Get a Fresh Start With a New Decorating Style

Donna Barnett realized fast that downsizing to a six-room 1920s bungalow after her divorce had its upsides. During the redo of the 1,700-square-foot home she purchased three years ago in Little Rock, AR, there were no spousal vetoes as she indulged her love of sophisticated bohemian style. Able to go all in with flirty hues, luxe fabrics, and gleaming accents, she created a glam bachelorette pad that’s the exact opposite of the home she once shared with her ex-husband and three sons. “That place was all guy, with dark colors and indestructible materials. This is so much fresher,” says Donna.

Because of a self-admitted weakness for anything sparkly and glittery, she enlisted Kevin Walsh of Bear-Hill Interiors to help ensure the decor skewed grown-up, not girly. Eliminating a bulky living room wall, adding an en suite master bedroom, and jettisoning almost all the heavy-looking furniture from her previous home for smaller-scale pieces helped the rooms—and Donna’s life—feel lighter. “Leaving your past behind can be scary,” she says. “But when you do? It’s like this house—total nirvana.”

Clever styling and eye-fooling furniture give the 8-foot-by-10-foot living room the illusion of grander proportions. The armless Lee Industries sofa is just 79 inches long, but heaped with pillows, it feels bigger. Restaining the dark hardwood floors a beachy driftwood color (Rustic Gray by Sherwin-Williams) lightened up the space. A tufted aqua mohair daybed keeps the sight line to the dining area unobstructed.

After a complete color makeover of the exterior, bricks painted minty green (Ancient Marble) now set off the slate-hued front door (Dark Night, both by Sherwin-Williams).