Although she lived through the Great Depression, Mary Knight’s table was always decorated beautifully at the holidays. At her hand, even from clippings from the yard could become art. She loved birds and leopard print, antiques and old things that have been handed down. Today, looking around her granddaughter Beth Hubrich’s Edgewood home, there’s no doubt where Beth’s taste comes from either—or that Beth must have grown up in Florida.
If you have lived in Homewood more than 5 minutes, you’ve driven past the Hubrichs’ 106 -year-old Broadway home and seen its sweeping front porch that runs the width of the house. “I saw the front porch, and I knew this is where I wanted to be,” Beth says of finding the home for sale 10 years ago. “It has this old Mayberry feel where you see your neighbors walking by and have parties on the porch. (And) I have always been a sucker for an old house. I love the soul and character and the way it feels.”
And now Beth has breathed her own bold and whimsical Floridian flair into the historic home too, particularly after a recent renovation she teamed up with fellow members of the old home appreciation club, Jama and Geoffrey Ketcham, on.
In short, they knocked down walls and reconfigured the back of the house to create an open kitchen and living space that would be more practical for her family of five’s lifestyle. They also added a large pantry, a laundry room with a pocket door, a “central command” desk area for Beth, a powder bathroom and a side door to easily connect the driveway with the home’s hardest working space. Ripping up carpet upstairs revealed hardwoods that now get to shine once again too.
On the home’s exterior, they painted the siding what Beth calls “UPS brown” in keeping with the original coloring of the home, and added a splash of green from Beth’s preferred palette to the front door.
Throughout the renovation Beth, who grew up antiquing with her mom, was also picking out furnishings that reflected her family and reflected the house itself. “I’d be shopping and find the most amazing piece I couldn’t use but knew someone else need it because it was that fantastic,” she says. And with that Mary & Wilma (@maryandwilma) was born to provide antique, vintage and funky finds through Instagram, and bears the names of her maternal grandmother Mary and paternal grandmother Wilma. “It fulfills my need to purchase items I think are amazing and deserve a second story but not have every single piece in my house,” she says.
What she does have in her house is a well curated collection that exudes warmth and tells the stories of things her family loves. Mary and Wilma would be proud.
Front Porch
By far the porch is the Hubrichs’ favorite “room” in the house. They eat out there when the weather is nice, and frequently host porch parties. Doug will even setup a TV during football season, so Beth reminds him that while he might not have a man cave, he has a “man porch.”
Laundry Room
Beth and her 6-year-old daughter Harper used black Sharpies to draw wallpaper-like bird sketches reminiscent of a Schumacher aviary pattern Beth liked. Harper also wrote “I love you” in one the sections she created.
Powder Bathroom
The green palm fronds on the wall are not wallpaper but hand paintings by Beth she worked on to relax during their home renovation.
Staircase
A family photo wall, including prints on wood Beth ordered from Photo Barn, line the walls leading to the house’s second story. The top floor greets you with aviary art by Willow Hart that corresponds to a pink ceiling as well as black and white walls Beth painted with a beauty blender.
Entry Room
This formal space is filled with treasures that remind Beth of where she comes from: her grandmother’s baby grand piano, a rubbing of mahi-mahi and other Florida art from her parents’ house, framed sharks’ teeth she has collected since she was a child, and a pheasant and oyster plate she found at estate sales.
Kitchen
When Beth saw a photo of green kitchen cabinets in a magazine, a new vision took the place of the white kitchen she’d always dreamed of. Above the large island hang Scout Design brass light fixtures that add a more modern flair to the Palm Beach style in the space, and a floral painting ripe with greens and blues by Nashville artist Laci Fowler hangs on a simple white vent hood. On the right side, open shelving made from the house’s old ceiling joists holds functional dishware as well as decorative items including Beth’s grandmother’s cricket boxes, wedding gifts and other items she has collected through Mary & Wilma.
Dining Room
Beth was drawn to the Florida feel of these bamboo chairs she found in Auburn and had their seats recovered in Italian velvet and paired with a newly recovered banquette she bought on Homewood Trading. Above the round table hangs a Cinderella-esque chandelier by Scout Design that adds a formal yet whimsical vibe to the space.
Mary & Wilma customers often ask Beth if the colorful screen art is for sale, and the answer is no. On either side of it hang ornate sconces she found at two different antique stores, Tricia’s Treasures in Homewood and Black Sheep Antiques in Harpersville, and beneath all of those sits an antique draper’s table, also from Black Sheep Antiques.
Boy’s Bedroom
In Hank’s room sits a rug Beth’s dad brought Turkey when he was stationed there in the Navy, and the twin beds as well as the quilts were Beth’s grandmothers. Above the beds hang World War II paintings by Frank Lemon that Beth found at an estate sale.
Girls’ Bathroom
Beth would tell you it took a while to get a 6 year old, a 12 year old and a 40-plus year old to agree on a wallpaper her daughters share, but they landed on a flamingo print from Cole & Sons. They paired it with Farrow & Ball Pink Ground paint on the other walls, which flow with vanities they painted black and knobs from the Martha Stewart line from Home Depot as well as CB2 and Anthropologie mirrors.
Girls’ Bedroom
The white bedding the Hubrich daughters share contrasts with the Farrow & Ball Hague Blue walls. Ikea lights that easy to move hang adjacent to both girls’ beds. Not pictured are paintings from Seven Street Market, an artist Beth follows on Instagram and commissioned to create pink art for her 6 year old, Harper, and blue art for her 12 year old, Becca Cate.
Playroom
Taking inspiration from Jama Ketcham, art by the three Hubrich kids from over the years acts as the wallpaper in this colorful play space. Located in the center of the upstairs bedrooms, it was at one point a kitchen and common area for residents who rented a bedroom in the house, or so the Hubrichs were told by an older couple who once lived there.
Behind the Scenes
- Contractor: Jama and Geoffrey Ketcham, Ketcham & Co.
- Select Décor: Mary & Wilma (@maryandwilma)
- Architect: Jason Robb
- Select Rugs: Hazelhouse Collective
- Girls’ Bath Design Assistance: Sean Alexander Designs
- Paint & Hardware Design Assistance: Jama Ketcham
- Select Fabric: Downing & Sons, Anniston
