Inside a Storied Alabama Cottage Filled With Heirlooms, Vintage Finds

A thoughtfully restored 1953 brick cottage in Dothan, Alabama, proves that great design isn’t about buying everything new.

When homeowner Brittany Shepard fell in love with her home on a whim during an estate sale in 2023. While looking for secondhand treasures, she was drawn to the home’s original character: deep windowsills, handcrafted details and the feeling that it already had a story to tell.

Rather than reinventing the cottage, Shepard made careful updates that support the way she lives. She refinished the original red oak and pine floors, completely renovated the kitchen with custom dish cabinets designed to display heirloom china, converted a half bath into a laundry room and incorporated meaningful vintage lighting throughout.

Inside the two-bedroom home, original wood floors, vintage tile and built-ins share space with heirloom furniture, collected china and secondhand finds, creating rooms that feel layered, personal and unmistakably Southern.

Her style comes from her late mom, who inspired her as a “sentimentalist decorator,” with style rooted in collected heirlooms, vintage finds and everyday beauty.

“I love that my home reflects her story, the story of my beloved ancestors, and the story of my family for generations to come,” she said.

A motley of collections

Shepard shops local antique malls, thrift stores and Facebook Marketplace, mixing inherited furniture with vintage finds and collected textiles. A love of block-print linens traces back to time spent living in India in her 20s, and today they’re layered throughout the house alongside English-inspired patterns, antiques and family pieces.

Throughout the house, other family memories take center stage. The dining room chandelier once hung in her grandparents’ home. Cabinet hardware came from leftover pieces her parents saved while building their own house in the 90s. Twin beds in her guest room were in Shepard’s childhood room.

Her design philosophy is truly captured in her formal living room, which Shepard calls the Camellia Room, named for the multiple flower prints in the space.

The space layers her grandmother’s rug and tea table with her mother’s reupholstered seating, while a painted, secondhand Asian folding screen anchors the room from the wall above. Around it hangs a collection of camellia artwork, a flower she loves for blooming through the Southern winter.

Some of the prints belonged to her mother’s closest friend and were later gifted to Shepard, adding another layer of family history to the room.

The kitchen reflects Shepard’s decorating philosophy perhaps more than any other room.

Rather than storing inherited china for holidays, she built cabinetry specifically to keep it within reach.

“Those dishes changed the way I think about home,” Shepard said. “I found myself holding far more than plates and serving bowls. I was holding holidays, ordinary dinners, family traditions and memories.”

Everyday meals are set with family china instead of reserved for special occasions, reinforcing the idea that meaningful objects become even more valuable when they’re used. It’s a practical decision as much as an emotional one, and one that shapes how the entire house functions.

A story-filled home

By day, Shepard works for the local school system. Outside the office, she writes, creates content and shares her philosophy through The Sentimental Decorator, a home and lifestyle platform centered on meaningful interiors.

Her background in journalism influences the way she thinks about decorating. She’s less interested in what’s new than in what lasts.

In an era of fast trends and constant updates, her house offers another approach: one where beauty comes from history, everyday rituals and the objects that continue earning their place over time.

“To me, home is a sanctuary, a gathering place, and a keeper of stories. It’s where I honor the past through heirlooms and traditions, live fully in the present through everyday rituals, and make room for whatever comes next,” Shepard said. “The most meaningful homes aren’t the most perfect ones. They’re the ones that reflect a life genuinely lived.