Visitors sometimes tell Jackie Garson Howard her Smyrna home is like walking into a museum. The two-story residence allows her to live mostly on the first floor (extra bedrooms are upstairs), but is large enough to display various collections, including tramp art, stick furniture, children’s chairs, antique spoons and forks, and family artwork and heirlooms.
“Almost everything in my house is old,” she said.
Inspired by textiles and colors such as rust, has transformed walls, floors and rooms into a residence with an irreverent style.
“It’s definitely not stuffy,” she said. “I try not to take myself seriously. I love seeing people’s homes because I feel like it’s an expression of their soul and I feel that very strongly with my house.”
Snapshot
Resident: Jackie Garson Howard, owner, Paces Papers, Inc. by Jackie, a graphic design studio in Buckhead. in Buckhead that sells handmade papers, designer invitations and stationery albums
Location: Smyrna’s Paces Green subdivision
Size: About 2,300 square feet, 4 bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths
Year built: 1996
Year bought: 2000
Architectural style: New England-style cottage built by John Wieland Homes
Renovations: Painting, adding bookshelves in the breakfast area to hold cookbooks, and installing molding in her bedroom and new hardwood floors throughout the home. “I had to physically move out of the house when I did the wooden floors.” The only structural change was that one of the bedrooms upstairs was an unfinished attic and finished it off into a bedroom.
Favorite architectural feature: The windows that stream light throughout the house. “Every room has glorious windows. That’s what sold me on the house,” she said.
Interior design style: Howard’s home transitions from 18th century to Victorian to early 20th century styles. It could be considered eclectic, but she doesn’t have contemporary items in the home. “When I think of eclectic, I think you’ve got to have an acrylic waterfall table,” she said.
Interior designers: Howard has been assisted by interior designer Vikki Werbalowsky of La Bella Vie in Roswell and stylist Rex Weston and Mark Van Atta with Studio Rex over the years.
Favorite design feature: Bringing rust into the home, which created a warm color palette. After she bought fabric from Atlanta’s Forsyth Fabrics to make a jacket, she decided to use the fabric to make draperies and set off a new look for the living room. “We used every inch I had bought,” she said. “Then that became the color scheme of the house. The whole house is tones of rust.”
Favorite outdoor feature: The yellow Lady Banks roses that cover part of her garage. “They only bloom for about two weeks, maybe three, but they’re just so happy and joyous.”
