At Home In Arkansas Nov-Dec 2012

At Home in Arkansas: Your home is so pulled together, which hints at years of careful editing and accessorizing. We have to know: new build, or renovation?

Melissa Haynes: It’s a new build in Fayetteville’s Clear Creek neighborhood, but I love that you thought it might have been a renovation. One of the things that was really important to me in designing this house was to draw from the classics—French influence, Mediterranean design, British architecture—and create a house that was timeless and would age gracefully.

It would appear that you succeeded. How did you arrive at a classically inspired look that still feels fresh and fun?

I wanted it to be cool, light and airy. Adding height was a good way to accomplish that.

The doors are nine-foot-tall French doors, which is something that you’d see in a home that was built a century ago. With the layout, we wanted there to be a flow, but not this newer conception of super-open spaces. Instead, we went for a series of smaller rooms and vignettes that flowed and worked off of each other. In older homes, you get that sort of purposeful appeal.

Was it difficult to achieve that feeling of “flow” when working with a more traditional floorplan?

How did you ensure the design would carry over from room to room?

Rooms flow a lot better when they aren’t broken up by bold colors on the wall. We used offwhite, grays and blues throughout the house; in the formal spaces we used a warmer cream, and in the more casual living spaces, an alabaster. In the bedrooms, however, we went with something a little more saturated. I think a bedroom can stand on its own, since you want to be enveloped in a soothing color that will stimulate your mood. In rooms that you’re constantly walking through, you want neutrals that will blend together seamlessly.

Even though you’ve used a lot of soft colors, your rooms pop with personality. Any tips for how readers can add a bit of their own personality to their spaces?

Character comes out in layers of pattern, color and texture. Some people might go more neutral if they are a little more reserved, and others might go full-on color. Either way, to make it work, it’s important to keep a mix in mind: modern with antiques, patterns with textures, neutrals with bolder colors. There’s a magical combination of these elements that can speak to your personality. Similarly, when you walk through a space, you should see your special things: an heirloom, a piece of art, something that reminds you of a moment with your family. Getting a 40