In the updated living room of this Nashville home, designer Ridley Wills improved upon, but did not eliminate, the home’s traditional origins. The new view to the main entry and stairwell was opened up by removing the wide casing across the top of the doorway.
BEFORE: The existing view from the dining room to the main entry. The stairs, which turned out at the bottom, interrupted the flow down the hallway.
BEFORE: The existing main floor landing at the front entry way. The clients felt the wooden railing was dated and the turn blocked the pathway into the house.
The new stairs spill elegantly into the hallway to welcome guests. Wills replaced the dated wooden handrail with a custom designed iron hand and shoe rail, with curved balusters. The curved molding echoes the railing aesthetic yet gives a nod to the home’s traditional background.
BEFORE: Wide cased doorways lining the hallway made it dark and uninviting.
Wills removed the casings on the doorways for a cleaner, lighter look.
BEFORE: The existing panel molding on the dining room walls dated the room.
To update, Wills removed the panel molding to create a clean finish in the dining room.
Custom bookcases between the windows and surrounding the entry door harken back to great libraries of the past while adding color and movement to the neutral palette in the room.
