Jessica and Jim Rourke purchased their 1,800-square-foot first home 6 years ago. Built in 1948, it was practically move-in ready.
In her career as a wedding planner, Jessica Rourke has learned that details bring together the ideal event for a bride and groom. She approaches the way she has styled her home for her husband, Jim, and their two young children, Vivienne, 4, and Thomas, 2, no differently.
Jessica and Jim, who married in 2009, rented a home in the Shandon area for their first few years of marriage. When they started looking to buy their first home, they became aware of the neighborhoods around Trenholm Road. “We knew we wanted an older house, especially for the moldings and doors. We originally were looking at a house just across the street from this one,” says Jessica. “I really liked the look of this house, but at the time it was not for sale.”
Then one day out of the blue, Jessica’s mother, Vicky Parks, called her to say the white brick house she liked so much was for sale. “Once we had a chance to see inside, it moved to the top of the list pretty quickly,” says Jim.
Jessica and Jim, who married in 2009, rented a home in the Shandon area for their first few years of marriage. When they started looking to buy their first home, they became aware of the neighborhoods around Trenholm Road. “We knew we wanted an older house, especially for the moldings and doors. We originally were looking at a house just across the street from this one,” says Jessica. “I really liked the look of this house, but at the time it was not for sale.”
Then one day out of the blue, Jessica’s mother, Vicky Parks, called her to say the white brick house she liked so much was for sale. “Once we had a chance to see inside, it moved to the top of the list pretty quickly,” says Jim.
The house, which was built in 1948, was move-in ready with the exception of updating some of the wall colors to Jessica’s preferences. “I knew I either wanted to do a complete renovation or none at all,” she says, “and the kitchen and master bath had already been updated so that we really didn’t have to do much.” With three bedrooms and two baths, the original house had been much smaller until previous owners added a large master suite, increasing the size to around 1,800 square feet.
Jessica’s sense of room decor is a bit eclectic, blending antique pieces with touches of more contemporary items. She loves old things and likes to pair them with modern pieces so that a room’s decor is not “too antiquey or too expected,” as she puts it.
While Jessica takes Jim’s thoughts into consideration when choosing pieces for their home, he respects her decisions. He first learned of her creative talent when he relocated from Boston, Massachusetts, to Columbia. “I rented a house, and she decorated it completely before I got here,” he says. “I walked into a completely furnished house, and it was perfect.”
Jessica, who inherited her love of old things from her mother, finds many of her treasures on antiquing ventures with her. “My mom appreciates antiques and brought me up antiquing and going to garage sales,” she says. “It’s so much fun to go on the hunt for a specific piece, like a buffet, but then you come across a really great piece of art!”
Jim, who is a tax attorney with Nexsen Pruet, enjoys antiquing with Jessica, but admits he does not go quite as often now that they have children. “I’m always down for the adventure,” he says, “and for when they need some muscle.”
The living room is a comfortable mix of both old and new — and even new that looks old. Jessica wanted the furnishings and design to reflect the era of the 70-plus-year-old house. She updated the fireplace by painting the brick white, which accents a black mantel. Above the fireplace sits what appears to be an antique mirror to the untrained eye, but it is actually a more recent find from Anthropologie. “Sometimes you know what you want but you can’t find it old, so when you find the same look reproduced new, then you go with that,” she says.
The sofa is another piece that, while it has the appearance of vintage Chesterfield upholstery, is actually new. Jessica learned that not all antique furniture is as comfortable to sit on as it is pretty to admire. The dark green velvet offers a needed contrast to the walls painted Benjamin Moore’s Navajo White. Two tan leather armchairs flank a more modern-style console table that Jessica found in a closing sale and then refurbished. She bought another side table at an auction to help complete the mix of styles in the room. Jessica commissioned one of her wedding clients, Miles Purvis Daniel, to paint the large abstract art piece over the sofa. Another auction find, the small secretary in the corner provides more storage space for stationery, stamps, and other small items.
Because Jessica prefers muted colors, she used an interesting trick with a Persian rug that a friend taught her long ago. “If you flip it over, you’ll see the colors are more saturated on the top side than on the bottom,” she points out. The result is a much softer look for the floor.
The dining room is elegant and understated. Jessica knew she would need a dining table that could stand up to everyday use, so she chose one made of mango wood because of its durability and sustainability. It is considered to be more environmentally friendly because the trees tend to stop producing fruit when they reach maturity. Furniture manufacturers are now finding a use for the wood, rather than just cutting down the trees to make room for fruit-producers.
A small built-in hutch provides some storage, but the piece that truly stands out is the antique buffet with burlwood inlay, originally built in Lexington, South Carolina, that Jessica found at Red Lion in downtown Columbia.
Artwork on one wall consists of six framed pieces of pressed fern leaves that she found on Etsy, and black and white portraits by Jessie Richards Baughman of her children hang on the opposite wall. A true antique mirror above the buffet adds depth and light to the dining room.
Jessica is particularly fond of using lighting fixtures to make a decorative statement, both from the amount of light given off and the style of the fixture itself. When the Rourkes first moved into their Trenholm neighborhood home, Jessica replaced five of six overhead fixtures, leaving one ceiling fan for Jim. “The heat is extra brutal for my Bostonian husband,” she says, “so I have to keep at least one fan for him!”
Jessica and Jim did not have to make any changes to the kitchen since it features a bright clean feel with granite countertops and brightly painted cabinetry, along with lit glass cabinets. She particularly enjoys that the kitchen opens into a smaller living space where she can keep a close eye on the children while they play or watch television.
The couple’s master suite is a quiet respite from a long day due to soft colors and minimal-fuss decorating. Jessica chose a cotton duvet for the modern-style bed and paired it with an antique dresser she found at an auction. Bamboo shades on the high windows filter light into the room. Because she liked the mirror in the living room so much, she placed the same mirror above the dresser. The vintage, teardrop-shaped lamps on either side of the bed were discovered at a local flea market.
Christmas is a special time in the Rourke household, especially with young children. “It is one of my favorite times of year, and I want to get the tree up the day after Thanksgiving and leave it up as long as possible,” she says. Her decor for the holidays is as elegantly understated as her furnishings. Because of her connections as a wedding planner, Jessica has access to an array of florals, but she chooses greenery for the holidays.
“I climb into the back of the florist’s truck with a baby on my hip and choose the greenery,” she says. “I tend to buy a garland that is a mix of a few different types of greenery to create a lush look. I believe last year the options were more limited from my supplier, so I went with a local Leyland cypress garland.”
Greenery is on display throughout the house. The mantel lined with a Nutcracker collection displays greenery, which is also draped around the entryway to the dining room and tucked around each candle of the chandelier. Greenery encircles the hall bath mirror and is even wrapped around their bedroom dresser. Jessica will gather stems of fresh red berries from her yard to mix in with the greenery. Small wreaths hang by velvet red ribbon from the kitchen cabinetry. Outside, the front door is dressed in greenery with a large green wreath accented with a red velvet bow and a set of brass bells. “It’s so nice to hear the bells every time someone opens the door,” she says.
The family heads out together to find a Fraser fir the day after Thanksgiving, and it is soon decorated with not only the vintage ornaments, but also the children’s handmade ornaments. Their daughter, Vivienne, has her own tree in her room decorated with sparkling candy garland, pink ornaments, and colorful lights. Jessica is waiting to put a tree in 2-year-old Thomas’ room until he is a bit older.
Jessica and Jim enjoy hosting parties, not only during the holidays but also for special occasions. An old garage in the backyard seemed the perfect spot to have such gatherings, so they converted it into their “party shack” for outdoor entertaining. “We have birthday parties, baby showers, and graduation parties,” she adds. “It’s been a great addition to the house.”
Because she is always on the hunt for new, unexpected finds, Jessica admits she will always be updating and making changes to their home. “It’s the curse of being creative,” she says with a smile. “Jim will ask me if a room is done, and I realize that it’s probably never going to really be ‘done.’”
