We all have preconceived notions about what star’s homes ought to be like. Back in the days of Old Hollywood, the Art Deco and Modernist glamour we see in vintage movies was deeply ingrained in the public’s psyche. These days, we imagine movie stars and rock stars inhabiting hillside Malibu mansions and starkly elegant Manhattan penthouses. Country musicians, meanwhile, often get either the uber-rustic treatment in our imaginations, living out on farms or ranches, or they live in kitschy-country, imaginary creations set in the Nashville suburbs—right? Er, wrong. Perhaps it’s time we let go of the stereotypes, because if the house of singer and songwriter Jamie O’Neal is any indication, believe it or not, there are plenty of stars in possession of exceptional taste—who know how to make a house into a home.
O’Neal’s Brentwood residence, which she shares with her husband, musician and songwriter Rodney Good, their daughter Aliyah and a trio of dogs (Diego, Otis and Griffin), is a sanctuary full of warmth and a shrine to family life.
Built into a hillside, the home requires a bit of a climb up the driveway, but possesses an outstanding backyard, with a fabulous water feature on the edge of a wooded area, a hot tub, and an outdoor living space ideal for entertaining, but also a welcoming playground for a 6-year-old and the family’s dogs. A serene Buddha statue positioned beneath the trees at the top of the waterfall hints at the mood evoked by the home’s interior.
Upon entering the front door, guests are washed in inviting earth tones and a sense of calm, aided by a collection of religious iconography—a huge, Mexican concrete rosary hangs from the entry wall, Buddhas and elaborate East Indian wood carvings sit on tables and in alcoves—and the decor offers a soft blending of new, vintage and truly antique. O’Neal jokes she’s famous for shopping on tour, and filling her bus with wonderful pieces she finds—whether in Spain or the American Southwest. The entrance-way is dominated by an exceptional wooden wardrobe, and the eye is drawn to the faux stone-texture painting on the walls. O’Neal loves the idea that it suggests a castle’s walls (in a Versailles sort of way, not a dank fortress).
The foyer opens to the left on a small but gracious dining room, dominated by a Victorian Gothic dark wood table and chairs, and a huge, wood-framed mirror (bought at a small Franklin antiques venue), set next to an Afghani-looking Buddha statue. The walls, with a coppered faux-finish, are one of O’Neal’s favorite aspects of the house. Deb Staver did this painting, along with the foyer’s textured walls....