How to Create a Welcoming Home

Roxanne Hughes Packham, the owner and designer of Sunset and Magnolia Design, says that her goal, whether working for clients or her own family, is to create a welcoming home for loved ones to gather. Whether she’s welcoming guests, spending time with her husband or having their children visiting from college, every space of the home is most gracious and the perfect place to gather.

Roxanne specializes in creating welcoming homes with texture, depth and cohesion. How does she do it? Here are her top five tips for making a gracious space.

WELCOMING AMBIENCE

“I always want people to feel welcome in the spaces I design,” Roxanne says. She begins with the selection of beautiful fabrics, noting that “in your home all your fabrics should really make you happy and want to spend time there.”

Welcoming home with an expansive all-white kitchen with marble counter and island tops and leather topped barstools. — **BUILT FOR ENTERTAINING.** Roxanne describes the kitchen as a “workhorse.” Since they love entertaining and her husband enjoys cooking, it was essential for their lifestyle. She equipped it with two dishwashers, a bar and a separate coffee-and-drink area so they don’t have to set up before each event. Another essential? Storage for silverware. “I cannot use plastic silverware,” she explains. “I’m from a family of silversmiths, so I draw the line. I also love beautiful plates and my grandfather’s (Allan Adler Silversmith) silver brings me joy, especially when I use it to serve others.”

CONSISTENCY & HARMONIOUS FLOW

“Some element of consistency throughout the home makes the style flow effortlessly from one room to another,” she says. In her home, it’s the white woodwork.

All white seating area under a bay window with small white Shitzu puppy sitting down. — **PERSONAL RETREAT.** This dreamy space is located in the master bathroom and is tucked against the bay window. It’s a daybed that’s ideal for reading or seeking refuge from, as Roxanne laughingly says, a much-loved yet snoring-inclined husband.

DARK WOOD & BLACK FURNITURE

Roxanne loves dark woods because they are elegant, timeless and grounding. Her suggestion? Have one piece of black furniture in every room. Not only does it add weight to the space, but silver, ceramic lamps and crystal are gorgeous when displayed on black furnishings.

Master bedroom with a wooden carved four-poster bed topped with white linens and hanging mosquito netting as decoration. — **STAYCATION VIBES.** “Hotel room on vacation” is the phrase Roxanne uses for her master bedroom inspiration. “Since I work with color and space all the time, this was the one room I wanted to feel clean and airy,” she says. She went for sophisticated furnishings and a touch of cinematic whimsy. The mosquito netting was inspired by the movie Out of Africa.

TEXTURE

“To achieve warmth and a welcoming home, I incorporate woven pieces or rattan,” Roxanne says. “You can add texture in baskets, sisal rugs, cable-knit blankets, embroidered pillows, grasscloth wall coverings or nubby woven upholstery fabric on a chair.” She adds that texture provides depth and dimension to a room.

Blue and white Spanish sinks inlaid on a white double vanity in a bathroom topped with an oriental vase filled with white orchids. — **TOKENS FROM THE PAST.** This bathroom, which is used by her visiting grown children, has a sweet detail: blue and white sinks purchased when Roxanne was only 23. “We saved them for this house, our ‘dream’ house we used to call it,” she says. “We bought them in Triana, Seville, in the south of Spain. They were 30 years old when we put them in. I love that I thought ahead!”

“One of the things I love about design is the way we can incorporate things we love into the very essence of the building,”

A welcoming home with a guest bedroom with brown deep tones and woven and rattan styled furnishings. — **BE OUR GUEST.** Three different bedrooms have distinct looks yet flow harmoniously with the house. For her daughter’s room, Roxanne sought to make a cozy space, since she is often studying for her graduate work. For her son, Roxanne incorporated a transportation theme with framed photos of her grandfather’s boat. “Since he brings home friends, we have lots of guest beds, just for that reason,” she says.

SILVER & FLOWERS

Enchant guests with a sparkling silver tray or bowl and a crystal vase filled with flowers or greenery. Roxanne also adds that “silver frames [containing] treasured people on a dark piece of wood furniture is a fabulous way to welcome people into your space, whether it be your entryway hall, reception area or simply a welcoming hall table.”