A Little Bit Country...

As we mentioned earlier this summer, we had several projects underway that were quite exciting, one of which was a makeover story for Country Living Magazine. We worked feverishly on this project at the end of May and now we're pleased to say it's the cover story of the September issue available on newsstands now (and hopefully in some of your mailboxes or homes already). This particular project is truly special because it holds something near and dear to my heart: my Family. Over 50 years ago my parents married and then settled into their first home, a small 2 bedroom house in Russellville, Arkansas. Being right out of college, my father beamed with pride over his first major investment and the house would soon be filled with an equal abundance of warm memories. Several years, kids and homes later, word got back to my dad that the little house he had first purchased so long ago was going to be torn down. He quickly contacted the new owner and offered to buy back the house for one dollar. He knew the property had more value than the home itself and was willing to have the house lifted off it's foundation and brought to my parent's current property to be used as a guesthouse. That was a few year's ago, but once Country Living got word of the back story, they wanted in on the action and asked me if I'd be willing to help "makeover" the house. The only catch was I had to do it in one week and with a budget of only $3200! Needless to say, this was among the most challenging projects I've worked on to date and if it hadn't been for my family, I probably would not have agreed to do it. But that's also what made it so rewarding.

Trying to find very specific sized furniture for a such small home, in a small town, in the time frame allowed, with a such a low budget definitely presented it's challenges. But my parent's reaction when they finally saw the end results was priceless and well worth all the hard work. Above are some photos of the finished job including a couple of shots that aren't in the magazine. You can click here to read the entire story and to see the before photos. In the meantime, I want to personally thank Country Living for the amazing opportunity and give a special thank you to Style and Market Director Natalie Warady for all of her hard work in helping this all come together. She knows there wouldn't have been a snowball's chance in hell I could have pulled this off without her. Thanks again Nat .... I truly appreciate it! (above photos by Lucas Allen)

Mom and Dad 51 years ago...