We asked Victoria Pouncey and Beth Ann Kallen, who own West Main Street home furnishings shop and interior design studio, Folly, to tell us a few things about themselves and their design philosophies. Here’s what they had to say.
Antique or modern?
Beth Ann: Antique with modern mixed in, to keep things interesting.
City or country?
Victoria: Mostly city.
Which colors do you use most?
Beth Ann: I’m really enjoying all shades of blue these days… navy with white trim, so crisp and preppy.
Which materials or textures do you frequently use?
Beth Ann: Wallpaper. After stripping every wall in my first house, I vowed I would never wallpaper a room and now I can’t get enough. I love a bold choice for a small space like a powder room or a colored grass cloth in a dining room to add texture and sophistication.
What is your favorite design-related word?
Beth Ann: Folly, of course!
Does your home look like the one you grew up in?
Victoria: Not really. My mom was a decorator, too, but we have really different design aesthetics. She thinks anything from after the start of the 20th century is too modern!
Does a room need a view?
Victoria: Not necessarily. If a space has inviting furniture, interesting artwork, and unusual accessories, it will hold people’s attention.
Favorite designer or architect?
Beth Ann: Charlotte Moss. A Southerner and a New Yorker… love her!
Which design blog, website, TV show, or magazine do you peruse religiously?
Beth Ann: “The Peak of Chic” blog. Jennifer Bowles is a wealth of knowledge and I always appreciate her point of view.
Design-wise, what should a homeowner never scrimp on?
Victoria: For me, the most important things in my home are those that I’ve bought while travelling. I love how they remind me of the places I’ve been. When you’re abroad and you see something you absolutely love, always go for it!
Design rule you like to break?
Beth Ann: Paint a small space a light color. Actually, painting a room a dark color can give the illusion of depth, making the space appear larger.
What is your favorite room in the house?
Victoria: The living room. I’m old fashioned in this way, but I love formal living rooms and think it’s a shame they are disappearing in new homes.
What is your most treasured possession?
Beth Ann: Sketches of my children done by an amazing artist from Portugal who happened to be living in Mobile, Alabama when we lived there.
What do you wish you could do without?
Victoria: Too much to list. My husband worries that I am a borderline hoarder!
Beth Ann: Order.
What are you afraid to DIY?
Victoria: Just about everything except painting.
Have you ever had a change of heart about an object or a style?
Beth Ann: Not really. I lived in London when I was first married and collected a lot of English antiques. Sometimes I wish I had a greater variety.
If you could live in one historical figure’s house, whose would it be?
Victoria: When I worked at Christie’s in New York, I had the good fortune of visiting Bill Blass’ New York apartment. He had exquisite taste, and the apartment was the ultimate in sophistication.
On what movie set would you like to live?
Victoria: I recently caught part of Young Man with a Horn on TCM, and Lauren Bacall’s apartment was to die for!
If you were reborn as a piece of furniture or an object, what would it be?
Beth Ann: A linen press. I’m obsessed with fine linens. Monogrammed, of course!
What is your first design memory?
Victoria: Helping my mom redecorate my bedroom when I was 10 years old. I picked Kelly green wall-to-wall carpet—yikes!
Want to know more? Visit follycville.com or call 295-0688 to get in touch.
