In the spirit of celebrating our 20th anniversary all year, we're resurrecting an old series, Day in Little Rock, where various central Arkansans reflect on their memories, pastimes and adventures in the capital city. Up first is Angela Frierson Shirey. Take it away, Angela.
A reality many Little Rock residents have recently experienced is the excitement, trepidation and overwhelming joy of buying a new home. With buying a new home comes the necessary elements of packing, relocating every single item you own, down to the half-used tube of toothpaste (and then unpacking that half-used tube of toothpaste); figuring out how you will style and use each space in your new dwelling, then repeating this step once or twice; and then settling into a new rhythm and pattern, which even includes the driving route you will take coming to and from said new dwelling.
One of my growing interests as I’ve “matured” is designing my home. Studying interior design and designing beautiful and relaxing and fun spaces are new interests in which I have fully engaged.
So many sources of inspiration abound: apps that share photo-filled boards like Pinterest, that highlight creative pictures and videos like Instagram and that link informative articles on Houzz. All of these sources usually lend ideas upon ideas, and confusion upon confusion. (The good type of confusion, of course.) These all make way for a day of home shopping in Little Rock.
Little Rock has an array of shopping destinations for every design style and every budget, from the cost conscious to the must-have luxury clientele. I have friends and colleagues who live for weekend estate sales, and yes, there is an app for that, too. On any given weekend, I will drift into a few national brick-and-mortar stores, which provide a super large selection of indoor and outdoor grabs of every brand, style and price.
Little Rock is also very fortunate to also have a vast collection of high-end, high-style shops in the design district on Cantrell Road and in The Heights. Inside these service-oriented boutiques, I have received stellar advice from experienced design professionals who are the best at their craft and who often provide meticulous in-home delivery and installation services. (Hanging perfectly spaced and leveled wall art was not taught in my business courses. I need help.)
On average, I tend to fall somewhere in the middle of this spectrum. While I, like many others, quite enjoy the thrill and challenge of creating a home that I designed and for which I scouted the perfect sofa, lamps and wall art, leaving the process to an interior designer usually results in ultra-sophisticated or whimsical patterns that my mind would have never imagined. The final price tag can also be something that I never imagined, but for one or two rooms, perhaps it is worth it.
In a nutshell, Little Rock contains many home decorating stores and boutiques I need to create a personal space to nurture my family, entertain friends and call home. With each season comes new trends or simply a desired refresh that will speak to how the space will best serve you during that time of life, whether it be the time of expanding your space for a growing family or the time of downsizing your space for whatever reason, and all of the in-between seasons.
As we move further in 2022, I will step back onto my balcony, look out among the trees, enjoy a chilled flute of Prosecco and revel in what a beautiful city, Little Rock, we call home.
