The Story
Some people shy away from pattern. Not Gretchen Black, who was basically raised on it. “A lot of my childhood home was covered in wallpaper,” she says, “and we also had fun sofas, pillows, drapes, everything!” She grew up to be an interior designer and met her match with Jason, her custom builder husband. “He’s fond of wearing patterned bow ties with patterned shirts,” she says. After living in a series of new-construction homes, the couple dreamed of owning one with history. Two years ago, they bought this 1860s house in Glenview, Kentucky. It had been maintained, but the kitchen was tiny and the place was filled with dated colors, like crimson curtains in the living room and green-gold carpet in the entry. Jason opened up the kitchen, and Gretchen refreshed the entire house with mixed motifs in shades of blue. “A consistent color gives you more freedom to play with prints,” she says, “so I went pattern happy.” Here, Gretchen and Jason sit with Noah, 18, and Max, 13, on the front porch.