“When Mike and I walked through the front door, we were completely in love,” Bunny says. “But by the time we went out the back door, Mike had turned green. He was absolutely sick because he knew I was head over heels, but the house needed a lot of work.” Outside, the 1926 home projects formal Georgian Revival style. It wasn’t until 2015, however, that Bunny got serious about redecorating, teaming up with friend and up-and-coming Nashville designer Sarah Bartholomew. To soften the formal look of the entryway’s yellow damask wallpaper, Bartholomew mixed in more casual fabrics, including Quadrille’s “Veneto” fabric in Venice Blue, which covers the center hall table. Fresh yellows and blues thread throughout the palette of the entire home. Again, Bunny found her brave. “We just had to rip off the Band-Aid,” she says. That’s when Project Dream House got real. Bartholomew rearranged the Blackburns’ art collection, hanging it salon-style along the stairway. Bartholomew artfully mixed feminine florals with graphic patterns, outfitting the windows in Brunschwig & Fils “Chevron Bar” and dotting the sofas with pillows made from Raoul Textiles “Secret Garden” fabric. Two “Catherine” sofas from Century Furniture flank a fireplace that’s painted, along with the walls, in Benjamin Moore’s “Simply White.” The mantel is lined with homeowner Bunny Blackburn’s collection of blue-and-white Chinese porcelain vases and jars. Bartholomew added a touch of airiness with an acrylic cocktail table from Interlude Home. The wicker highboy is vintage Ralph Lauren for Henredon; the rattan chair is also a vintage find. The springy palette continues in the breakfast room where verdant green dining chairs pull up to a rustic table. The Brunschwig & Fils “Bird and Thistle” wallpaper in blue plays nicely with apple green velvet on Hepplewhite-inspired dining chairs. Delicate paper flowers from The Green Vase pop against a grouping of contemporary pieces, A Color Study, by Janet Porcher Gregg. Fresh greens in art and upholstery bring energy to Mike’s favorite retreat. Mike and Bunny Blackburn love spending time outdoors with their children, Anne Elizabeth, Michael, Clare, and Callie, and their dogs.
