A touch of whimsy

Southern Living, Apr 2001 by Clavell, Alicia K

It is difficult to visit Vonda and Jeff Dickerson's home in Stone Mountain, Georgia, without making a little time for tea. While there is no set hour, and you won't be using silver, I can attest to the fact that 4-year-old Lia throws the most wonderful parties.

Tea is served in Lia's room-a lightfilled space, surrounded with signs of her mother's decorative talent and her father's love of carpentry. An array of pretty dresses, strings of pearls, and feathered boas are tucked away for such occasions, stored in a trunk that was built by her father and faux finished by her mother.

Once properly adorned, guests slip into child-size chairs and pull up to a tiny table. Along with some of Lia's well-loved friends of the stuffed variety, guests sip from thimble-size teacups, speak with proper British accents, and take a few moments to enjoy the whimsical room.

"Nesting for most people starts prior to a baby's birth," says Vonda. "But for Jeff and me, it began well before that." A self-taught decorative artist, Vonda perused antiques shops, flea markets, and yard sales to acquire a collection of items that she later revamped with paint for use in her daughter's room.

A salvaged rocking chair cost only $25, and a smaller Lia-size version, no more than $10. In one corner, an antique vanity, rescued from a yard sale, was refreshed with paint. Vonda brushed it with white, distressed the edges for an aged look, and added antique glass pulls for character.

"You can also recycle things that you already have," she suggests. "The bed was something we had, but I painted it and applied a crackle finish." Ordinary curtain rod finials were sponged green and white, and then given a coppery-gold finish. They now adorn the headboard as a decorative element.

With all the essential pieces in place, a theme for the room soon presented itself "I have always loved bunnies," says Vonda. "And I knew I wanted to use them in the nursery." So she painted a mural inspired by Beatrix Potter's The Tale of Peter Rabbit and embellished the room with bunnies big and small, including those on a cleverly constructed cornice-with hand-painted designs-- above the window. A floral valance and two sheer curtains add softness.

A playful palette ties the room together. "My favorite color is purple," says Lia enthusiastically. A violet-sponged finish adorns the bottom half of the wall. The color is also repeated in the rug, bedspread, window treatment, and other painted pieces around the room.

Jeff even turned an everyday closet into an efficient work of art by adding shelving units for convenience. "He made the unit and put some finished molding on it to dress the piece up," says Vonda. "It helps to keep Lia organized."

Two shelves with pegs display freshly pressed dresses when the closet door is open. Drawers, decorated with a floral design, open and close easily and make room for everything from trinkets to teacups.

BY ALICIA K. CLAVELL PHOTOGRAPHY JOHN O'HAGAN STYLING ROSE NGUYEN