One Step Further

By Anna Grace Moore

Photos by Lauren Ustad

If there ever were sunshine in human form, it’d be Ragan Wesson. Ragan is redefining the interior design industry by proving talent is often cultivated through a love of the intrinsically innate and a desire to create.

When Ragan and her husband tied the knot, she jokes that they were quite poor, so she’d journey to her local thrift store to find treasures to spruce up their humble abode. This “taught me how to be creative,” she says.

Soon, they purchased their first home, and Ragan took on every project, completely flipping the home all by herself. People started noticing how beautiful her projects were and began contacting her to help design their homes, too. Her first project was for a lady who was remodeling a historic home in downtown Trussville.

Ragan Wesson Interiors, she says, just “fell into my lap…I had all these creative skills but no business sense. I was a true artist in the sense that I could really see things, but I had a really hard time figuring out the logistics.”

Ragan launched Ragan Wesson Interiors first on Instagram and then built her website. Now, customers are lining up to have just an hour of her time.

Although, she makes it clear that her customers not only keep her in business, but also bless her so that she can do what she loves and provide for her family. Good relationships with her customers often turn clients into friends, she explains.

One such friend had a bond with Ragan before becoming a client, herself. Ragan and Brandy Johnson, whose home is featured, are good friends who actually met through a Church of the Highlands small group in 2014. Brandy says Ragan “has made me love my home. She’s made it a place that feels cozy to my children. It’s beautiful, but it can be lived in.”

“I feel a lot of purpose in my business,” Ragan says. “I felt like I had a gift that God had given me. People sought me out and wanted to pay me for my gift. I just have felt so much sense of purpose in that.”

Purpose to inspire, to create and above all, to make others feel just as warm and loving as she does is her goal.

“She’ll be your new best friend,” Brandy says, recalling her experience with Ragan.

To others who’re looking to redesign their homes, Ragan says to give her a call. If anything, an hour of her time is also an hour she gets to spend forming a friendship with you.

To start a conversation about redesigning your home, visit raganwessoninteriors.com. Follow Ragan on Instagram @raganwesson for inspiration and aesthetically pleasing photos.

Kitchen

Ragan values “moody,” and Brandy trusts Ragan’s design choices.

Kitchen Details

Notice the subway tile on the backsplash. Not only is the tile not flush, meaning it’s not smooth all the way across, it is also arranged in a herringbone design above the stove to create a more “textured look.” Why? Because this unique design draws attention to a clean, fluorescent space that lets off a lot of light. “Natural lighting is always in,” Ragan says.

Lighting

The kitchen light fixtures add visual comfort and are sold by Circa Lighting.

Living Room

This home was built by KADCO as a spec home. Brandy was able to pick out the finishes. She chose contrasting red and blues to play on a more “English traditionalist” aesthetic by utilizing a crimson rug from Turkish Man and furniture through At Home and Stock and Trade Design Co. The vintage feed sacks, Ragan says, were inspired by her growing up at her grandparents’ farmhouse. She often draws upon her childhood for her design choices. These pictured are from Scott’s Antiques.

Living Room Details

This gorgeous statement chandelier is from Stock and Trade Design Co.

Home & Hearth

The custom bookshelves were built by Southern Grain Woodworks and were designed by Brandy’s sister-in-law, Alli Simmons Roberts, of Nashville, Tennessee. This ethereal landscape by Susan Walker is a beauty! Susan actually paints tiny crosses in each of her paintings for “protection of guardian angels.” She wants each of her customers to not only love her artwork, but also feel “loved” by it, too.

Dining Room

To create a consistent mood through hues, Ragan found similar blue shades in the dining room’s rug to the living room’s “Wetherburns Blue,” which is a Benjamin Moore “original.” The portraits of Brandy’s children are by Lindsay Gowland Photography.

Master Bedroom

The master bedroom’s bedding is from Brock Custom Interiors, and specific fabrics are from King Cotton. The nightstands are from At Home. “Green is always in,” Ragan says. Olive green, especially, pairs nicely with neutral tones, which can help create any “timeless” design.

Focal Points

If one doesn’t know where to start when trying to redesign their homes, Ragan recommends finding a statement piece such as artwork or a certain piece of furniture and building the room’s colors and styles off of that one piece a homeowner particularly loves. Greenery, for example, is a great focal point in any room.

English Accents

Brandy’s husband is an attorney, so Ragan chose to decorate several bookshelves with his old law books for a “stately” aesthetic.

Subtle Decor

Accentuating with Art

“People don’t realize how important living in a place that’s beautiful is because as human beings we are drawn to things that are beautiful,” Ragan explains. “I think homes should be a beautiful place for children and adults. I enjoy helping them figure out what story they want to tell about themselves…something they can love and enjoy.”