A Virginia Home That Expertly Mixes High and Low

When Jenny Foley and her husband, Jay, walked into the 2,200-square-foot house in Richmond, VA, that they would eventually buy, there was no doubt about it: This was an honest-to-goodness fixer upper. “Let’s see, the kitchen had teal cabinets and floor-to-ceiling tile, the dining room had maroon and mustard sponge-painted walls and the bathrooms hadn’t been updated since the ’50s,” says Jenny. “Ugly doesn’t begin to describe it.”

Still, she and Jay saw gobs of potential in the 1925 home with original oak floors, a spacious foyer and a sunroom. And — most important — they could afford it! Twelve years, two remodels and two kids later, Jenny’s clever decorating style is on full display. Her credo? Mix a few high-end buys with a mash-up of hand-me-downs, flea market finds and great-looking bargains. “I look at decorating a home the same way I do shopping for clothes,” she says. “You don’t need to spend a lot of money. Pair your nice things with some vintage pieces and steals, and you can make a whole room look more expensive than it is.” 

Jenny got this wingback chair for $25 at a thrift store, then painted the legs grayish white and had it reupholstered in tone-on-tone zebra fabric. A pedestal table with a beveled top, bought at a local store, sits on a cowhide rug from World Market. The crystal teardrop chandelier is a beloved hand-me-down from her husband’s grandma.  

Jenny’s biggest challenge was making sure the living room looked polished while still being indestructible. “We do everything in here: watch TV, play games and entertain,” she says. The white slipcovered sofa that the couple bought when they moved in has stood the test of time “thanks to a lot of bleach.” And Jenny admits it wouldn’t be the end of the world if hot chocolate hit the blue slipper chairs from World Market, bought for less than $200 each. The glass-and-brass-finish coffee table is a relatively new addition to the room. “Once my son turned 5, we got rid of a clunky ottoman and upgraded to a table with hard edges,” she says. The pale-blue-and-white wool rug is from Lulu & Georgia.

Before the Foleys reno’ed their kitchen in 2009, this space had floor-to-ceiling green-and-white tiles. To save money, Jay built the table and storage benches himself. Then Jenny chose wipeable gold-flecked aqua vinyl for the cushion covers and hung art made by a preschool-age Brooks on the wall. The black-and-white-striped pendant is by Stray Dog Designs, and the indigo-print pillows are from Pine Cone Hill.