House Tour: Vintage Eclectic

house tour

TEXT Jasmine Bible PHOTOGRAPHY The Black House on the Corner

Audrey Sprinkle

DESIGNER Audrey Sprinkle

LOCATION Concord, NC

INSTAGRAM @theblackhouseonthecorner

WEBSITE  theblackhouseonthecorner.com

Follow along with Sprinkle for renovation and home decor tips.

At the age of eight, Audrey Sprinkle designed her first piece of furniture—a bed that her dad lovingly constructed for her out of cherry wood. Though he strongly advised against using a soft wood, she knew exactly what she wanted and wouldn’t settle for anything else. That unwavering confidence and decisive design eye has carried Sprinkle into adulthood and catapulted her into the public eye. “Design brings me so much joy. My heart races and I lose all track of time,” expresses Sprinkle. Her wildly popular Instagram feed showcases the design of her home, a 1900 Greek revival craftsman in Concord, North Carolina. Upon moving into the home, she promptly painted it black; thus the name The Black House on the Corner.

vintage eclectic fireplace

Daring, bold, classic with modern touches, a dash of bohemian eclectic, and loads of vintage. “I like what I like,” laughs Sprinkle. “The weirder it is, the better!” While it may be hard to put her exact style into words, there is a definite mood. Rich in color and textures, it’s the type of home where you want to grab a good book, a toasty beverage, and snuggle by the fire. In the front sitting room, grand oil portraits happily reside next to clean-lined mid-century modern pieces.

sitting room

The deep blue (Naval SW 6244) serves as the perfect backdrop for the watchful ladies of the house, while the fireplace offers a subtle contrast (Iron Ore SW 7069). A small-scale leather chesterfield sits atop a jute rug, layered with a red vintage Persian rug. The coffee table was found at a local Charlotte antique mall, Sleepy Poet. Vintage Persian rugs play a supporting role throughout the home.

vintage eclectic stairwell

While Sprinkle and her growing family have lived in and renovated three houses, this is the first with a hallway. “I knew the hallway needed to be impactful, but not cluttered,” explains Sprinkle. They had recently paid someone a pretty penny to remove old wallpaper that was beyond salvage, so she knew installing costly new wallpaper was out of the question. So the idea of painting her own began to take shape. She narrowed her choices down to one she could feasibly replicate, then she tested out various patterns and techniques on paper. Working with the existing chair rail, she calculated the spacing to accommodate the angles of the soaring 12 foot ceilings.

Audrey Sprinkle hand painted wallpaper

Using a sponge brush, she hand-painted the black brush strokes over the course of three days. In the end, is she satisfied with the result? “Absolutely. Every time I walk by, it makes me happy,” shares Sprinkle. “In designing your home, you have to be true to yourself and do what makes you happy. Forget trends. Just because it’s popular doesn’t make it the right decision.”

Vintage Eclectic

The kitchen underwent a complete renovation. Shaker-style cabinets coated in a rich black (Tricorn Black SW 6258) sit beneath quartz countertops. High-contrast black and white tiles from Cement Tile Shop add an impactful graphic punch.

black and white kitchen tile backsplash

“I have a thing for lighting, all lighting. My husband would probably call it a problem because I swap out lights like most people swap out pillows,” Sprinkle laughingly shares. So when it came time to choose the feature lighting, she knew she couldn’t stomach a $700 price tag. Instead, she built her own. Edison bulbs and exposed wires suspended from a hoop now hover above the kitchen island.

Vintage Eclectic

Sprinkle’s ability to mix eras and styles results in warm, layered, inviting rooms that are full of visual interest. If your home is suffering from a case of beige, follow Sprinkle’s design advice: “Design can be scary. It’s easy to play it safe and pick everything from one store. But give yourself the freedom to mix it up. Feel empowered to say, ‘I’m not buying this entire dining set. I love this table, but I’ll find the chairs somewhere else.’ Pick what you like—you make the rules!”

designer tip

To connect with Sprinkle, visit theblackhouseonthecorner.com.

We shared this article with you in our Fall/Winter 2020 Issue of NEST Magazine. To view the full issue, click here.

Ready to see more House Tours? Click through for a dose of inspiration: Boho Sister Space, Global Chic, Mid-Mod, New Traditional, and the fab She Shed!

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Posted in Asheville, Charlottesville, Fall/Winer 2020, Fredericksburg, Greater Louisville, Greensboro, Jackson, Lake Norman, Morganton, NEST Magazine, New River Valley, Raleigh-Durham, Richmond, Roanoke, Shenandoah Valley, Wilmington
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