Story by Lee Rennick
Photos by Erin Kosko, Lee Rennick and Jennifer Davenport

Jennifer and Scott Davenport moved into their current home about eight years ago. They had lived in and raised their family in another house for twenty-five years, but it was time to transition into an empty nester house once their kids grew up and went out on their own. 

“We found this house and really liked it because it had five acres,” said Jennifer, the owner of JD’s All About Home. “But it needed a lot of work. My husband is great at building, and if I design it, he’ll do it. He’s my Chip Gaines.”

Over the last eight years they have slowly remodeled most of this home into their vision, a warm and inviting space where they can spend time with friends, church members and family. The primary suite is the last major remodel project on their list. 

“It started off with us doing the front of the house. We widened the steps and squared out the columns,” explained Jennifer. “Then, we took out all of the carpet in the open living space and put wood flooring down.”

Kitchen Biggest Update

“We changed just about every space in the kitchen,” Jennifer noted. “The kitchen was very odd. There was a wall between the kitchen and dining room with a small door. We opened up the wall between the two. It was my daughter’s idea to open up the space, but the problem was that I was going to lose cabinet space. However, behind the kitchen wall there was a long hallway with a small pantry, a huge laundry room and a bathroom. It was a lot of wasted space with a bathroom we never used.”

Scott shrunk the laundry room, took out the bathroom and built a hidden pantry room with space for a second refrigerator and lots of work room. He used all of the old cabinets from the old kitchen as the cabinets in the hidden pantry room, and she painted them a smoky green. Jennifer loves to repurpose when possible. He made it so the lights come on when you walk into the space. 

“This is my favorite hidey-hole,” Jennifer gushed. “It reminds me of my mother. My mother has passed away, but it is a lot her style. She liked stone, which we used as a backsplash. Then for the window I just made a faux roman curtain, but I wanted privacy so this is just window cling. Isn’t It brilliant?”

They added brick in the kitchen, but it is actually like an MDF faux brick. Jennifer wanted to bring character into the house. And she likes a cozy feeling, so she asked Scott to build a faux chimney in the kitchen to pull the eye down. It also adds more texture to the space. 

The rest of the kitchen is brand new. The kitchen island came out in such a way that it cramped the space for a table and chairs in the breakfast nook that opens to the enclosed patio area. Jennifer decided to change the space near the doors to the patio into a ‘pass through’ area because they often entertain. She did away with the space for the kitchen table and looked for the perfect antique piece to place along the wall between the door to the laundry room and the door to the patio. It had to be the exact size. Above it is another faux roman shade to add a bit of softness.

“I found the cabinet on Facebook Marketplace and I added the legs,” said Jennifer. “It needed to be just right to fit into that space. Now, I keep all the supplies for having company in there. Scott put a sconce over here so we always have light in the area.”

Most of the lighting in the house is from her store, but the lanterns over the kitchen island are from Wayfair. She was looking for something with no glass.

“I like things that are low maintenance,” Jennifer shared. 

Over the door to the patio Jennifer has painted the wood to look like a beam which matches the massive beams in the great room ceiling that Scott made and installed.

Furnishings a Blend of Old and New

Loving a curated home blending antique, vintage and new furniture and accessories, Jennifer hunts for the perfect pieces in antique stores and on Facebook Marketplace.

“One of the antique stores I love is the Four Sisters,” said Jennifer. “They are just amazing ladies over there. And Gas Lamp in Nashville, and I will hunt Facebook Marketplace. Isn’t it fun hunting of Facebook Marketplace, finding unique things?”

The corner cabinet in the living space near the door to the primary suite also had to be the perfect size. She found it on Facebook Marketplace and painted it. Jennifer loves to play with paint. She painted the doors to the enclosed patio black to cozy up the space. 

A lot of the furnishings in the home are from Jennifer and Scott’s store, JD’s All About Home. The business began in 2008 as JD Designs, Jennifer’s interior design business. Then she opened a small store in March 2016, and later expanded the space. She opened her store because there was not a place in Murfreesboro that carried the design style she was looking for to complete the interior design plans for her clients. As more people in the area connected with her style esthetic, the business grew to the point that in 2020 they remodeled a former restaurant space into their current free-standing store located near Home Depot at 1824 Old Fort Parkway. It opened in 2021 offering a large showroom, office space and a design center.  Jennifer does the design work, Scott runs the business side.

Her style is a modern take on Southern Traditional. Many of the pieces found in her home from her store are made to look older, although they are new, including the large raw wood credenza in the front entry hall. Because her style borrows from the past, but adds a new take, her store was able to weather the COVID-19 pandemic. When other stores were not able to get furniture, she bought antiques and vintage pieces and reworked and sold them. 

“The way I feel about the many elements of a home, and how we showcase the store as well, is that I want things to feel timeless,” she remarked. “I do change the things that are small. Maybe a little trendy here and there, but my soul is an old soul so I like timeless things. Especially in things you are going to invest in in your home.”

When she is designing, not everyone is starting from scratch, so she always starts with what they have and love. But if they are starting from scratch, she always starts with the biggest pieces first. The big pieces will be the investment pieces. A leather sofa, for example, is a timeless piece. 

“Maybe a client has a chair,” Jennifer reflected. “I will ask, ‘do you love this chair?’ ‘Yes,’ they say, ‘it is an antique chair.’ Then I might suggest that we reupholster it to update it. Then their investment is in the fabric. Timeless is also the pieces you bring in, like antique pieces that you like.”

Certain textiles are also timeless. These fabrics include houndstooth; windowpane fabrics; any toile fabric, she especially likes the Asian version. 

A timeless accent piece is blue and white chinoiserie pottery. It has long been popular in elegant homes, and it can now be found everywhere. Interest in it has exploded. 

“I tend to go with a little more muted color, like in the blue and white chinoiserie vases on my mantle,” Jennifer reflected. “When looking for something timeless, I will always choose subtle colors. If it’s green, it is going to be more muted. If it is blues, they are going to be soft so they represent our natural nature colors. And that is timeless to me.” 

Picking Art for a Timeless Feel

Everybody is different when choosing art. Some choose it strictly to match their furnishings, while others are collectors of fine art. Jennifer’s personal preference is art with natural scenes. Over her couch in the open living space is a large painting of a landscape reminiscent of those of the nineteenth century Hudson River School. 

“For me, my art is going to be a little more vintage, a little more historic because I like older things,” Jennifer observed, “but everybody has their own taste for what they like for art, but most everybody loves a good landscape. Looking at it makes them feel happy.”

The painting over her couch is an original oil painting which she chose because it reminded her of Tennessee. While this piece is not by a local artist, JD’s All About Home does carry pieces by local artists. One of Jennifer’s favorite artists was born in Russia. His name is Alex Cherpov. She has one of his paintings also. It is of spaniel dogs and it too has the feel of coming from the nineteenth century. 

Choosing the Right Accessories

“You have level in design, and accessories are an important part,” Jennifer stated. “When helping a client choose accessories for their home I get a feel for what they like when I visit their home. And I listen to what they tell me they like. A lot of times people just don’t know. Most people are so good at picking the larger pieces, but accessories are what gets them. A lot of people under scale their accessories. So, usually when I am bringing in accessories they are quite happy.”

Her choices are going to be pretty picture frames, greenery is always needed, old books are becoming a beloved decorative accent, and then she listens to their style and preferences. For example, she likes bunnies, so she has several decorative bunnies in her home. If her clients like bunnies, she might do the same. 

Lamps are accessories, too. It used to be that all the lamps had to match in a living room, but that is no longer a design rule, so she sees lamps as a beautiful way to accessorize. 

Design is Always Changing

Design has been in a transition over the last several years. The cold grays and creams are fading from homes to be replaced by warmer shades of gray and brown and muted natural colors like green and blue.

“I am seeing we are coming in with more color now,” Jennifer noted. “I am seeing more textures – whether it is brick on the wall or beams. People are really embracing color. A lot. And you know wall paper is back. People are not afraid to do other things, like murals. Because I think they are realizing that the grays and whites were very cold, color feels very inviting.”

Another textural element that is becoming popular is different types of woodwork, including board and batten, beadboard and tongue-and-groove, as well as wainscoting. While shiplap is still found, it is being seen less, and it is often painted in natural colors. Jennifer has used it in her entry hall and painted it a muted gray-green. 

“Two reasons woodwork has become popular again, it adds more texture to your home, and depending on the width of your boards, it is very inexpensive,” said Jennifer. “It is a great way to add character to your house.”

While there are always trendy new interior design ideas, Jennifer steers away from things like the new use of LED rope lighting everywhere. A trend she has seen at a recent design house. With an eye on the latest interior design trens, Jennifer keeps her style grounded in the practical, timelessness, and easy care. 

Currently, she is contemplating how to make the master bathroom work for their lifestyle before they begin the redesign process. She visualizes a nurturing, spa-like space with a soaking tub she can use instead of a funky old corner Jacuzzi tub, and part of the expansive bathroom to be converted into a large walk-in closet instead of the too small one they have now. 

Blending her love of antique elements and modern sophistication, as well as the couple’s knack for repurposing and reimagining items that they have or have found, they are sure to make the last stage of their home makeover as cozy and comforting as the main living spaces they have completed.