Jason Jennings Bonnycastle Apartment in Louisville, Kentucky

Lennie Omalza
| Special to Courrier Journal

When Jason Jennings first saw his Bonnycastle apartment two years ago, he fell in love with the many windows that allowed natural light to flow throughout the space.

One thing he didn’t like was the walls, all painted white. Very quickly, the interior and floral designer decided to do something about his achromatic environment.

“I lived with white people for a year,” he recalls. “Then I said to myself: I have to have color.”

Jennings went to Home Depot and picked out paint to match some of his favorite shades. Today, every room in her house is a different color, each space filled with complementary furniture and decorations.

Pleasant and neutral

The living room walls are painted in wheat straw, a golden beige shade reminiscent of a toasted biscuit.

“I wanted this room to be pretty neutral because it’s the living room and I’m always here,” Jennings said. “So I knew I wanted it to be a nice, neutral, calming color.”

Even though the walls are a bit plain, nothing in the space is bland. The piece reflects Jennings’ eclectic style, which blends English, French and American influences.

“I (also) like animals,” he said, “so there are lots of birds and other animals around the house.”

Figurines of birds, deer and Staffordshire dogs adorn the built-in bookshelf, which features a back panel that Jennings painted blue.

In the opposite corner of the room is a sugar crate that has been in the family for generations; next to it is a sofa and another small table that Jennings received from friends.

“A lot of stuff was given to me when I first moved in,” Jennings said, “so it’s all collected.”

Friends and family

The walls of the other rooms feature a variety of different hues. There is royal blue in the front room; chocolate brown in the bathroom; a shade of green nicknamed artichoke in the kitchen; and a deep plum color in the bedroom.

“I’m drawn to purple, but I didn’t want it to be a garish purple,” Jennings said, adding that the hue changes a little throughout the day, depending on how much sunlight passes through the Windows.

The light accentuates the room’s decor, which includes sconces from Jennings’ grandparents’ house in Shelbyville, a dresser from her aunt and uncle — with real turkey feathers hanging above it — and bedding unique from India.

“I have a good Indian friend and one of her twins is my godson,” Jennings said, “so I have a lot of Indian things at home.”

This includes a vanity in the bathroom, sconces in the kitchen and unique handles on a cabinet.

Custom pieces

In the front room – a multi-purpose space used for everything from relaxing and crafting to hosting dinner parties for up to eight people – are other unique items that Jennings has collected over the years.

One of her favorite pieces is an old two-seater church pew. “I found it in an alley and it was broken,” Jennings said. “I asked a friend of mine to glue it back into wood.”

Across the room, a wooden teacher’s desk is another valuable piece. Made by Jennings’ grandfather, it now holds books, maps, framed photos and other small items.

Although much of the apartment is filled with pieces from Jennings’ friends and family, there are also a handful of items that have deep personal meaning. Atop the fireplace in the front room, for example, is a large painting of her late dog, Moose.

“A friend of mine painted it from a Facebook photo,” Jennings said. “I knew when I first moved in (that it would be) okay there.”

To the left of the desk, a collage of framed pictures adorns the wall. One photo is a framed piece of a paper shopping bag from the Wakefield-Scearce Gallery, a gallery of imported English antiques in Shelbyville.

“My great-uncle was Mark Scearce, (and) I worked there in high school,” Jennings explained, “so I got some English influences from there.”

On one wall of the sunroom is another document about Jennings’ past and the people who helped shape the person he is today: a framed 1986 newspaper article about his grandmother.

“She taught me how to clean, (and) she taught me how to do yard sales and things like that,” Jennings said, “so I had her influence a lot.”

In addition to the space, Jennings really likes the neighborhood and all its charm. He often looks out from his second-story abode, enjoying the peaceful view overlooking Eastern Parkway.

“I love this whole apartment,” he says. “It just has its quirks, and the floors creak – it’s my place.”

Do you know a house that would make a great house of the week? Email Lennie Omalza at [email protected] or lifestyle editor Kathryn Gregory at [email protected].

nuts and bolts

Resident: Jason Jennings, who is an interior and floral designer.

Home: This is a 1,000 square foot one bed, one bath apartment in Bonnycastle. It was built in 1862.

Distinctive elements: Colorful walls; vintage collectibles; antiques.

Applause! Applause! Painter Miguel Iglesias.

More: Take a look inside the Harbison House, an 1870s Italianate Victorian home set on 200 acres