Whitley Adkins’ home is a curated mix of beauty, nostalgia and whimsy — a place where style meets soul.
by Caroline Portillo
photographs by Chris Edwards
fashion styling + interiors: Whitley Adkins
set stylist: Brooke Werhane
hair + makeup: Elizabeth Tolley
production + set assistant: Sydney Gallagher
greenery by City Stems
Whitley Adkins felt an instant connection the moment she saw the listing for the cream-colored cottage on Sharon Road.
There was a lot to love about the Olde Georgetowne townhome she previously shared with her two sons. It was big enough that she’d converted a sitting room into an artful home for her expansive wardrobe and creative pursuits.
Yet, the 1,900-square-foot home in Myers Park beckoned her. She loved its covered front porch and floor-to-ceiling front windows, ideal for her favorite pastime: people-watching. She was smitten with the arched doorways, vintage mail slot and the fretwork in the stairwell.
In the moody-but-energetic family room, walls are painted in Deep Jungle by Benjamin Moore, paired with Iron Ore for the trim and molding. A vintage chartreuse settee sourced by April Carlisle and blue velvet swivel chairs from Slate Interiors create space for intimate conversation. The vintage pencil reed table was an Eastover roadside find.
Adkins is wearing an Oscar de la Renta gown from the private collection of Pam Stowe and Oscar de la Renta earrings.
The owners had given the circa-1925 house a traditional, stately look: Oriental rugs, a four-poster bed, leather-bound books on the built-ins. But when Adkins stepped in the front door, she felt a creative energy pulsing beneath the eggshell-white walls. The home needed a release valve. Adkins got the keys on her birthday four years ago.
Since launching the Queen City Style (later rebranded as Whitley Adkins) in 2011, Adkins has evolved from a newbie fashion blogger with big ambitions to SouthPark Magazine’s style editor, a stylist to some of the city’s chicest denizens, and a de facto artistic talent scout.
Her singular style is evident in her home, where a neutral exterior conceals a jewel-box interior. Inside, Adkins has curated a visual feast of Old Hollywood meets whimsy, high fashion meets nostalgia.
“With my interior-design style, just like my fashion style, I love to mix, to create tension,” says Adkins. “I want people to stop and look and think, ‘I’d never put those two things together, but I really like it.’”
Adkins loves her living room’s natural light and vibrant color scheme — the purple velvet ottoman, the burnt sienna pillows, the rich teal velvet couch she got for a steal at a Potato Sack warehouse sale. But the family room at the back of the home is always the crowd-pleaser.
Kim Moore and Nancy Targgart of Cashion Hill Design arranged the furniture for conversation in the living room. The vintage chairs, swan table, velvet ottoman, cocktail table and lotus lamp were purchased from Ariene Bethea of Dressing Room Interiors. The ceramic cheetah and vintage crowned cranes are from Holly Loeffler’s Cruzana. The Diora Baird photograph is by Stephanie Vovas, and the chevron pillows are made of 1980s Brunschwig & Fils silk fabric. Cynthia Rowley roller skates are a nod to one of Adkins’ favorite childhood pastimes. The nesting tables originally belonged to her great-grandmother, Willa. The rug is from Krazy For Rugs.
Adkins is wearing an MSGM blouse and vintage Valentino denim skirt from the private collection of Annie Totten and an Ojai fringe beaded cape by RENATA by Renata Gasparian. Earrings and bracelets, Noelle Muñoz Jewelry; vintage belt from Hong Kong Vintage; Resistol hat, set stylist’s own; See by Chloe shoes
A vintage dining table with a curved lucite base is paired with postmodern deco-style black lacquer dining chairs sourced by Melanie Gregory of Swank Home Interiors. Adkins’ grandmother’s vanity, a favorite inherited piece, serves as an unexpected-yet-stylish buffet. The vintage Chinese screen was purchased at an estate sale, and the cheetah candlesticks were a surprise gift from a friend. The rug is from interior designer Ashley DeLapp, and the coral chandelier is from Ballard Designs.
Wardrobe from Tabor
Ribeye steak from Melvin Hill Meats
With kelly-green walls and a glossy charcoal ceiling and trim, the family room was inspired by a vintage green-and-white sofa and a 1970s needlepoint tiger wallcovering. In this room are two of Adkins’ most prized possessions: black-and-white portraits of her sons, Hank and Worth, now 17 and 14, taken by her dear friend and collaborator Richard Israel.
Nearly every piece in her home has trickled in over time — a collection of hand-me-downs, gifts, thrifted finds, bartered goods and roadside treasures, all harmonized by Adkins’ artful touch.
“Yes, I like beautiful things,” she says, “but I’m not attracted to a high-dollar amount simply for the sake of donning a label. If you just walk into a store and buy a designer gown and you pair it with designer shoes, well, where’s the styling in that? The designer’s artistry is on display, and of course that is lovely, but I want to use that as a canvas to elevate and personalize.”
There’s a story behind nearly every object in Adkins’ home. The pencil-reed end table in the family room was found on the side of the road. The burlwood console was a gift for planning a 6-year-old’s birthday party. Brass candlestick holders flanking the living-room fireplace, a thank you from Jane Brown of Assemblage at Slate Interiors, after Adkins mentored her son, who’s now pursuing his dream of fashion photography in New York City. Even the collection of matchbooks and vintage brooches in a bowl on the coffee table serve as conversation starters.
Adkins’ design aesthetic, like her editorial shoots, is chic and sophisticated without taking itself too seriously. In the primary bedroom, chunky cowrie-shell necklaces adorn the lamps, and an ornate parlor chair from her great-grandmother holds a “Classy Bougie Rachet” needlepoint pillow from Furbish. Above the living-room fireplace hangs a stunning oil painting of young Adkins and her mother, its gravitas tempered by drink coasters featuring Matthew McConaughey’s infamous mugshot.
The built-in banquette creates a cozy breakfast nook that doubles as an at-home workspace. Cushions and valances are covered in Schumacher’s Dovetail in navy, sourced from Bob Tapp and made by Kathy Posla of Slipcovers by Kathy. The walls, cabinets and trim are painted in Sherwin-Williams Setting Plaster. The framed photograph is a favorite moment from Adkins’ 2023 SouthPark Magazine fashion editorial at The Greenbrier.
Adkins is wearing a vintage dress from the private collection of Evelyn Brown via Pam Stowe.
Makelike’s “Lush” wallpaper in red reflects the stylist’s love of nature in the boho-glam powder room. The painted ceiling, trim and doors (Benjamin Moore Black) are a nod to Adkins’ love for art deco style. The Celerie Kemble mirror is from Dashing Trappings; artwork is by Kathi Graves. The wallpaper and Worlds Away vanity were sourced by Grey Joyner Interiors.
Like the Slim Aarons book on her ottoman, Adkins’ home carries a warm sense of nostalgia. In the downstairs hallway, framed greatest hits from her editorial shoots sit alongside sepia-toned portraits of her parents on their wedding day.
That love of nostalgia is what inspired her to bring a vintage vanity, her most beloved piece, in the dining room to serve as a buffet. The vanity had belonged to Adkins’ grandmother, Martha Whitley, who was a stylist and buyer for an upscale boutique. Adkins recalls running her hands over the silk scarves stored inside it and poring over the photographs her grandmother taped to the mirror. Adkins admires it every day.
“Who doesn’t love memories?” she says. “It’s an opportunity to daydream, to let your memories be brought to life. Let all those joyful things surround you all the time.”
In the gallery wall of the primary bathroom, a framed print reads: “I’ve never done that before so I should definitely be able to do that.” That ethos of experimentation is a hallmark of Adkins, and it captures the spirit of the room, curated one detail at a time.
The primary bath is inspired by two of Adkins’ favorite interior designers, Kelly Wearstler and Pierce & Ward. Moroccan tiles frame a vintage mirror purchased from The Oyster in Bennettsville, South Carolina. The 1900s tiger oak dresser was purchased on Facebook Marketplace and transformed to a bathroom vanity. A vintage flower sconce from Dressing Room Interiors and a pair of deco sconces from Cruzana cast a moody glow. A French neoclassical bronze bench from Cruzana and disco ball are a nostalgic nod to girlfriends getting ready together.
Alemais dress and vintage blouse from the private collection of Pam Stowe; earrings by Kristin Hayes Jewelry
Crown cake from Frosted and Fabulous by Adelaide
A pair of “Circa East” Henredon nightstands and vintage mirrors, along with a handwoven coverlet and his-and-hers 1950s chalkware dancer table lamps were all sourced at The Chinoiserie Squirrel. A melange of vintage designer pillows sourced by Brooke Werhane plays harmoniously with a lowcountry sunset painted by Adkins’ mother, Beth Lee, in a frame found at Habitat ReStore for $10.99. High-gloss lavender walls accented by black doors and trim create a calming-yet-inspiring ambience. The Stockholm chandelier and doubled-up velvet drapes, both from IKEA, create a luxe feel on a dime.
Adkins found the tiger oak dresser for $500 on Facebook Marketplace in Boiling Springs and had it converted to a bathroom vanity with a marble top. She sourced the mirror in Bennettsville, South Carolina, added vintage art deco sconces, and splurged on Moroccan tile from Palmetto Tile in South End. But the pièce de resistance is hanging from the ceiling: a disco ball.
“As far as my style aesthetic and philosophy goes, I think experimentation is so rewarding,” says Adkins. “It doesn’t create fear. It creates excitement.”
Then there’s Adkins’ favorite room in the house: the downstairs powder room. The walls are covered in Makelike’s “Lush,” a confection of coral-colored mushrooms and gilded fern leaves. The vibe is equal parts glamorous and trippy, enhanced by a cheeky mirror featuring a Saturday Night Fever-era John Travolta above the toilet.
Beside the sink is a framed selfie of Adkins with Laryn Adams, the late style maven and owner of ChezElle, the SouthPark boutique that Adkins featured in her first SouthPark Magazine photo shoot a decade ago. The pair are posing with musician Rob Garza of lounge band Thievery Corporation, after Adkins and Adams ran into the band before a concert at Neighborhood Theatre. Later, the sound guy handed them the night’s set list, which Adkins framed and hung on the bathroom wall. It’s a reminder that a life well lived is made up of unforgettable nights with unforgettable people.
“This house has a soul,” says Adkins. “And I want to pursue things that have soul — a career that has soul, relationships with people who have a soul. I am meant to pursue things that have meaning.” SP
Whitley’s Resource Guide
Contractor: David Rucker, Myers Park Fix-It
Wallpaper: Vicki Turner, Vicki’s Custom Walls
Florals: Foxglove Fine Flowers, City Stems
Tile: Palmetto Tile
Painting: Dennis Wilk, DR Wilk Contracting
Upholstery, carpet and rug cleaning: Modern Upkeep, White Knight Steamer
Slipcovers and sewing: Kathy Posla, Slipcovers by Kathy
Featured image:
Flocked with Japanese maples and lenten roses, the home was inhabited for 60 years by an avid gardener. With a shared appreciation for all things nostalgic, Adkins’ fiance made the clothesline out of cedar posts reclaimed from her grandparents’ South Carolina farm.
Adkins is wearing a vintage Mexican wedding dress from House of Landor. On the clothesline: items from East 8th Vintage and the private collection of Pam Stowe
