MODERN HOME: FINDING DÉCOR AT THE BAREFOOT COTTAGE

Upon walking into The Barefoot Cottage, customers are greeted by a bevy of beautiful items to accentuate the home from marble letters to cozy rugs, round planters, decorative pillows, jars, beaded ombré chandeliers, pinstripe chairs, wood dining tables, serene and soft palette paintings, textured vases, ribbed pitchers, leather chairs and scented candles.

“We just [received] a new pottery line called Montes Doggett that I’m in love with,” owner Beth Martin says.

Martin likes to keep her inventory fresh and modern in both her Newburgh and Nashville locations, the latter of which just opened last November.

“We have the same products at both stores and always stay cohesive with our very casual lifestyle brand,” Martin says. “If you walked in both stores without a sign, you would still know these places are definitely owned and run by the same person.”

The Barefoot Cottage brand encompasses anything a home renter or owner may want to achieve chic living.

“We actually started out selling home decor and gifts,” Martin says. “But, we’ve really branched out more into furniture and then the last four years, we started selling apparel, jewelry and bags on the boutique side. We have anything you need to adorn yourself and your home.”

Although there is a variety of gorgeous merchandise to peruse through in the stores, one cannot miss the highend and trendy furniture artistically put out on display.

The modern furniture is particularly eye-catching amongst the items for sale.

“We will help you with everything you need, from furniture to wall treatment to interior rugs,” Martin says. “Whether you want to style your bookshelf or full on furniture, we try to keep everything as up to date as possible.”

This includes selling the popular Four Seasons line of upholstered furniture and cased goods, not to mention their unique home decor and vintage pieces from other great markets.

“We all have to find our own balance, but I hate to have everything new,” Martin adds. “I think it’s nice to mix it up a little bit. It’s good to have pieces that aren’t all out of the box. When every piece is brand new, it just doesn’t feel natural or homey. I just like a more curated overtime look.”

For those looking for a full interior design service or the right piece to add a touch to the mantel, The Barefoot Cottage team is eager to help customers choose the best items to reflect their personality, style and home.

For anyone needing a full interior design service or just the perfect piece to add to their mantel, The Barefoot Cottage team will be there to help customers select the items that best reflect their personality, style and home.

“The store is just a total experience,” Martin says.

WRITER: MARISA PATWA

Homeowners looking for a truly fresh look perfectly curated to them, should look no further than The Barefoot Cottage’s talented interior designer, 34-year-old Brian Ferguson.

“I always wanted to be an architect,” Ferguson says. “I always loved interiors. I just like the architecture of a home.”

Off the bat, Ferguson wants respective customers to know interior designers are skilled in their craft and “don’t just pick out pretty things.”

“We do that too, but we also help with managing all of the details, from selecting for the space down to paint and trim and cabinetry,” Ferguson says. “I like to take a challenging space, a space where someone doesn’t know what to do with a space, and then really make it into something by taking out a wall or adding a wall.”

It all starts with a client questionnaire and consultation.

“I do that do get a feel if this is something they want to take on, or if they need a decorator and not an interior designer,” Ferguson says. “A true designer will have a degree. And they do sketching and design.”

As for Ferguson, who has an associates degree in interior design from Ivy Tech Community College Evansville, he enjoys helping people cultivate their dream space.

“There is a dining room that is more my style that I had transformed with new light fixtures and furnishing, which was great,” Ferguson says. “I did a bathroom that we completely gutted and now the space is conducive to what they wanted.”

With a new year, comes new home trends, which are already on Ferguson’s horizon.

“Neutrals are in. We do a lot of neutrals here, which is definitely inspired by that kind of farmhouse modern type look,” Ferguson says. “We’re talking whites, greys, blacks. We have lots of black and whites, but the store is not one set style. We kind of mix it up.”

Other trends already popping up in 2020 include velvets.

“Especially in sofas,” Ferguson says. “Then there’s geometric patterns, especially with titles and wallpaper. And floral print is super in right now.”

Ferguson’s biggest advice to clients or couples with dueling tastes? Compromise.

“You have to have a balance between the dark and the light,” he says. “Most women like soft and airy, but then it’s going to look sterile, so we can bring in rich, masculine tones to ground it. And I can help you with that or any other design needs.”

HOME TRENDS FOR 2020: Neutrals, Farmhouse Modern theme, Velvet furniture and Geometric patterns.