Text by Bethany Adams
As a fashion stylist and lifelong Francophile, there was never any question as to how Megan LaRussa Chenoweth was going to approach the decorating of her family’s new home. “I knew coming into this that we wanted to make it have a French flair,” she says. “But my husband and I are both very creative people, and so, we wanted to have a more eclectic French twist.”
While the home offered plenty to love, the couple faced a challenge in creating warmth and separation in light of the high ceilings and open-concept layout. Luckily, both Megan and her husband, Barnett, brought with them an inherited appreciation of antiques. “We’ve both had the pleasure of inheriting a lot of antiques and special pieces from our families,” Megan says, noting that Barnett’s mother is an antiques dealer. “My mom always said you need antiques to really anchor the room.”
With the help of interior designer Danielle Balanis, the couple layered their heirloom pieces with bold and creative twists that speak to their shared love of art. Velvet sofas and acrylic tables pair perfectly with an antique painted hutch in the living room, sky blue urns flank Megan’s grandmother’s tea set on the dining table, and the nearby sitting area centers on the ottoman from her childhood room—re-covered and topped with fashion books.
In the primary bedroom, Megan’s collections of antique odds and ends further testify to her adoration of the old. “It’s amazing how everything was so much more beautiful,” she says. Perfume bottles, pincushions, French chocolate boxes, and even an aged needle case—gifted by her mother-in-law—populate Megan’s painted vanity, making her morning routine one to look forward to. “It’s really fun to have all those little trinkets,” she says. “They make me happy when I’m getting ready in the morning.”
While the primary bedroom is the perfect place to start the day, the family prefers to greet the evening in one of the home’s outdoor spaces—whether it’s the stone table in the backyard that serves as a setting for casual dinners or the closed-in courtyard that offers a fireplace on autumn nights. “That was one of the selling points for the house,” Megan says, “because when you walk in the side door . . . it just feels like such a nice little sanctuary.”
Regardless of the room or corner of the home, every decorative touch plays a part in expressing the Chenoweths’ personal brand of French charm. “There are so many different interpretations of [French style],” Megan says. “Which is so fun.” And with a little support in the form of family pieces and a professional hand, the couple have found their own little corner of this beloved design style.
