Designer Yancey Seibert Shearouse Creates a Bold and Beautiful Home in Augusta

In fact, Shearouse’s clients had long admired this particular property, and when it came on the market, they snapped it up. “It reminded me of my childhood home in Tallahassee, and I loved how it’s sited on the lot,” says McKnight. “Plus, my husband, Matt, is in construction, and I knew that we would both enjoy renovating an old home.”

Once the heavy lifting was solidified, the designer aimed her creative lens on the curation of lively interiors that captured her client’s personality and passions. “Virginia loves fashion and is so good at putting outfits together; she has a great sense of style,” says Shearouse. “When you leaf through a fashion magazine and think ‘I would never put that together’ but you see that it works, that’s what we did, and it looks like her.”

The designer, who has worked with these clients before, starts a project by taking stock of existing inventory, so to speak. “I call it ‘shop what you have’ and like to think about using a piece from your former home in a different way; it can feel new when placed in a fresh setting,” says the designer. For example, a custom banquette from her client’s kitchen was reupholstered and now sits in the dining room, while a family heirloom chandelier moved from the foyer to the front office/library and a dining room credenza found a home in a wide hallway.

The designer took her client’s advice to go rogue when she suggested painting the hardwood floors in the downstairs public spaces—living, dining, and foyer. “It’s so unexpected and creates a mood of what’s to come, especially in conjunction with the electric blue office off the foyer,” says Shearouse. “The first impression lets you know that this is not your ordinary historic home.”

The green color choice is also unexpected, but as the designer notes, “That shade looks good on my client, and it’s a color she is drawn to.” McKnight references the floors as one of her favorite things in the house. “My husband thought it was crazy, but I told him that I wanted this house to be young and exciting for us and our children at this stage in our life.”

The designer also employed the hue on the dining room banquette for some synergy in the décor. And, when it came to the decidedly bold color choices in other rooms of the house, the designer explains her thought process: “There was that fashion influence, but also, this house needed some shaking up when it came to the design scheme. The exterior is so classic and buttoned up, we wanted the interiors to be lively and fresh.” In that regard, the designer introduced some game-changing wallcovering. “The Voutsa pattern in the original powder bath and entry vestibule could be dubbed the ‘spirit animal’ of the whole project,” says Shearouse. “It has all the colors we employed throughout the house, and it’s simply transporting.” Another brave choice was the overscaled palmetto print wallpaper that ascends the gracious stairway. “It speaks to my Florida upbringing and love of the beach and palm trees,” says McKnight.

When it came to those finishing touches, Shearouse also mixed it up. “When I think about lighting and rugs, I channel the idea of completing an outfit,” she says. “You want less flashy moments in the mix.” In the dining room, for example, instead of the expected multifaceted crystal chandelier in a home of this age, the designer employed a plaster one and added red shades for a bit of zest. Likewise in the living room, the emerald green sofas are tempered by a textured Stark carpet. “I wanted some neutral softness in this room; after all, there are green and lavender tones in play!” she says. “You don’t want to overwhelm the eye; you want to engage it.” And Shearouse shows her prowess at doing that in every square foot.