Ashley and Jonathan Papelbon met as students at Mississippi State University and began their whirlwind life together as Jonathan ventured into his professional career in baseball. As a relief pitcher, he spent the next 12 years playing for major league teams such as the Red Sox, with whom he won the World Series in 2007, and the Philadelphia Phillies, before finishing his career with the Washington Nationals. Throughout their world travels and relocations for work, the couple always knew they wished to settle in Ashley’s hometown of Hattiesburg to raise their children, now 15, 14, and five, and they began to envision the ideal home for their family.
Having previously owned a home in Alys Beach and falling in love with the community’s contemporary design style, the couple met with Jackson architect Will Ballou to execute their vision of a modern Mediterranean home. As the plans were being drawn, they appealed to New Orleans designer Tara Shaw, who had also worked with the couple on an earlier project, to work with Ballou to facilitate their design goals. Maintaining a clean, modern feel, Ashley also wanted a comfortable retreat centered around family activities and her love of collecting. “My overall style is a mix of extra-large, modern pieces with loads of antiques mixed in,” she notes. “I love everything to feel personal.” Tara presented the homeowners with a favorite project in Belgium that showcased bold, black accents on custom doors and accessories and whose style was befitting for their home. With towering white walls and this prominent use of black throughout, the bold foundation was accented with personal accessories and textural finishes.
When moving into the home, Ashley used the Birmingham-based company, The Amandas, a full-service organizing firm that singlehandedly installed the entire home. The organization also recommended that Birmingham designer Sarah Butler complete the finishing details over the family’s first year at home. Sarah ordered custom furniture, including the large sofa in what the family calls “the sunken room” and several plaster pieces uniquely created for specific spaces. The designer also commissioned several artworks, such as the installation in the main hall by MacKenzie Dove.
The open floor plan allows for loads of year-round entertaining. “Sometimes our house feels like Grand Central Station with teenagers coming in and out, but we absolutely love it!” Ashley laughs. The spacious kitchen and living room space is where most of the gathering takes place, but Ashley laughs that the couple’s bedroom is never off limits for late-night conversations with her children and their friends. “That was so important when we were decorating,” she notes. “I didn’t want anything to feel off limits or cold.” Though most of the year, the couple hosts more intimate gatherings, leading up to the holidays, the family hosts several large get-togethers with friends, including the celebration of their oldest daughter’s birthday just days after Christmas. “It is just such a special time of year, and we love any excuse to get all of our friends and their children together for lots of laughs and great food,” she adds.
With abundant attention paid to each minute detail of the design of the home, equal consideration was given to the Christmas décor. Even in the initial stages of house plans, Ashley specified locations where trees and holiday decorations would be installed and recognized that the foyer and living spaces would be integral parts of the family’s Christmas seasons. “I absolutely love to decorate for the holidays each year, but I could never make it happen by myself,” she states. “I can dream it up, but I have to have the real creative geniuses come in and bring it to fruition!” It was a passion shared with her late mother, Jane, who she credits her creativity and love of all things interior design. “She made magic happen in everything she touched,” Ashley adds. In her charming way, her mother introduced her to Missy Lott, who serves as the “head elf” in the house starting in early November. “She is so talented, and because we have worked together for years, I can literally give her no direction. She makes my dreams come true year after year,” she smiles. Over two weeks, Missy organizes the entire installation of Christmas decor, from tree designs to hanging stockings to the gorgeous garlands inside and out.
The design theme for the holiday season focuses on traditional reds and greens, flocked trees, and Ashley’s ever-growing collections of nutcrackers and fairies. Her love of the classic Nutcracker began in this house, but she has been collecting the whimsical Mark Roberts fairies since the couple married. Utilizing Tara Shaw’s stunning interpretation of bold design, Ashley has also pulled from the daring color pallet used in her holiday décor. Black- and white-checked Mackenzie Child’s pieces fill the spaces, including towering sculptures of precariously stacked gifts, numerous seasonal topiaries, and a pair of enormous ornaments balanced on the cabinet in the dining room. “I must be specific when buying items for this house because of the size. Anything not listed as ‘monumental’ or ‘oversized’ can easily get lost!” she notes. The latest purchase of a 12-foot nutcracker for the mudroom is a favorite, but it almost did her husband in. “Luckily, he is amazing!” she laughs. “I know they think I have lost my mind, but it is the most wonderful thing to see the house as a winter wonderland through the children’s eyes.”
Numerous trees are installed throughout the house, each with a design specific to the space. Traditional trees stand in the daughters’ rooms and sparkle with loads of Glitterville and Cody Foster ornaments. Their son’s tree is shaped like Santa’s hat and is filled with sports memorabilia, which suits the nearby antique seats from Fenway Park. Ashley loves the pieces collected each year from Bergdorf Goodman when Jonathan would travel to New York to face the Yankees or Mets. They are displayed proudly on the large tree in the sunken room, which they can appreciate most nights when they gather. The main tree is more traditional for the formal living room.
Though discovering new pieces each year is exciting, more sentimental pieces are also included in the mix, creating a uniquely personal layer to the design. The custom-made stockings for each family member were given by a dear family friend, Melanie Walker, whose mother hand-sewed each tiny detail. Knowing the love and attention given to them, they are hung proudly on the living room’s mantel. Another beloved collection is that of hand-painted ornaments by Natalie Sarabella. “I started buying them for my mom years ago, and since losing her, I have added her collections into my own for my kids to inherit one day,” Ashley notes.
The Papelbons’ favorite holiday tradition is that of their family Christmas card. This project is not for a simple card, but Ashley spends all year planning the perfect theme and presentation to send to friends and family across the globe. From photographs of the family in gowns and tuxedos in the Gulf behind their WaterSound beach house to one of each family member in pajamas on tractors in the Delta, some cards explode with confetti while some are enveloped in leather albums. Last year’s card—one of Ashley’s favorites—included a miniature gingerbread version of the family’s home.
Ashley attributes the sensational design of her home and its incredible spaces to her creative team, but it is honestly her own ability to create the warmth and inviting feeling in her home, not only during the holidays but year-round. She remembers fondly that it was her mother’s dream to have Ashley and Jonathan’s house featured in the holiday issue of Mississippi Magazine. “She and I absolutely loved interior design, but there was something extra special about decorating for Christmas together,” she lovingly recalls. Fortunately, her mother’s exceptional gift lives on to make each holiday season magical in the Papelbon home.
