Designer Meghan Basinger of Stevie Interiors opens the doors to her Milton, Georgia home—a space that is warm and inviting. The space is in line with her design firm’s style, but also feels deeply personal—nothing is too ‘on trend’ but instead feels like a timeless, beautifully collected space. Though some areas appear formal, don’t be fooled: this home is meant to be lived in and enjoyed by her family of five. Meghan tells us more.
Tell us about your home. Where is it located?
Our home is in Milton, Georgia – about 45 minutes north of Atlanta. We moved from the city (Atlanta) about six years ago. I had relocated from New York in 2010 – so leaving a city of sorts was out of the question for me for many years. Milton is very rural, and most residents own at least an acre of land. It’s definitely more of a horse and farm country, but my personal style is not farmhouse – so I created a transitional-style home mixing traditional and modern elements.
When we started building the home, I was pregnant and had a one-year-old, so needless to say, I didn’t have the time or energy, and we went with basic finishes with the intention of making the home our own slowly and over time. Over the past six years, we’ve poured energy into personalizing every space, adding my stamp to the home room by room, and implementing warmer accents and wood tones.
What drew you to this property?
When we were living in Atlanta, I always said I would never live in what locals called ‘OTP’ (outside the perimeter), but our family grew very quickly, and we needed more room and better schools. We wanted something outside but still close to the city, and when we found Milton, we just fell in love. Not only is there a break from the traffic, beautiful country roads, and horse farms in every direction, but it has a small community feel that we were immediately drawn to.
Our lot, specifically, is a great piece of land on a little more than an acre that has a great deal of privacy but is still located in a neighborhood with families who have children around the same age as ours. It’s a place that offers that old fashion feel of children running around playing with friends, and riding bikes in a safe environment.
When it comes to the neighborhood, it really didn’t influence my style. Like I mentioned before, when people say Milton, they think of a white house with all black accents, and I really wanted to bring a unique style with cozy tones and texture.
What is it like designing for yourself vs. a client? Is it easier or more difficult?
I am my favorite client because I trust myself! I am an easy client in the way that I don’t overthink things and trust the process. I really believe the only way to be successful in design is to have that trust. Nothing makes me feel prouder than being in a client meeting, and they don’t know it’s my home they are referencing for inspiration from our Instagram feed.
What have been some of the challenges in designing your home?
We didn’t face any challenges that the rest of the world isn’t facing in terms of delays and material shortages. Because it’s my own home and this is my line of work, I understand the delays. Anytime you are doing a renovation, big or small, having a family living there is very challenging. In fact, we always tell our clients to take however hard they are expecting a renovation to be and multiply it by five. It’s all about managing expectations upfront.
The million dollar question…as a designer, do you feel like it’s “done”?
Definitely not! In the six years we’ve spent in the home, the rooms that I love and are ‘done’ have been completed over the past two years, but design is never done, and my home never will be either. It’s about building a timeless foundation and mixing up the layers to grow with your family and style.
