Statement pieces coupled with colorful accents personalize this Appling home.
For Appling residents Jessica and Daniel Yonchak, there was no time like the present to build a custom home in Lamkin Woods for their growing family.

“When you build, you either do it now or do it later,” says Daniel. “We wanted to do it now so we could enjoy it. I don’t think we’ll ever get tired of it.”

After they bought their 2.5-acre lot in 2020, the Yonchaks started building in the spring of 2021 and moved into their home in September 2022 with their two sons, Bennett and Walker, now 5 and 3 years old. Five months later, their daughter, Anniston, was born.

They customized a design from a Southern Living house plan to accommodate their lifestyle for years to come.

“We picked out everything from the colors to the width of the stair treads,” Daniel says. “It allows you to enjoy your home a lot more.”

However, they not only kept an eye on the future. From their fine china to keepsakes from their own childhoods, they included décor that honors their family history as well.

Color, Pattern and Texture
The Yonchaks closely followed the progress of their house, visiting the site several times a week while it was under construction.

“Once it was sheet-rocked, I turned everything over to Jessica,” says Daniel.

Good plan. Jessica knew the look she wanted, and she enlisted interior designer and now friend, Katy King Brosious, to bring her vision to life. Together, they infused playful patterns, assorted textures and vibrant colors into the neutral décor to give the home its distinct personality.

“We wanted a classic, timeless look for the house,” Jessica says. “Katy’s Instagram was a great source of inspiration.”

The incorporation of color, patterns and texture into the décor begins on the front porch, where four black rockers are accented with an aqua and white striped pillow and a pillow with textured flowers and pink tassels. The brick floor of the porch is laid in a herringbone pattern.

White satin ribbons accented with a bright blue “Y” are tied to the green wreaths on the double front doors.

The eclectic mix of design elements continues into the interior, which features white oak flooring and six-paneled doors throughout the house.

In the living room, where Southern charm meets chinoiserie (the European interpretation of Chinese artistic traditions), two Oriental calligraphy brushes and a ginger jar sit atop the wood coffee table.

However, Jessica says, “We found the rug first and decorated the living room around it.”

Patterned pillows, which feature green and white buffalo checks or a blue and white design, accent the off-white couches. The pillows pick up the colors in the rug as well.

A pair of oversized chairs, upholstered in spotted blue and white fabric, also adds color to the space.

White walls, custom built-ins, a raised hearth brick fireplace with gas logs and a wood beam mantel, a ceiling fan and a coffered ceiling complete the living room.

“We wanted a neutral background with pops of color,” says Jessica.

The open floor plan connects the living room to the kitchen, where an island separates the two spaces.

“We really wanted an open concept with a big island,” says Jessica. “We like to host and entertain. Storage also was important to us.”

Champagne bronze light fixtures hang above the island, which includes a farmhouse sink.

The kitchen also features quartz countertops, stainless steel appliances, glass-front cabinets on top of enclosed cabinetry, brushed bronze hardware, a pot filler and a picket fence backsplash. A French antique chandelier hangs in the adjoining breakfast area.

Legacy Pieces
The butler’s pantry borrows design elements from the kitchen such as brushed bronze hardware and glass-front cabinets, where white bowls and blue and white Georgia historical plates are on display.

The plates, originally produced by Wedgwood in London and sold by The Transylvania Club of Sandersville, were conceived and executed as part of the 1933 Georgia bicentennial celebration. The plates are issued in blue and pink, and the Yonchaks have a set of 12 plates in each color.

“My family had those plates when I was growing up,” Daniel says.

They hung more blue and white Georgia plates around a mirror on a wall in the dining room, which also features a coffered ceiling and a gray chandelier with gold accents.

An oak pedestal table, which is surrounded by skirted, upholstered chairs, sits in the center of the room, while a white sideboard and white china cabinet line opposite walls.

“I wanted the dining room to be classic with a little twist,” says Jessica.

She keeps her grandmother’s china in the china cabinet, along with a plate with gray flowers that has special significance to Jessica’s family.

“My great-grandmother hosted a president for dinner, so a president ate off of the plate,” she says. (No, she doesn’t know which president dined with her great-grandmother.)

Her grandmother gave each of her three granddaughters four place settings of her china, and Jessica’s mother found the rest of the china to complete the set.

“The dining room is my favorite room in the house even though it gets the least use,” Jessica says.

A grandfather clock that belonged to Daniel’s grandparents accents the office.

The master bedroom features a four-poster California king bed, a windowpane mirror on either side of a TV cabinet, an upholstered chair and an upholstered bench at the foot of the bed.

“This furniture was a wedding gift to us from my parents,” says Jessica.

The adjoining master bath features a soaking rub with a freestanding telephone faucet fixture, two vanities with quartz countertops and a walk-in shower. A rainfall showerhead, subway tile and marble floor accent the shower.

The children’s bedrooms reflect their personalities and interests. Bennett’s room has a sports theme (He loves baseball and insists on keeping his Christmas sheets on his bed year-round). In Walker’s room, antique trucks that belonged to Daniel when he was a boy are part of the “anything-with-wheels décor.

On the wall in Anniston’s nursery, two white frames hold a pink baby bubble outfit that belonged to Jessica when she was a toddler. When Anniston first came home from the hospital, she also wore the same gown that her mom had worn when she arrived home as a newborn.

Porch Life
When the Yonchaks spend time together, they’re likely to gather on their covered back porch.

The space includes a concrete floor, tongue-and-groove ceiling, wicker furniture, two ceiling fans and a raised-hearth, wood-burning fireplace. Special features of the brick fireplace include two Augusta pavers that came from an old homeplace on family-owned land in Harlem and the custom-built, live-edged, 450-pound wood mantel that Daniel’s college roommate made from a pecan tree.

“He has a lumber company in Sylvania,” says Daniel. “He had several trees on the grounds that were not cut up, so we got to pick out the tree.”

A dining table, which is set with colorful melamine plates on chargers edged with pink beads, rests on an area rug.

“I think we’ve eaten more meals on the porch than we have in the kitchen,” says Jessica.

With its fireplace and view of the woods behind the house, the back porch is Daniel’s go-to spot. They also plan to add a pool to the backyard one day.

“We built the house to last,” says Daniel. “Our whole goal is to maximize the space. We’re not going to outgrow it.”

By Betsy Gilliland