Abodes Of Appalachia : Featuring Sarahbeth Larrimore

Designer and Seamstress shares the story of her historical farmhouse

Hi friends!

Welcome to 'Abodes of Appalachia,' a captivating series that delves into the heart and homes of the people who live amongst the rolling hills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

In this unique exploration, we celebrate the soulful essence of the Appalachian Region through the lens of interior design and the stories that dwell within these walls.

My mission is to showcase the beauty found in the everyday lives of individuals who have woven their existence into the fabric of this land.

Join us as we peel back the layers of their homes, revealing the authentic, inspiring, and real narratives that make up the rich tapestry of Appalachian life, proving that wealth is not measured in dollars but in the spirit of the people who call this place home.

As someone whose personal heritage is rooted here in Western North Carolina, this series is particularly special to me. What a joy and honor it is to be welcomed into local people's homes to photograph and interview them; A magical mix of my love for photography, design, and asking lots of questions!

(This series will be too long for email, so be sure to read it via the Substack app or website)

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Meet Sarahbeth Larrimore of Unabashed Apparel

The drive to Sarahbeth’s home is lined with corn fields, cow pastures, and mountain views - a common backroad experience here in rural Appalachia. It’s a setting that always comforts me compared to the overwhelm I feel in busy city streets.

I pulled onto the gravel drive, weaving around an aged wooden barn and across a rickety bridge, before parking in the grass beside their house. Her partner's dog, who is blind in one eye, gives a few barks before sniffing my hand. Sarahbeth greets me with a big hug and her sweet southern platitudes that make me giggle and grin, before inviting me inside.

It feels like magic.

Sarahbeth, her partner, and their child have renovated an old, run-down farmhouse into a beautiful sanctuary for their family. Each space celebrates the history of the home while bringing new, creative life to its story.

There is so much that I love about their design; from the gorgeous range of colors that adorn the walls (rare for a farmhouse), to the many surprising bits of enchantment in the details. But, like always, the most beautiful and interesting parts come from their story…

Read on for her interview:

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Can you tell us a bit about the history of your current home?

Yes! It was built in the 1880s local legend has it, by a French architect by the name of Joe Carter for the Brown family. Our Victorian home was the main farmhouse for the 2000+ acre working farm around it, & the center hub of our tiny township. When we first bought it in its rundown state everyone slow-rolled by because folks had a connection to the place that outpaced us by a long mile.

They’ve stopped and told us how pleased they are with how much care we’ve put into the old home place. There’s no better feeling than doing folks proud that have a long lineage of connection to this place.”

Where are you from? Does your personal history of you and your family (or families) impact your design styles?

I’m from the Piedmont of North Carolina, my people are Moravian and you can see that influence in my design style. The Moravians that established the town of Salem (Winston sprung up beside it forming Winston-Salem) were specifically craftspeople and you can see it in the flourish to their simple wares. Items had purpose but were beautifully formed. Farmers that were craftsmen - I guess I haven’t gotten too far away from that in my design style.”

Did you design your home yourself or did you have any help?

It’s all me. We hired some carpenters to help with things we couldn’t manage. Sometimes I’d tell them my plan & they’d look at me like I’d lost my marbles, but in the end they would say, “Oh, ok, you’re an artist and your vision worked out.” 

Gracia, my spouse, mostly puts up with my plans. They’d like less stuff. Me too really… there’s a studio in the works towards that cause.

If you had to describe your design style, how would you do that?

Modern Moravian Whimsy. I’ve read too many fantastical books to just go at the pure Moravian aesthetic, I like a bit of whimsical magic thrown in.

Where do you pull inspiration from when designing your spaces?

I like old spaces. Give me places that have an opinion and soul to them, even if we disagree. I’d rather have to wrestle with a problem of an old place than a clean blank box.  I think a grumbling old fart of a domicile has a story that’s far more alluring than something shiny and perfect. In a perfect world our kitchen/dining/living area is one big space but Victorian houses are just a bunch of singular rooms due to the way they used to heat spaces. Sometimes I wish we could have it exactly as I would design it -but then it wouldn’t be this place, and this place has a soul and she’s home.

But inspiration -I think each space has it’s own soul right? You have to kind of sit and listen for a minute before you get down to business. You have your style but each place will inform it in its own way. Then you sift through all your inspirations to find what fits. For me this is my catalog of magazine clippings, epic pinterest boards, saved instagram stuffs etc.

Do you have a favorite or most sentimental room in your home?

I love them all! I think our little girl’s room brings me the most joy right now. I don't typically like a lot of color but her room is my version of colorful and whimsical and yet still has those Victorian & Moravian tendrils too. Our bedroom is soothing & will probably be my favorite when I can jettison the final bits of my studio items to a proper place.

I loved all the little natural elements you had in your home, like the insects. Can you tell us more about those?

Ha! My spouse, Gracia, is my environmental science nerd hero. A part from their day job working on climate change, they teach a few SMIE (Stream Monitoring Information Exchange) trainings a year. It’s a Macro-invertebrate (small water bugs) volunteer training. All of that is a way to monitor stream health and therefore water quality. They’ve been teaching it with some local water heroes & scientists for almost - gosh - um, gulp - 20 years… 

One of our first dates involved waders, a kick net, and cold tamales -I was caught completely unaware, they were desperate for volunteers. 

So we have exoskeletons of water bugs, and nature stuff scattered around. Our 4 year old even has a snake skin on her mantel in her room. I am not a fan of snakes. I’m coping; I’m proud of this generally but I could do with less uh, reptile enthusiasm. 

Do you mind sharing a bit about what you do for work/art/creativity and how that relates to your home space?

I teach women how to design and sew their own clothes but it all starts from a place of body acceptance and empowerment. 

When I transitioned from designing clothes to teaching women to design the frocks they dreamed of and & then how to make them for themselves, I came up against that age old foe, shame. Shame for our imperfect bodies or lives, grief for what we don’t have whether or not it's a perky bosom or a flat tummy or energy or youth, so I started teaching first about making friends with that part. 

We work to meet the grief so we can reach for the juicy most delicious life we do want and the creative path to get there. 

It’s not so different from getting over wishing my kitchen was wider - yeah - I mean, I do. I could get a lot done in a wider kitchen/dining space, but a circular dining table and no center island works out pretty well for us too. I like to say to my students, “Dance with the one that brung ‘ya.” -I’m referring to loving our bodies, but hey, when we don’t have millions for renovations, figuring out creative home solutions in beloved spaces is kind of the same principle.

How does your home facilitate the life you want to live with your family?

We have a big vegetable garden and flower garden and outdoor space. Our front porch acts like an extended living room for frog song and birdsong, firefly shows and sunsets. Home is beautiful but nothing is too precious. There’s space enough, but it’s small enough for closeness. That’s about right.

How does sustainability & mindfulness play into your home decor?

Our furniture & decor is mostly antiques or family pieces. I think our sofa is about all that’s new other than what couldn’t be found reclaimed for construction needs - and even then, we tried. But I also don’t love shame - or that pretentious stuff people can do to each other - you know? Try, breathe, move forward, that’s my home decor philosophy.

You have so many unique pieces, like your stained glass windows, stone sink, and vintage wardrobe. Can you tell us a bit about where you shop and source your decor items?

Yes! I ferret & sniff stuff out forever! I have this rolling list of wishes in my mind’s eye. 

Like: if I could build a turret for my dream studio in the barn, I would call on these folks for lighting…. 

No but in all seriousness one of my favorite longtime antiques dealers in Asheville was called Odd Fellows and they had this epically amazing place. Several of our pieces like that stained glass half round window, etc. were sourced from them over the years and they shut their doors a few years ago, I still mourn. 

The old hickory heavy-as-lead wardrobe I bought when I was 23 was from the Antique Tobacco Barn. It took my brother and 3 of his baseball playing WCU buddies plus myself to move it into my last house. I had to trick some friends (and pay them) to move it here. Other beloved places: Old Town Salvage - their shop down towards Fletcher - heaven help us all.

I love your handmade, hand-painted lampshades! Can you give us a peek into the story behind those creations and other things you’ve made for your home?

I can’t find lampshades I love, so I started making my own. They are wonky and weird and I still bashfully love them. The one in our daughter’s room I watercolored in hopes of having a little girl one day and carried it around with me through a lot of heartbreak through the years. They became sort of talismans of hope. Little light spells kind of. 

How does your home make you feel? What aspects bring you rest, peace, wellness?

Happy, joyful, sometimes tired when there’s lots to do & keep up with. Grateful, mostly lucky she chose us.

What do you love/appreciate about living in Appalachia?

The richness of storytelling and history of knowing how to live with the seasons, carving a life out of the terrain and land, it’s hard and it’s simple and there’s an art to it. My neighbors that have lived here for generations know everything about me, and look after us as if we’re their own. It reminds me of growing up in the country among my family in the piedmont. 

I’m a designer that has been in international magazines and had fancy gowns on runways, but the simple song of frogs coming in the screen door, and sweet corn shared by folks who’ve grown it, or warm milk from the jersey cow over the hill, my heart is full. I’m just so glad this is home.

To follow along with Sarahbeth and her work, you can follow her on Instagram and subscribe to her own Substack Newsletter.

Thank you so much Sarahbeth, for sharing your story and your home with us!

If you are local to the Asheville, NC & surrounding area and would like to be featured in Abodes of Appalachia, email me at kathryn@evergreeneradesign.com.

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