Making your home a warm, welcoming place doesn't have to mean spending lots of money. Quite the contrary. Just ask thrifty designer Nancy Baker.

tep into the Shawnee Mission, Kansas, home of Rich and Nancy Becker and one thing is immediately apparent: The decorating of this place revolves around a couple of very important things -- family and nature. No question about it.
"My style has pretty much evolved from and around things my mother has given me, passed-down family antiques," explains Nancy. "It's important to have things around that you love, and I enjoy pieces that have a lot of meaning to me."
Another thing Nancy and the whole family enjoy is the great outdoors. In every room there is something from nature, be it a bird's nest or a basket of shells.
In the lving room, Nancy has her 'plant table.' where her many, varied topiaries soak up the sun. That table was a find for this flea market maven. "I got it for $5 and cleaned it up," Nancy says. Other treasures in the room include small chest next to the fireplace -- an old-fashioned salesman sample that belonged to Nancy's grandmother -- and the child's rocking chair, which was Nancy's father's when he was little. All three of Nancy and Rich's sons -- Michael (16), Will (12), and Tuck (5) -- made use of it when they were tots. Speaking of the boys, Nancy admits, "Despite my wanting some feminine touches here and there, I think it's important for the boys to feel comfortable in the house."
Translation: Everything, antiques included, gets used by the family.
The family room, in particular, is where the Becker clan likes to hang out. "It's really the heart of the house where everybody gathers," says Nancy. Looking at the large (but comfy!) space, it's easy to see why. Assets abound, including vaulted cielings, large windows, skylights, sink-into-'em sofas, window seats, plus all kinds of small, personal touches -- like the whimsical bunny lampshade and the aforementioned baskets of shells collected at the seashore. “We’ve always had to decorate on a budget,” Nancy smiles, clearly pleased (rightly so) with the creative results.
And Nancy doesn’t just have a decorating vision; she often gets in there and does the dirty work herself. Case in point: the kitchen. “When we moved into the house, the kitchen had no flooring,” she says, “so Rich and I put in the black-and-white vinyl checkerboard.” Also, when the breakfast bar at the end of the kitchen didn’t provide enough separation from the family room, she took a branch from the backyard, anchored it above said breakfast bar and hung a collection of baskets from it. Perfect!
The master bedroom also boasts soothing touches of nature. Corkscrew willow twigs wind out from behind the bureau mirror, while a dried wreath hangs above the headboard of the bed.
All of this warmth and whimsy did not happen by accident. Nancy has her own design company called Little House Studio where she acts as a decorating consultant. She’s just got that knack for seeing possibilities where others see empty space. Take, for example, a small nook in Nancy’s kitchen. With the addition of a church pew/storage bench, lots of pillows and a hooked rug, it’s now the perfect little place to sit and have coffee.
All in all, Nancy is thrilled with her warm, often whimsical home, and so is the rest of the family. “Somebody told me once,” she says, ‘It’s good to have something in every room that makes you smile.’ So I’ve always tried to do that.”
Mission accomplished.
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