Text: Tiffany Adams
Photography: Rett Peek
“Pinks and purples are not a typical request,” says designer Melissa Hall Simmons, owner and principal designer of MH Studio. So, undoubtedly, she was thrilled when this couple wanted to bring the colors into the communal gathering spaces of their newly built Fayetteville, Arkansas, home. “They obviously love color,” she says, “and it’s always fun to take on a project when the client is fully onboard with that.”
Having worked with Melissa on their previous home a decade prior, they were eager to have her draw and design a house from the ground up. With three young children and a penchant for entertaining, it was imperative that the home, which has a French Provincial exterior, have a layout that would work as well for a seated dinner party as it did for Tuesday night family meals. Simmons sketched a hardworking yet beautiful kitchen that flows seamlessly into the breakfast nook and family room, providing a large space where no one is out of earshot at the end of the day. To speak to their love of hosting, she created a formal dining room that can accommodate up to 16 comfortably. This space, in particular, offers a moment of drama for guests who are welcomed at the main entrance and can see hints of fuchsia peeking through the doorway.
5. A Colorful Dream Home Filled with Personality in Fayetteville
4. A Colorful Dream Home Filled with Personality in Fayetteville
3. A Colorful Dream Home Filled with Personality in Fayetteville
2. A Colorful Dream Home Filled with Personality in Fayetteville
1. A Colorful Dream Home Filled with Personality in Fayetteville
“The owner grew up in a very elegant, all-white space,” Simmons says, noting the pointed use of color in some fashion throughout almost every room. While she says they joked about him having to be careful as a kid, it was a top priority to make the rooms family friendly in all aspects. “They have very sophisticated taste but are drawn to light and bright,” the designer adds. “We would show them a swatch, and he, in particular, would say, “Let’s go bolder.”
While the couple made hundreds of thousands of decisions during the build—meeting with the designer and her team every two weeks for five years during the process—the artwork in the formal living room was one that took some time. “Art is so personal. Again, as with the rest of the house, they wanted it to be happy, bold, and a little whimsical,” Simmons says, pointing out other abstract and floral works that were selected. Following a two-year search, they were able to commission an original work from Hunt Slonem that now hangs prominently over the fireplace and ties in with the home’s energy and aforementioned palette.
While pink and purple accent the receiving spaces, the more private rooms are adorned in a range of hues. For the primary bedroom, the couple went back to a green-blue color they had previously fallen in love with at their former residence, Palladian Blue by Benjamin Moore. “Ten years later, she still loved that color, so we decided to use it again,” Simmons says. “It’s happy but peaceful, and we were able to make this bedroom feel a little more mature with the French-influenced draping over the bed,” she adds. Similarly, each of three children’s rooms have palettes that reflect their favorite colors with furnishings that are not too precious, allowing them to be kids. “They wanted their kids to be able to live in their rooms and also be able to display or change out whatever they are into at the moment,” Simmons says, noting shelving for personal items as well as bulletin boards on their doors for memorabilia. “They wanted these rooms to be about each child but also have a cleaned-up, design-forward feel,” she adds.
