Edenvale: A Holiday Home Tour

Every home tour is unique and wonderful in its own way, but this one is extra special. I was able to sit down with Bill and Chris Alley (Taryn’s lovely parents) to talk about their home and what it has meant to them over the last 46 years that they have lived in it.

The original structure of the home was built in 1857 and sold a year or so later to Samuel Shannon McCampbell and Sarah Smith McCampbell. In 1899 an addition to the back of the house took place and the original entrance to the home was shifted to the other side of the house. The accompanying 50 acre farm was registered in 1927 and was formally named Edenvale. In the 40’s or 50’s a recreation room, an apartment, and a garage were added to the side of the house. Bill and Chris purchased the home in 1976 and did some renovating in the 90’s to remodel the kitchen and open it up a bit more. Just being in the house, it’s clear that its owners over time have loved and cherished the home. While the house itself is full of history, the contents of it are equally rich in story and history.

Historic Edenvale

Samuel Shannon McCampbell and Sarah Smith McCampbell

The real estate listing from 1976 when the Alleys purchased the home.

Without further ado, we will give you a glimpse of what home means to the Alleys,

What does home mean to you? What do you hope people feel when they come into your home?

Home is a warm place, a place of comfort, a place to relax and enjoy family. We always hope that people feel comfortable and welcome when they come over. We are not very formal — in fact the sitting room gets used only a handful of times a year. We always invite people into the living room.

Bill on the back porch

Over the years we have loved hosting parties. Some of our favorites have been 4th of July parties by the pool and annual New Years Eve parties. One year we went all out and all of our friends wore tuxedos and formal gowns. We jump on any excuse to have people over. I (Chris) am also a part of several groups that have met at our house over the years— a stained glass group, sewing group, etc. Having our home full of people is one of our greatest joys.

Chris and Bill Alley

How would you describe your style of decorating? Has your decorating style changed over time? Eclectic. We love antiques — mostly primitive and informal pieces. Most everything here has a meaning or a story. Many pieces have been passed down from family members. We’ve been collecting since we were young — if something wasn’t an antique when we bought it, it probably is now. We actually met when we were both living abroad in Greece and several pieces of art and decor were purchased from our time there. We love to hunt and love finding unique pieces to add to our space.

Chris found this framed tapestry in Greece and fell in love with it.

Stairway Detail

Do you have a favorite room in your home?

Our favorite rooms are probably the family room and kitchen. It’s where we spend the most time and where we entertain.

How about a favorite piece or item?

“Each other.” (It’s fine, it’s fine- I’m just over here crying at how cute the Alley’s are!)

We could find something we love in every room. One of our first purchases was the large chopping block in the kitchen. It holds a lot of meaning to us. The green and red cupboard in the kitchen is also a big hit — it gets decorated differently depending on the season.

What is the most challenging thing about your home?

Cleaning and maintaining. When you are a collector, it becomes much more time consuming to clean. Living in a house for a long time, while wonderful, also gives you lots of time to notice all the little imperfections. Because we’ve been here for 46 years we haven’t had the natural purging process that occurs when you move.

Dining Room Mantel

What kinds of things have you all collected over the years?

I (Chris) make stained glass pieces so over time the pieces I’ve made have become a collection of sorts. We collect Santa Clause figurines, snowmen, pitchers, and we have a really neat little medicine cabinet in the bathroom with all kinds of vintage and antique medicine bottles and apothecary items. I (Bill) love playing golf and a friend of mine and I made a life goal to play the top 100 courses. We’ve played 50 of them and 9 of the top 10. I have collected hats and bag tags from each of the courses.

Bill’s golf tag collection

Vintage medicine cabinet filled with collected items

How is your home an extension of yourself or of your family?

It’s old and we’ve grown into it. Most people who know us can’t separate us from the house. It’s definitely become a part of us.

A huge thank you to Bill and Chris for sitting down with me to tell me about and show me their beautiful, memory filled home.

For more tips on how to make your house a home, subscribe to our blog and sign up for our newsletter. If you’d like us to help you in your own home, please call 865.245.9080 or email info@helpyoudwell.com.

We can’t wait to help you dwell!

Photography by Katie Norrell

Living with Intention to Create a Lasting Legacy

We recently took a road trip to Nashville for the annual Antique & Garden Show, this year being it’s 30th Anniversary. This spectacular event provides spaces for high quality antiques and a platform for experts in the fields of antiques, landscape gardens, and horticulture. Additionally, it is a charitable event in which proceeds go to Cheekwood Mansion and ECON Chartities in Nashville. 

We walked through a sea of gorgeous furniture, art, and decor in thoughtful display and heard educational lectures from the top of each field, including our very own East Tennesseans Kreis & Mary Celeste Beall of Blackberry Farms. This show is top notch to say the least. Above all, we were struck by the beauty of intentionality. 

Antiques set before us a reminder that our things tell a story. Each hand crafted piece brings us to imagine the hands that shaped it and the beauty and comfort it brought to the space in which it sat. Gorgeous furniture, like the vintage furnishings from Eneby Home, remind us of how the past, present, and future all intersect before us everyday. Our homes, like our things, mirror the stories of our lives.

Are we living with intention within the spaces we dwell? 

Art by Henry Botkin: 1896-1983

Living with Intention to Create a Lasting Legacy

A highlight of the show was attending the lecture in which Kreis Beall & Mary Celeste Beall shared their insights on home, family, and making it all beautiful. Kreis and Sandy are the founders of Blackberry Farms while their daughter-in-law Mary Celeste is the proprietor. The incredible experience that Blackberry Farm has become seems so difficult to wrap ones mind around until you hear these two women speak of their inspiration from their own family history and each other. 

“...she wanted the place “to look like Mom’s and smell like Mammy’s” paying homage to the two women who had helped shape her.”

The respect and love that is shared between this mother and daughter-in-law duo speaks to the power of family in creating home. Both spoke with such vulnerability, humor, and wisdom on how their separate journeys have led them to today. Kreis shared that in the early days of Blackberry Farm, she wanted the place "to look like Mom's and smell like Mammy's" paying homage to the two women who had helped shape her. She also encouraged us business owners to dream big and "start at the top" like the time she called Julia Child to ask if she would lead Blackberry Farm's first cooking class.

Mary Celeste spoke on the importance of creating a home that works for one's own personal living style. As she and Sam designed their forever home at Blackberry, they were very intentional to include the parts that were important to them, not what was trending at the time. They planned their home to grow with their growing family (they have 5 children), and the home centers around the table, the most important place for them.

The thread of sadness of Sam's passing almost 4 years ago is palpable and real as one listens to this journey, but his inspiration and commitment to creating a place to gather with the highest quality food, drink, and venue is very much alive.

What a gift it was to hear this story in person! If you'd like to hear more about Kreis's journey, her new book, "The Great Blue Hills of God" is now available and it's wonderful!

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So, as we think about the impact of our stories…. How can you live with intention in your home?

Consider the Past.

Our “stuff” have a story. The floorboards we walk on everyday. The trim around the doors we swing countlessly open. The hearth we face every night after a long day. And that favorite chair we curl up in as we welcome a new day. Every thing has tells the story of the past. We were struck by the knowledge expert antique collectors and sellers brought to us at the Show. Consider seeking out experts on the pieces you already own or before you pursue something new to learn how you can be more intentional with your spaces.

Pay Attention to the Present.

How are you wanting to live? Like Mary Celeste, can your spaces reflect how you want to live, not just what is in style? Consider your current dreams and intentions (maybe whip out those new years resolutions you drew up just over a month ago!) and how your home can be a sanctuary for those dreams. Who are the people most important to you, and how can your home and things provide pathways for those people?

Leave a legacy for the Future.

Lastly, we want to encourage you to consider the things you currently own or the ones you intend to welcome into your home with intentionality toward the future. Of course, there is always a time and place for mass made products that we can pick up on the fly! But as you move through your own home, consider how you fill it. Consider what you are leaving to the ones you love. A thoughtful look at the past and present can inform a beautiful future.

As you can hear, this show renewed our love of antiques and their place within the spaces we dwell! In our work with HYD, we love seeing how YOU intentionally craft your spaces. Comment one way that you are living with intention.

fall flea @ the hive

We're so excited to invite you to come shop the Fall Flea @ The Hive. We've curated an amazing collection of eclectic and unique pieces that we've gathered. 

Grab your neighbors, co-workers or friends and come shop! 

Invite your friends on Facebook. 

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WHEN?

Friday, November 4 & Saturday, November 5

8 AM - 2 PM both days 

WHERE?

The Hive

854 N Central Street
Knoxville, TN 37917

DETAILS

Cash or card payment accepted.

Watch our Facebook & Instagram for photos of some available items!

Huge Sale this Saturday!

We're breaking from our regular blog topics this week to let you now about an awesome sale we are hosting this weekend! If you missed the flea a few weeks ago, this is your chance. If you made it to the flea, this sale will feature a similar caliber of items. If you are looking for unique antique or vintage pieces, this sale will not disappoint. 

From art deco glam to retro vintage, we will have it all. The sale is a glamified garage sale and we are so excited to be a part of it. 

Here are a few pictures of a fraction of the items you will find at the sale. Grab a friend and head on over to 5720 Paula Rd. this Saturday from 8-2pm. We will be there rain or shine and can't wait to see you all! 

See the craigslist ad here for more details and pictures. We hope to see you there! 

A Home That Serves: Home Tour with Travetta Johnson

We sat down this week to chat with our friend Travetta Johnson about the concept of making a home and her ideology on decorating. Travetta and her husband own a beautiful Victorian home in a downtown Knoxville neighborhood. 

When you walk into the Johnson's home you immediately feel like you can breathe a little easier. I've always loved Travetta's ability to create beautiful spaces that somehow feel like home to everyone that comes through the door. Walking through their house is almost like reading a book. Travetta loves art, objects and pieces of furniture that tell a story.

I asked Travetta to tell me about how she decorated and chose the pieces in her home.

I love mixing old and new styles. I'm drawn to items that have history. There is something really sweet about your grandchildren being able to use the highchair that you used as a child or reading the same books over the span of generations. Pairing the older more antique items with more modern, clean lined pieces creates a really nice contrast. One concept that I have found really helpful when decorating an eclectic home is to mix things from different time periods keeping in mind that pieces that were made at least 50 years apart tend to be more cohesive. In general I focus on simple beauty by using things that invite people in, like flowers from the garden, a bowl of fruit, a photograph. To keep things interesting, I consider contrasting texture, color and shape when I curate a space. Establishing a natural flow between our home and the outdoors helps create a comfortable feel throughout the house. There is something nostalgic about porches, open windows and the hum of house fans.

Tell me about what roles your home has taken on in various stages of your life.

I read a book when I was in my 20's that changed the way I thought about my home. The book focused on the difference between entertaining versus hospitality. I want my home to be less about making impressions and more about making people feel welcome. Home is a place for people.

I've found that the role of my home has changed in different seasons of life. In early marriage our home was based around that concept of hospitality. We often hosted potlucks, game nights, and bible studies. When we had young children, home evolved into more of a place of retreat and nurturing. As our kids got older the hospitality theme resurfaced and now with grown children, grandchildren, and aging parents our house has served as more of a care-taking and provisional refuge again.

How do you find the balance of creating beautiful spaces without becoming obsessed with the appearance of your home?

The phrase "Man was not created for the Sabbath but the Sabbath was created for man." comes to mind. In this same way, we are not created to serve our homes but rather our homes are created to serve us. Homes feel ordered when they revolve around people and not vice versa. I've found that my taste and style has developed over time. I no longer feel the pressure to constantly redecorate in order to stay on top of the trends. There is a really sweet balance of creating beauty and comfort in your home and yet being content with it once it is settled.