A designer’s East Lake cottage deftly combines her love of nature, color, and pattern

Jayme Armour's 1950s cottage in East Lake has a large, lush lot—including a banana palm tree in the back

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Jayme Armour
A vintage Russell Woodward porch table and chairs—made of spun fiberglass—bring a midcentury vibe to the sunporch, which is nestled against a dramatic banana palm.

Photograph by Rustic White

After first pondering a move to the country, interior designer Jayme Armour ended up buying a house a few miles from downtown Atlanta, but it turns out the two ideas weren’t that far apart. The 1950s cottage she discovered in East Lake came with a large, lush lot—including a banana palm tree in the back—and a leafy neighborhood. “I have a love of old homes and old trees, so East Lake drew me in with a generous supply of both,” says Jayme. “Oakhurst Village and East Lake Golf Course make for the best neighbors, and I explore them on walks every day.”

Jayme Armour
The brick-and-stone exterior benefits from a unifying cream, with modern lights from Tech Lighting for a bit of contemporary edge.

Photograph by Rustic White

Jayme Armour
Jayme Armour came to Atlanta in 1993. Her Virginia-Highland store, Armour & Company, open 2007 to 2013, was a popular destination for interior design–lovers. “It was the best career and life move that wasn’t meant to last,” she says. “I met many colleagues, friends, and boyfriends through the store.” Her subsequent business, Jayme Armour Interiors, taps into her love of furniture with a story.

Photograph by Rustic White

The 70-year-old house had a charming look on the outside, but its interiors lacked architectural distinction. The designer got to work installing decorative features to add personality. “Detail and charm were lacking in that ’50s time period, so adding wallcoverings gave it the instant atmosphere I was looking for,” Jayme says. She covered the office and dining room in her beloved grasscloth, and the living room got a splash of faux silk wallcovering in a botanical print on an accent wall. Elsewhere, paint in rich tones cozied up bedrooms. She took down a wall between the kitchen and dining area but otherwise embraced the home’s small, jewel-box feeling with color and pattern.

Jayme’s love for vintage and one-of-a-kind furnishings means every room has layers of interest, with stories behind many of the pieces. Velvet Milo Baughman chairs in the living room were a trade from a friend; a lamp came from her grandmother; other pieces were sourced through her industry friends at Dixon Rye, Pieces, and favorite art galleries.

Jayme Armour
Jayme says, “I generally gravitate toward offbeat color combinations, vintage finds, and pieces I can customize for a one-of-a-kind look.” Keeping the living room’s color palette somewhat subdued, she added an orange lacquered screen from Dixon Rye to shake things up, as well as black banding on the curtains for contrast.

Photograph by Rustic White

Jayme Armour
Walls covered in a vinyl-to-look-like-silk wallcovering from Phillip Jeffries and an accent wall in a Jim Thompson pattern (a Thai forest scene) provide a backdrop for Jayme’s eclectic mix of treasures. Paintings by local artists Julie Jones Boulee (black abstract) and Carolyn Carr (colorful abstract) coexist with a sculptural rattan chair from Pieces and vintage velvet chairs.

Photograph by Rustic White

Jayme Armour
The dining room’s design scheme started with a vintage travertine table from R Hughes, its round shape fitting well into the square room. Blue grasscloth walls add just enough intensity to complement the Tommy Taylor painting from Whitespace Gallery, the designer says. Vintage dining chairs are covered in a Chris Bartlett fabric (Paul+ Showroom at ADAC) on the body and a Jim Thompson velvet on the back cushion and seat. The light fixture is Urban Electric.

Photograph by Rustic White

A unifying theme is nature. There’s an homage to the natural world around every corner: sea urchins, plants, birds, flowers, shells, and animal patterns, with more subtle references in waves and clouds. The Florida native doesn’t do bland. “I’m very drawn to organic form and the natural beauty of the outdoors, but I also need color around me,” she says. “While nature is grounding, color brings a space to life.”

Jayme Armour
Jayme first used this attic space as the guest bedroom and office before realizing it would make a great primary bedroom. “I realized its secluded location upstairs makes it feel like a bit of a retreat,” she says. “I love a moody bedroom and wanted it to feel restful, so I selected Benjamin Moore ‘Midnight’ for the walls and a cloud-patterned wallpaper by Emma Hayes. It’s so very cozy and sleeps like a tomb!”

Photograph by Rustic White

Jayme Armour
A Jim Thompson fabric remnant Jayme bought on Ebay became a skirt for this hallway bathroom sink.

Photograph by Rustic White

Jayme Armour
A CB2 canopy bed in the guest bedroom is draped with woven mesh fabric.

Photograph by Rustic White

Jayme Armour
A Jim Thompson fabric remnant Jayme bought on Ebay became a skirt for this hallway bathroom sink.

Photograph by Rustic White

RESOURCES | Interior designer Jayme Armour, jaymearmour.com; Exterior Lighting: Tech Lighting, techlighting.com. Living room Wallcovering on accent wall: Jim Thompson Fabrics, jimthompsonfabrics.com. Gray wallcovering: Phillip Jeffries, phillipjeffries.com. Orange screen: Dixon Rye, dixonrye.com. Colorful abstract painting: Carolyn Carr, carolyncarr.com. Rattan chair: Pieces, piecesinc.com. Dining room Table: R Hughes, r-hughes.com. Painting by Tommy Taylor: Whitespace Gallery, whitespace814.com. Light fixture: Urban Electric, urbanelectric.com. Office Charcoal drawing: Sandler Hudson Gallery, sandlerhudson.com. Brass light fixture: Lawson-Fenning, lawsonfenning.com. Guest bedroom Bed: CB2, cb2.com. Primary bedroom Wall paint: Benjamin Moore, “Midnight,” benjaminmoore.com. Wallpaper: Emma Hayes through Bradley, bradleyusa.com. Rattan table: Bungalow Classic, bungalowclassic.com. Animal pillow: Dixon Rye.

This article appears in our Summer 2021 issue of Atlanta Magazine’s HOME.

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