Sean and Erin Kirkpatrick’s home brims with their personalities. She is a fine art photographer, owner of this boutique Amelia and co-founder of chARTer nannies. He’s a professional musician. Together they decorated their 123-year-old Mississippi home with bright patterns, antiques and also an art collection in a look motivated by Erin’s grandma and iconic midcentury modern designs. Each product is a memento of their travels and that they are as individuals, by the photobooth strips taken from around world and a record collection started during Erin’s college days to a handful of classic Polaroid cameras.
at a Glance
Who lives here: Sean and Erin Kirkpatrick and their son Tom; dog, Ida and cats, Harriet and Louise
Location: Water Valley, Mississippi
Size: 1,987 square feet;two bedrooms, 1 bath
That is intriguing: Erin and Sean are the fourth family to live at the home since it was Constructed in 1890.
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A summer camp with a “classic, simple feel” motivated the major living room, Erin states. Midcentury furniture, classic quilts and art by local artists outfit the space.
Erin’s parents purchased the corner storage unit at the 1960s. The initial purpose of the unit, with its small labeled drawers and big lower cupboards, remains unidentified. Erin now uses it to exhibit a pair of classic suitcases on top and framed images below.
Wall color: White, Martha Stewart (similar); sofas: Blue Heaven, Water Valley, MS; art (previously portrait): Daniel Long
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A classic record table displays a small group of mini pine cones paired with abstract art. A gold and black painted book cover by Kate Roebuck echoes the dominant neutral colors from the space.
Portrait artwork: Stephen Borasch; horse book cover Illustration: Kate Roebuck
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The fireplace mantel exhibits classic family photos and a pair of green horses found at a flea market in Los Angeles. An oversize painting by Chris Blackledge leads into the small hallway that opens into the primary bedroom.
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Artwork by Coulter Fussell, yet another artist residing in Water Valley, hangs over three lively lamps in Erin and Sean’s bedroom. Chic bedding by Dwell Studio reveals off Erin’s love for modern style mixed with classic decor.
Wall color: Lemonade, Martha Stewart; bedding: Draper Stripe, Dwell Studio
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A pair of antler hooks arouses Erin’s jewelry over a blue dresser. Two classic movie seats found in Water Valley offer extra chairs.
Wall color: Lemonade, Martha Stewart; antler hooks: Bower Bird; gloomy dresser: The Depot, Oxford, Mississippi; film seats: Blue Heaven
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Section of Erin’s secondhand world collection — she’s 20 — adorns a bedroom mantel. A wooden horse rocker from Sean’s youth sits under the mantel.
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The couple recently upgraded their toilet, adding a new sink. A colorful painting by Kate Roebuck adds a punch of color.
Sink: Kohler, Home Depot; wall color: Farrow and Ball; towels: Anthropologie and West Elm
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The house was built before indoor plumbing, which is its only toilet. The Kirkpatricks would love to eventually add a second toilet, though finding space to it at the house is not a simple endeavor. “I have finally worked out on paper to us, but it is not a project we need to start just yet,” Erin says.
Ceiling light: West Elm
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A map of Sean’s family summer home in Canada hangs over a wooden desk. Other keepsakes and collectibles decorate the corner.
Map (unframed): Urban Outfitters; backpack: Stone and Cloth
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Striped bins from Erin’s store organize smaller items under the desk.
Desk bins: Vertical Strokes Recycled Canvas Buckets
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Bookshelves at Tom’s area screen a classic collection of Winnie the Pooh stuffed animals. The group, handmade by an unidentified artist at Mississippi, belonged to Erin as a kid.
Crib: Diapers.com
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Tom’s toys and books are coordinated under a very simple bench. A soft striped rug from Pottery Barn warms the tile flooring. Erin left the original tile for its capacity to resist a toddler’s imaginative endeavors.
Wall color: Sweatshirt Gray, Benjamin Moore; seat: Tin Pan Alley, Taylor, MS; bins: Restoration Hardware; carpeting: Pottery Barn
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The framed painting by Kate Roebuck that motivated the room colors hangs over a nearby bookshelf. “Color combinations are really important to me personally and that I enjoy evoking a classic feel around the house,” Erin says.
The traditional Eames rocker also evokes a classic feel. “I love the work of Charles and Ray Eames,” Erin says. “They were so far ahead of their time. I love that their designs are timeless.”
Wall color: Sweatshirt Gray, Benjamin Moore; seat: Eames Molded Plastic Rocker: Design Within Reach; cushion: Leah Duncan at Amelia
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A small gallery of art by Erin and Sean’s friends decorates the corner between the windows. Some of those artists include Brittany Bass, Lo-fi, Amy Evans, Rebekah Laurenzi and Coral & Tusk.
Bedding: mix of classic, Pottery Barn
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An assortment of photostrips shot in photobooths from around the globe decorate a hallway. Erin started the group in 2000.
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Within the room, an impressive vinyl record collection from Erin’s days working at her college radio show divides the floor-to-ceiling bookcase, while black paint eyeglasses the room’s colorful accessories.
Bar essentials are saved on top of a classic icebox which Erin’s parents discovered in their honeymoon.
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A shadowbox shows a group of classic jar tops onto a kitchen wall.
Couch: Macy’s
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Paper lanterns hang over a cast iron kitchen sink which overlooks the lush backyard.
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A mix of classic drinking glasses are saved and arranged by color on the kitchen shelves next to Tom’s mini dining table.
Wall color: Mint Condition, Sherwin Williams; avocado and bird paintings: Coulter Fussell
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The Kirkpatricks discovered the blue modern chair at a yard sale in Seattle. A framed picture shot by Erin hangs over a classic necklace storing CDs and a collection of those hardcover Penguin classics.
Artwork (above seat): Julianna Swaney
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Sean, Erin and their son Tom relax before a teepee fort. “Something that I adore about Water Valley is the fact that it really is small-town America,” Erin says. “You know your neighbors. You can walk everywhere you want to go and get most of what you want. The houses are beautiful and still affordable.”
Tepee: Blue Stripe, Land of Nod (no more accessible)
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Outside, big rosemary bushes line the sidewalk leading to the home’s large open porch.
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