Warm Welcome: When Jordan Kruse and James Hewlette purchased their house in Riverland Terrace in 2018, it had good bones but no soul. So the couple hired their close friend and interior designer Elly Poston Cooper to help create a fresh Southern aesthetic that combines traditional design with modern, masculine touches.
In the foyer, grasscloth-covered walls with black grosgrain ribbon trim aptly frame the whimsy of the adjacent dining room.
The Miles Redd for Schumacher wallpaper adorning the dining room largely informed the interior palette.
Living Large: Working with Birmingham-based architect Jimmy Laughlin upped the Georgian charm of the circa-1950 home. “Scaling the windows a little larger made a huge difference for the proportions of the house,” says Cooper.
Bright Spot: With white shiplap walls, cabinets, and plaster hood, the home’s kitchen is a calm, blank slate. “It’s nice to have a space that sort of gives you a break and is more about function—where you can focus on the task of preparing a meal,” says Hewlette.
In the living room, neutral walls, rugs, and upholstery provide a cozy base for pops of persimmon (via the velvet sofa) and dusty blue (à la custom drapes and vintage sconces).
Cooper arranged a Mark Sikes slipper chair and 19th-century settee (the latter of which serves as the seat of choice for the couple’s cockapoo, Harper) to create a secondary sitting nook. Photographer Anne Jervey Rhett’s portrait of Drayton Hall adds depth and intrigue to the space. “I think it turned out great,” says Kruse, who accompanied Anne—a friend of theirs—on the commissioned shoot.
The lacquered bottle-green bar room—where family silver and crystal shine through custom cabinetry—is a handsome staging area for entertaining.
Performance textiles in a host of blues and an Article daybed make the second-floor study a perfect place to both work and unwind.
The grasscloth from the stair hall continues onto the landing, with pops of green and blue that tie into the color scheme.
This guest room speaks toward nature, with mounted antlers, bamboo headboards, and sage green walls (Farrow & Ball “Calke Green”). “We upgraded the standard pillows to king size, which makes sleeping solo in a twin bed the biggest treat,” says the designer.
Lush Layers: In the primary bedroom, Cooper mixed chintz and men’s suiting fabric for a traditional bed canopy, which helped address the room’s odd angles. The oversize lantern, which originally hung outside a downtown home, was sourced at Wynsum Antiques.
The second guest room oozes Americana charm.
Laughlin added two sets of French doors to the rear of the home, filling the first floor with light and providing easy thoroughfares to the backyard oasis.
Furnishings from One Kings Lane and a fireplace covered in fig vine make the raised brick terrace irresistible no matter the season.
The team gave the existing shed a facelift and repositioned it within the lot; a new pool and lush lawn complete the scene.
A century-old foursquare is reawakened with playful patterns, eclectic furnishings, and toys aplenty
