2025 Baltimore Home Tour: A Guide to Meredith Hudkins’ Classic Style
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Styling Our Home
A lot of thought, time, and searching goes into styling a home, but it is so worth every minute of it. I always like to think of the overall look and style I am trying to achieve for my house as a whole. I continue to come back to the words “classic” and “timeless.” Mixing metals and furniture, having different wood tones, adding pops of color and beautiful art working or lighting are all ways I love to incorporate classic and timeless style. When decorating a home it’s helpful focus on larger items like furniture, rugs, and light fixtures. I find it helpful to not decorate all at once but let it ebb and flow over time. I am constantly switching and upgrading items in our home. I love keeping a balance between old and new and I find it less overwhelming to design room by room. So let’s take a look at each room in my home!
A Guide to Timeless Home Decor
Best Area Rugs for Every Room and Budget
How to Decorate with Throw Pillows
The Entryway
My goal for this area of our home was to have it feel as welcoming as possible. Our home was built in the 1970s and with the stairway as one of the first things you see when you enter along with minimal space in the entryway, I wanted to make the most of our space and direct attention elsewhere. Adding this gorgeous, scalloped bench made the space feel inviting. I wanted to bring in some color and pattern so I mixed and matched the pillows to allow for a comfortable place to sit. Artwork can elevate any space. I am a huge fan of commissioning art and I was lucky enough to have art made by https://alicecaudill.com/. I am all for finding a high end look for less. I love the pastels and warmth, making the space feel inviting. Another important part of an entryway is to have a place to drop your belongings and to store the clutter that builds overtime! I went with a timeless dresser from one of my favorite local stores, HD Marigold. This holds all of those miscellaneous items. The rich, navy with brass, antique hardware speaks to that classic and timeless feel I am going for. As I said before it is important to mix and match new and old so I went with modern, sleek lamps and added pops of color with coffee table books. To tie in the brass and allow the space to feel larger, I added one of my favorite bamboo mirrors. I of course wanted our entryway to feel personal, so I hung my absolute favorite silhouette portraits of my sons.
The Office
When creating my new home office, I found myself using a collection of both high and low priced items. There are definitely some special and expensive items in this space, but I evened it out with some affordable home office items as well. It’s all about balance, right? Some of my favorite budget-friendly items in my home office include a collection of classic coffee table books, beautiful mother of pearl picture frames, affordable faux plants including a boxwood topiary and a white orchid, and an adorable $11 blue and white pillow cover! Be sure to check out my guide on decorating with throw pillow for every budget to see even more pillow options!
As much as I love an affordable find, I also found myself splurging on a few home office items. I’ve learned that paying a little extra for high-quality items that will last for years to come is often worth it in the end. A few of my favorite splurge-worthy home office items from the makeover include my Nel Lusso Light Blue Bike, this gold glass coffee table, the ultra-comfortable and chic white sofa, the classic gold accent mirror and my favorite solid wood credenza desk. These classic home office furniture and decor items are ones I felt confident spending extra money on knowing I will enjoy them for many years and they will look equally as wonderful if I decide to move them into a different space down the road. Another item I like to splurge on from time to time is a beautiful area rug. I rounded up some of my favorites in this area rug guide!
Anytime I’m designing a room, I always aim to add a few personalized and special touches and this home office makeover was no exception. I had the honor of working with some exceptionally talented small businesses to add some one of a kind pieces to the new office. My personalized office chair is from J. Wilkinson Chair Company and I cannot say enough wonderful things about it! It is beautiful, classic and comfortable. I decided to go with the J. Wilkinson Baker Side Chair in the frame color Burnished Walnut, the fabric color Natural Linen and with the Charlotte monogram in Olive Drab. I love that this personalized chair was fully customizable and not only is it perfect for my home office, but will also look great in a dining room or living room. The stunning blue and white floral wallpaper and classic sisal wallpaper are both from Rifle Paper Company via York Wall Coverings. The beautiful abstract painting over my sofa was a commissioned piece from the extremely talented Ally Sheppard Art. She also has mini abstract paintings that would look wonderful in any room of a home. I picked up some one of a kind pieces from one of my favorite local stores, HD Marigold, including the fireplace dog statue, the blue and white candlesticks and the brass bunny bookends. Last, but possibly the most special of all, the keepsake shadow boxes with my sons’ handprints are from Cowtown Clay.
The Sitting Room
This room was one of my favorites to work on because I knew it would be the space that friends and family would gather together for all the years to come. I wanted it to feel elevated, yet livable. I look forward to hosting family for the holidays, having family game nights, and talking to my girlfriends in this room. When I first came across this blue velvet sofa, I knew it was made for our home! I love to add pops of color and this was the perfect piece. I mixed and matched throw pillows on the sofa with floral designs, scallops details, and velvet textures. After choosing the sofa, I started to look for large area rugs that would compliment the blue velvet well. After looking high and low for the perfect rug that was full of color, I found this Esty rug. The colors are perfect and the floral designs are the cherry on top—I absolutely adore it! Since there is already a lot of color and bold prints in the sitting room, I decided to balance the room out a bit with these neutral “ivory beige” curtains from Amazon. I’m all for an affordable find and I am so impressed with these curtains. Speaking of affordable finds, the gorgeous standing lamp, both accent tables, the ottomans, and the upholstered armchair are all high end looks for less.
Incorporating brass and antique decor into the sitting room made it feel timeless and classic. The antiqued gold on the bamboo two-tier coffee table was a perfect centerpiece to this room to bring it all together. I then added some of my absolute favorite coffee table books on the lower level. I searched high and low for decor to add throughout this room and I shared a Reel of me unboxing my budget friendly home decor on Amazon and you all fell in love with it. Aside from the amazon decor finds I love to add greenery to add to my decor. I found this stunning faux orchid in a porcelain planter and the plants on top of the armoire are all from Walmart—they have the best live plants! Finally, to finish off the decor in this room I hung these gorgeous intaglios—they are so well made and I constantly get compliments on them!
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The Formal Dining Room
This space is still a work in progress, but I just finished styling the bookshelves and I am so happy with how they turned out. I wanted to mix styles between timeless, coastal, classic, traditional, and even a bit of contemporary while at the same time having the shelves look effortless yet intentional. When styling shelves it is important to not overcrowd them and allow for intentional space between and above objects. Layering items on top of each other, mixing metals, or placing books both horizontally and vertically allows you to achieve a beautifully curated shelf.
I first decided to mix and match metals to create more depth and a layered look. I replaced the handles with beautiful antique brass pulls. I added timeless tapered brass candle sticks and mixed in modern with metal and glass. Switching to that coastal element I placed hand picked seashells I found on the beach by our Charleston home. I brought in a silver element with this pearled serving bowl. I love to place artwork in book shelves and got this extremely affordable artwork to add height and layering to the shelves. I am a huge fan of having greenery throughout your home, so I of course couldn’t miss the opportunity to add an assortment of plants and flowers. I love to get a lot of my plants from Walmart and added a bit of contemporary with this ceramic flower pot. A traditional favorite is this preserved boxwood potted plant. Of course I had to add some of my favorite faux flowers. Now came the time to tie in some of my favorite decor pieces. You can find these classic ginger jars all around my home. I found this stunning painted porcelain bowl that I just had to layer on top of the books along with the scalloped edge vintage french oyster plate. Some of my all time favorite additions to the shelves were the blue and white cherry blossom staffordshire dogs and the porcelain bunny. Now of course I had to add books to the book shelves right!? I wanted rich, traditional books and I couldn’t be happier with the look of these leather books. Finally, I finished the room off with a fresh layer of green and white wallpaper and added warmth and depth with green velvet curtains.
The Informal Dining Room
The informal dining room is where we spend a lot of our time. Whether it’s eating dinner or doing homework, I wanted this space to be functional while still feeling fresh! I’m all for mixing patterns, adding colors, and of course wallpaper. I couldn’t resist this feather wallpaper. It adds the perfect dimension to the room without being too loud. Continuing with pattern and colors I love to add tablecloths to brighten a space. It’s also easy to throw in the wash and clean! The blues, greens, and florals are everything. I tied in the blues and greens with this stunning artwork commissioned by the one and only Emily Ward Art. Now of course I love the tablecloth, but the structure and quality of the dining table is unbeatable. I’m a huge fan of round tables. I feel like everyone can sit around the table and easily see everyone and enjoy conversation! I went with this gorgeous pedestal dining table. I brought in warmth and depth with chestnut chairs and added in more pattern with thibaut tybee tree throw pillows on the extra chairs. Like I said earlier, you can find classic ginger jars all around my home and I just had to add another as the centerpiece to the table. To finish off this room I added my all time favorite french knot drapes and two tiered chandelier to bring it all together.
The Family Room
In this room I want a casual yet polished look where we can be comfortable as a family. One of the most special things about our family room is absolutely our custom painted chinoiserie/grand millennial floral panels. I was so excited when Elizabeth Alice Studio was willing to collaborate. If you don’t follow my insanely talented friend, here is her website and her IG. We worked together to design these panels and they are actually available now as prints! YES! You can have them in your home too!! Click here to see them!! When thinking about what larger furniture to add I wanted to be practical and choose colors that wouldn’t easily get ruined with a dog and two little boys! I went with an oatmeal color for the roll arm slipcovered sofa and loveseat. I matched the neutral, yet durable color by adding in an upholstered swivel chair. Our burl wood coffee table is an absolute dream and really makes the whole room. I have been drooling over it for over a year now and decided it was a must have!
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The Primary Bedroom
This space was just recently updated and I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. It truly has become my sanctuary. I wanted to shift from a coastal feel to more of a classic and timeless feel. I started with changing the wall color and went with Sherwin Williams “lakeside.” This color then created a palate for me to add in rich blues with velvet throw pillows and hints of green with my absolute favorite chinoiserie floral print bolster pillow. I wanted to bring in depth with warm tones so I added a velvet throw on top of my affordable quilt set—you won’t believe the price and quality! Continuing with warmth and depth I went with deep walnut colored nightstands. Softening things up I found these insane Amazon linen curtain panels with the most beautiful embroidered design. You know I love a great Amazon find and speaking of great amazon finds, all the lighting in my bedroom is also Amazon! The steamed milk white glass table lamp are on both of my night stands and I adore them. I love to sleep with a fan at night and went with an updated smart fan. The stunning brass light in my closet is also Amazon!! Okay so now we’re on the topic of Amazon and I have to share these high end look for less rattan display boxes. A little hack—I hide my remotes and cable box for my Frame TV in the boxes!
The Boy’s Bedrooms
My goal for the boy’s bedrooms was to create a space they could grow into. Fun, practical, sturdy, and heavy duty furniture was what I was on the hunt for. One of my favorite sets that I’ve bought is the patina cane bedroom set. It has held up so nicely. I’m usually not one to match furniture, but this set flows so nicely together. I added rich blues and greens in the first bedroom to bring out the colors of the oushak rug. I’m all for a high end look for less and found these amazing linen textured room darkening curtains. The quality is incredible. Tying in the rich, blue color I went with these classic monogram pillows. I wanted to bring in some texture to the room without having to spend a ton on bedding and found the BEST velvet bedding on Amazon along with these sheets and pillows that are in every single bedroom! To tie in the green from the rug I added a simple, yet elevated waffle weave blanket. Continuing with the velvet I absolutely ADORE the toffee colored club chair and animal print pillow. I think it can be so fun to mix and match patterns without it being overwhelming. Since there was enough color and pattern I went simple for lighting with a ceramic table lamp with a double gourd base in cream. Of course, I added a fresh and modern ceiling fan to this bedroom, just like the rest. This space was so fun to put together and I am still adding fun artwork! I can’t wait to hang this framed real cotton cloth embroidered flag.
Like I said above, I wanted the boy’s rooms to be spaces they can grow into. I didn’t want to spend a ton just to change it up a year or two later. Of course they have all of their “stuffies” in their room and little knick knacks, but when those one day fade they can still enjoy their room without it being too “kidish.” I think it can be so fun to change it up and not go with an ordinary color bed frame and I am SO happy with how the linen denim color turned out on the upholstered bed. It ties in the stunning french blue and ivory in the area rug. Continuing with shades of blue in this room I added a richer color for the throw pillows without matching too much to the bed frame. Of course I added my favorite velvet bedding to the end of the ruched comforter while playing around with texture in both of these. Now we HAVE to talk about this nightstand. It is a high end look for less that is so practical for a kid’s room and I am obsessed with this woven natural grasscloth nightstand! Speaking of high end look for less items, I found a great ones on Amazon and finished the room off with the stark blue glass table lamp and the abstract green hill landscape framed artwork. You won’t believe the prices!! Just like the other boy’s room I hung these extremely affordable room darkening curtains. Such a steal!
