23 Feb 2020 Downtown in a dreamy cottage
It’s a pretty simple formula; take something that is bad and replace it with something that is good. It’s a well-known self-improvement technique, whether you are dieting, trying to kick a bad habit or just aspiring to live your best life. Keep this thought in mind. I’ll come back around to it.
My assignment for this issue was to write about our great local homes and their equally interesting occupants, in this “Celebrating Women” edition. You would think it might be a challenge to feature one of the 501’s fabulous females while also sticking to the brick and mortar subject matter to which I have been assigned, but when I heard the theme, I knew right away whose story I wanted to share – a gal who is breaking ground and tearing down walls; no, literally, she has her own sledgehammer!
Niki Thompson is the creator and girl-boss of Storybook Homes. If you haven’t heard of her, you have surely seen some of her work. You can hardly drive down any street in Old Town Conway without passing one of her creations. Maybe you drove by every day and watched as a dilapidated old ramshackle shack was straightened, sturdied, patched and painted. Or perhaps you were just passing through the neighborhoods of downtown and noticed one of her stately cottages wearing its new Old Town Conway style.
I’m not sure if it is a business plan or more of a labor of love, but Niki seeks out the ugliest, falling-down, unloved houses in Conway’s first neighborhood and she brings them back for generations to come, each one a work of art in its own right.
Remember that strategy for positive change that I mentioned earlier, replacing something bad with something good? That is what Niki and Storybook Homes is doing for the downtown neighborhoods of her hometown, and it has made an impactful change. I giggled at her resolve when she once told me that her goal was to rehabilitate every home in Downtown Conway. She may never get to them all, but she has at the very least helped to launch a revival in those neighborhoods and they have become a destination; a place where people want to live.
I have the pleasure of working with Niki on these projects and each one is an adventure. She insists that her design inspiration originates from a story that comes to mind the very first time she enters the broken down home. I get to create things for these homes in my workshop, like special lighting, a kitchen island made from the house’s reclaimed floorboards or a master bath vanity made from an antique dresser. I furnish the home in a way that helps tell its story.
The latest Storybook Home, the third one on Oliver Street, is a tiny one but its tall ceilings, open floorplan and thoughtful use of space make it feel spacious for its size. It was inspired by shotgun houses that were designed to fit on a long narrow lot. Its front porch is perfect for sitting and waving at neighbors on the quiet street.
It is furnished with mid-century modern furniture picked up on a recent antiquing trip, and its layered vintage rugs and art are from local collector Shane Westmoreland, who is gracious enough to let me pick through his warehouse of goodies whenever I want!
This home has an owner-to-be, and I can just imagine her here, spinning jazz records and sipping coffee with the front door open.
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