She floated a cobalt blue bell jar lantern from Meg Braff Designs overhead—a modern take on a fixture that Robinson’s grandmother once hung there. PHOTO: Brian Woodcock; Styling: Page Mullins PHOTO: Brian Woodcock; Styling: Page Mullins Aim for Simplicity The footprint of the kitchen was reworked to address the family’s needs. Allen ditched the original mustard wallpaper in favor of all-white everything, except for a few choice pops of blue in the pendants (by Mark D. Sikes for Hudson Valley Lighting), the striped stool cushions, and the island. “I think kitchens should feel very clean,” she says. “I don’t like to have a lot going on.” The deep farmhouse sink tucked below the windows is both practical and pretty. “You can do just about anything in a big sink! Set flower arrangements in there, or bathe your dog,” suggests the designer. Brian Woodcock; Styling: Page Mullins Don’t Mess With the Good Stuff In the dining room, Allen left the table, the sideboard, and the crystal chandelier as they were. “I don’t think I would paint an antique dining table,” she says. “An English mahogany pedestal one is very classic and grounds a room.” Including traditional pieces gave the designer the freedom to embrace a riot of color elsewhere in the space. She cloaked the walls in an aqua pattern (Brunschwig & Fils’ Bird and Thistle), set the sideboard with a pair of chartreuse lamps, and wrapped the seat cushions in green faux leather that’s easy to clean. Brian Woodcock; Styling: Page Mullins Make Existing Pieces Work Because the house was already full of furniture, the designer didn’t have to start from scratch. “Allison really helped me go through and decide what we should keep and make mine,” says the homeowner. “There are so many of my grandmother’s things that we painted and reupholstered.” In the living room, for instance, Allen re-covered the traditional sofa in a white stripe and wrapped a couple of ottomans in a cheeky animal print. New pieces—like the pair of skirted love seats and wicker urns from Mainly Baskets Home— provide a welcome layer of youthfulness. “It’s such a unique blend that reflects my family and me now,” says Robinson. Brian Woodcock; Styling: Page Mullins Stock the Bar The wet bar was a new addition to the house. Allen made the passthrough space a spot to gab over cocktails with fun touches such as Sanderson’s Ishi wallpaper and painted the cabinets in Benjamin Moore’s Buckingham Gardens (545) to mirror the lime green accents in the nearby dining room. Brian Woodcock; Styling: Page Mullins Channel Old-School Style Allen relied on throwback elements, like treillage, to ramp up the nostalgia in the sunroom. When a local craftsperson’s quote for creating this look proved to be too expensive, Robinson’s husband installed The Home Depot’s ready-made lattice with help from a friend. Allen reupholstered pieces she found in the attic in an indoor-outdoor buffalo check and hung an oversize paper lantern. “The kids can wipe their cookie-covered hands on the furniture without staining it, but I can also have my friends over for a drink,” says Robinson. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit