Designer Meg Kelly rescues a down-on-its-luck Nashville home with her colorful, collected style.
(“There were doors everywhere!”
But thanks to her professional background in roll-up-your-sleeves renovations, she saw endless potential.
Credit: Alison Gootee; Styling: Matthew Gleason
Steal her decorating ideas here.
To set apart the living room, Kelly put up two faux walls to establish a formal entryway.
A graphic pattern (Schumacher’s Deconstructed Stripe) dresses up the entryway walls.
Credit: Alison Gootee; Styling: Matthew Gleason
“It reads as a neutral, so I can layer it with anything,” says Kelly.
A vintage record cabinet anchors the space.
“Green and red is one of my favorite combos.
Credit: Alison Gootee; Styling: Matthew Gleason
In the living room, a pair of antique Taoist panels from Etsy ties the palette together.
“I buy what I love and will find a space for it,” she says.
She painted the original wood-paneled walls bright white (PPG’s Delicate White, PPG1001-1).
Before: Kelly maintained the kitchen’s original layout. Ripping out the heavy upper cabinetry helped the space feel light and open.
“you could use art to make a kitchen feel a bit more lived-in,” she says.
The designer balanced the modern black pendant and Wishbone chairs with a vintage glass-top table.
Salvaged doors open to the porch.
A trio of accent pillows brings the entryway’s print into the bedroom.
“I love how wallpaper can completely transform a space.”
The designer balanced the simple tile wainscot with patterned marble flooring to elevate the look.
Before: Dark wood paneling made the dining area feel even smaller. Kelly accentuated the room’s natural light by painting it white.
202, by Farrow & Ball) could shine.
She says the Restoration Hardware pendant looks like “a huge pearlescent moon at night.”
- and painting the cabinetry Farrow & Ball’s bold Blazer (No.
Geometric black-and-white tile flooring, which she carried over to the shower, adds another playful element.
Play With Pattern
“This is a happy space.
She used the whimsical wallpaper (Goa by Thibaut) as her jumping off point.
Before: Kelly relied on the power of paint to give the sleepy 1960s bedroom a modern refresh.
“I love gathered fabric details.
It’s an inexpensive way to add personality to the space,” she says.
Here, she added a skirt below the countertop to hide her cat’s litter box.
A blue-and-white-stripe lampshade was converted into a pendant.
The wicker furniture’s striped cushions (a Facebook Marketplace find) inspired the palette for the painted floors.
A pitched tongue-and-groove ceiling keeps the space feeling airy.
A large pendant from Serena & Lily polishes off the look.
Credit: Alison Gootee; Styling: Matthew Gleason
Credit: Alison Gootee; Styling: Matthew Gleason
Credit: Alison Gootee; Design: Meg Kelly; Styling: Matthew Gleason
Credit: Alison Gootee; Styling: Matthew Gleason
