Mary Margaret Beaver loves a home that feels happy. “I want the house to feel warm and cozy so that if anybody comes into this house, they feel like they can sit anywhere, or they can touch anything, and it sets them at ease,” she says. Whether it’s from pops of color and vibrant patterns or comfortable spaces in which to lounge, the mother of two feels that a home’s interior design should never be too precious or too restrained.
This philosophy has driven the interior design of her Eastover home over the last few years. Smitten with the house as soon as it went on the market, Beaver and her husband, Josh, scooped it up as their family was expanding and they desperately needed more space. The ranch-style home was exactly what the couple had been looking for. “It’s a welcoming house,” she says. “It’s very livable. And we live in every inch of this house. There isn’t a room we don’t use.”
The idea that every space should elicit happiness influenced Beaver to choose bold, bright fabrics and patterns, which can be seen throughout the home. Though she’s not a designer, Beaver is inherently stylish and used that intuitiveness in all of her design choices. In the dining room, she set the stage with a stunning hand-painted silk wallpaper by Griffin & Wong. “I customized everything, down to the colors used and how many birds were featured in the design,” she says of the custom wallpaper. To complement, she hung Clarence House draperies in an array of greens, yellows, and pinks, and added an antique Chinese ancestor portrait from R. Runberg, which is displayed prominently over the mantle. “This house probably has a little bit more color. Fun, happy color,” she says, comparing it to her previous residence. “I feel like my taste is more reflected in this home, and what I want is a home that’s relaxed and comfortable.”
But Beaver feels that it’s not just color and pattern that evoke joy in a space. The coupling of family heirlooms with vintage and antique pieces has become a driving force in the interior design of the home. While much of the dining room is filled with newer pieces, the dining table is an antique, as is the chandelier from John Rosselli Antiques. And it’s the story many of the pieces tell that Beaver loves the most, such as the dining-room chairs and table, which she purchased from her former college roommate. “They weren’t working for her anymore,” she says. “But they certainly worked for me!” In the living room, a stunning piano is a prominent feature. “The piano belonged to my grandmother, who was a piano teacher in Charlotte,” she explains. “This piano was in her home on the same street that we now live on. So there’s a special connection there.” Behind the living-room sofa stands a circa-1840 Welsh dresser, which is accessorized with Gaudy Welsh antique china and antique pewter pieces and was a gift from her parents.
Spotted throughout the rest of the home are other large (and small) pieces of furniture, antiques, and artwork that either evoke a personal anecdote, brighten a room, or ultimately do both. Such is the case in the hallway leading into the breakfast dining area, where a bold, oversized piece of art by Sante Fe, New Mexico, artist Stanley Natchez hangs. “He painted that piece for us and our family,” says Beaver of the artwork they commissioned during a family trip out West. “It’s so special to us. It’s like a treasure.” Her philosophy of designing with what makes you feel joy is also prevalent in the family room, where built-in bookshelves feature small but notable artwork by her children, books, and photos that summon up a warm, happy feeling. “Everything on the bookshelves has meaning,” she says of her styling. “All of these items make me happy. But I love that it constantly evolves, and I can add new things that have meaning.”
While Beaver is honest that she’s never quite done adding-to and tweaking the interiors of her home, she is thrilled with how it’s come together over the last few years. “Some of it was plannedout design, and other spaces came together more organically,” she says. “But where I am and we are right now, this house is perfect for our family.”