By Anna Grace Moore | Photos by James and Rachel Culver
Having a wonderful father is to call love by his other name, dad. To know Walter Blair is to know that love, which is evident in his relationship with his three daughters, Jada, Karmen and Sarah. Though this family has weathered heartbreak, Walter holds steadfast in his faith that through every trial, something fruitful will bloom.
After walking through his divorce, Walter moved to the Shelby Farms community in Alabaster. “Everything is new,” he says. “We wanted a fresh start. I don’t regret anything that I had to go through or experience. It made me a better man, a better father.”
Walter worked with Jordan Hosey of HBH Realty to find the perfect place to raise his family. “She was what I needed at the time,” he says. Jordan put Walter in touch with the interior decorators behind Restyle Staging and Home Therapy, LLC, of which owners Katie Pitts and Kelly Elliott helped him transform his house to a home.
“When people come over, I want them to feel like they’re at home,” Walter says. He believes that a home isn’t the furniture by the fireplace or the sign on the front door. What makes a home is the love those share inside and sometimes, all along the block.
“It does take a village to raise one,” Walter says, chuckling. “My village has been a true blessing. Everybody here [in the neighborhood] likes to be engaged with each other. Your hand seems like it’ll fall off from waving at everybody. I love that.”
Up and down his street, Walter says his daughters ride bikes with their friends. Neighbors stay out a little later, sitting on porches chatting away till the sun finally sets. Some Friday afternoons, food trucks will park outside his house, and the community will come together to share a meal.
“This is home for me and my girls,” he says, smiling. As for others, Walter encourages those experiencing tough times to remember that it takes a little rain for the flowers to bloom. Sometimes, one may find himself planted in a new place–but that very spot could turn out to be the best place to call home.
Kitchen
One of Walter’s favorite things about this room is the open concept. The girls often do their homework at the table or watch tv in the living room while he prepares dinner. It makes for a great family atmosphere.
Living Room
Walter loves Earth-tone colors. In fact, he purchased the tapestry painting from the previous homeowners, and Katie and Kelly used the hues as the “mood board” for this room’s designs. They matched the subtle greens and browns from the painting to the colors in the rug and the curtains, too.
Dining Room
Walter asked that all of his furniture feel “liveable,” meaning nothing needed to be too grandiose. He wanted his home to feel approachable but still have a sophisticated allure, which this table and chairs paired with the more dignified arms chairs helps create for this space.
Master Bedroom
The wood-washed furniture gives off a homey aesthetic while the light blues and pops of gold in the abstract adorning this bedroom wall is a beautiful statement piece for the room. This bedroom suite is from Alabama Furniture Market in Calera.
Playroom
Each daughter has her own bedroom, but all three also have a space where they can come together to hangout. This room is the site of many card games, jam sessions and late-night chats.
Power with Paintings
Jada’s room isn’t featured, but these family visionary portraits that are displayed outside her room make for a great conversation starter. Walter first met the artist, whose trade name is Wald, in Atlanta and came across his work several years later at a flea market in Bessemer. Walter commissioned him to paint two portraits over the next few years. The painting on the right is of Walter, his then wife and their daughter, Jada, when she was first born. The painting on the left is of Karmen, when they welcomed her into the family. Both, Walter says, depict the blessing of children from God.
Keepin’ it “Classy”
Karmen’s room is centered around her favorite colors, turquoise and purple, and her love of all things “classy.” Katie and Kelly added the Victorian bed frame and canopy, which is from Amazon, to help her feel sophisticated.
Sweet Style
Sarah’s room is all things “pink.” In her room alone, she has more than 10 different shades of the color and several stuffed unicorns whose horns match perfectly with the shimmery cowhide rug.
Get in Touch
To start a discussion about where to begin in the home-buying process, visit hbhrealty.net. Those interested in working with Katie and Kelly can follow Restyle on Facebook or email katie@restylestaging.co for more information on decorating needs.
