Wright Home Tour
Welcome to the lovely home of Blair and Debbye Wright. I had the pleasure of sitting down with my “aunt-in-love” Debbye in November to talk with her about her home and what it means to both she and Blair. If you ever get the chance to visit, upon walking in it feels like a home away from home, a respite, and the kind of place that you could easily curl up on the couch and get lost in a book or a conversation.
How long have you lived in your home?
We moved in 4 years ago. It took about 5 months to build. The first two years that we lived here we had a lot going on. We lost some beloved family members and were really busy managing the homes and estates of our parents more so than really being able to focus on making our new house our own. We knew we wanted to build rather than buying an already existing home. We had built our last house and really loved it and wanted it to be similar but a scaled down version. We started by looking at rooms online rather than plans and then moved to plans after having a good idea of what we wanted. Our old house was such an expression of us. There were things about it that we really wanted to carry over to the new house so we hired the same architect that we had used last time. Blair has a passion for architectural salvage so there were several things that he had found that we wanted to incorporate into the house as well.
On a trip to visit family in Buffalo, Blair stopped in Columbus, OH to check out some salvage that he had found on Craigslist. The seller was a couple that lived downtown in the inner city and were restoring an old fire hall to live in. They had bought these incredible old newel posts to make a bed out of and then changed course and ended up listing them for sale.
Antique boat shed window salvaged from Jackson, TN.
Blair made the kitchen island out of old oak beams that were the trusses under the original house that was torn down at our last property.
Do you have any current/future decorating or renovation plans?
During covid we redid the mantel in the living room and added the shiplap detailing. We are still on the hunt for some antique french doors to replace the ones going into Blair’s office. We would love to find a vintage or antique upright piano for Blair especially for retirement years.
What does home mean to you?
When my oldest daughter started having babies, I turned one of our rooms into a nursery. One day I went and sat in the nursery and started crying. I was crying becauseI felt foolish for having this beautiful room for grandkids that don't live here-- that live across the country and only come once or twice a year. But then I realized…this is what the Lord does for us-- he prepares a place for us-- his house has many rooms. He creates a beautiful home, a place of welcome, rest, and support for us to abide in. I prepared a place for my grand kids and when they do get to come, they love it.
How would you describe your style of decorating?
I don't know that I have a style. We started out our life with all hand me downs. We bought two pieces of furniture and everything else was given to us by family and friends but if I was picking out things for myself, I love all things “cottage”. We love a good flea market and estate sales. It's a mixture of everything-- I feel like every piece of furniture in our house has a story with the exception of a few. We were very selective, only bringing with us from the old house what was most important to us. I just like comfortable—I like having lots of places for lots of people to comfortably sit.
Do you have any favorite stores or go to spots for furniture/home decor?
We love going to Clinton, TN and perusing all the little vintage and antique shops. For throw pillows and filler decor, you can’t beat Home Goods.
Has your style changed over time?
Probably not the essence of what I like but we just used what was given to us or available. I've always had a more classic style.
Do you have any collections?
Sheep! back in the 80's I did a devotional that went through the 23rd Psalm. I so identified with my need for a shepherd and the neediness of the sheep that scripture talks about, so I bought a few and then friends and family started giving them to me. My grandson counted once and he reports that there are 256 sheep in our house. I have a collection of cookie jars and pitchers. We also have all kinds of architectural salvage because Blair loves it.
What is your relationship to your belongings?
I think more and more I'm moving towards having in my home what I really enjoy and love and letting go of what’s just there because I have it and I’ve stuffed it somewhere. When we left our last house, it was a real time of me letting go of home, being in that specific space--- if home can be a representation of what we are headed towards, that is what I want more-- that our home would be a taste of whats coming but not the end in and of itself.
When people come into your home, what do you hope they feel?
When my friend Linda walks in our back door she says, "honey, I'm home". I hope everyone feels like they can say that when they come over—that they belong and have a place here.
Do you have a favorite room in your home?
I have my own little office space and I love it. I've never had a whole office room to myself before. I love that It's my own and I don't have to share. The screened in porch is another favorite space. I love our dining room too.
Do you have a favorite piece of furniture or piece of art?
Blair- The wardrobe in our bedroom. I found it in pieces in the smoke house on my grandparents farm. It was the first piece of furniture I ever refinished. A lot of our antiques came from the farm house. The pie safe, sugar chest, meat chest and wardrobe all came from the farm and they are our favorite pieces.
Debbye- The swing on the screened in porch that my father made. The porch was designed around the swing because i love it so much. We found the picnic bench in Blair’s moms house recently. His great grandfather probably made it. We had been looking for something to use as a coffee table of sorts and it was perfect.
What do you love most about your home?
Debbye: It's manageable—It fits us really well. This past summer our the kids and grandkids lived with us for 2 months and it was just big enough for that to work but for everyday life for us its so manageable. It doesn't consume our time and resources.
Blair: You can’t beat the lake view.
A big thank you to Blair and Debbye for opening up their home to us.
P.S. If you missed our blog post a few years ago about White Station Architectural, (Blair’s side hustle) check it out!