Tour a Kentucky Interior Designer's Vintage Country Cottage

Kentucky-based designer Gretchen Rose is carrying on a proud family tradition. Born and bred in the Bluegrass State, she is the owner of Kentucky Rose Designs, a vintage shop and interior design firm where she expresses her love affair with vintage furnishings — especially rugs — that started with her mom. Now, after two years in her 1,700-square-foot, 1950s Cape Cod-style home, the designer, her husband, Jordan, and their two dogs have the home of their dreams.

As with any vintage-inspired space, Gretchen’s living room is filled with beloved objects. Some were finds, others were heirlooms, but some of her favorites were gifts. “I love my art,” she beams. “A local artist just painted a gorgeous landscape of my parents’ farm with my dogs in the foreground. It really is a beautiful piece I will cherish forever.” Her rugs are some of her other favorite design elements. Rugs were at the core of her design adventures with her mother, and the development of her company. “Rugs were the start of Kentucky Rose Designs,” she confirms. “Every single rug is important to me,” she says, “because they are certainly the oldest and most storied pieces.”

“This took time,” Gretchen says, looking at the home she has now and thinking about where it began. “We needed several dumpsters immediately after closing to remove what the seller had left behind. There were broken and damaged doors, pet-stained carpets, litter boxes, broken dishes in the backyard and more.” It’s a far cry from the scene that greets visitors today. Gretchen’s spacious living room is made immediately eye-catching with its use of color. A soft yet deep peacock blue covers the walls, perfectly suited to the blush-toned sofas.

Though now it takes up most of her time, a career in design wasn’t always Gretchen’s ambition. A college graduate with a degree in pre-veterinary equine sciences, she was once on a very different path. Since then, her grasp of design has grown to rival her knowledge of horses. She’s now a pro at renovating interiors, having converted her living room and bedroom suite, and with an eye toward which rooms she wants to approach next. “A few of the rooms are long and narrow,” she says, “which makes the layout a little more tricky. The basement is just one long room with two posts that are really irritating when you’re trying to place a sofa,” she laughs.