Melissa Ferguson’s Tennessee farmhouse looks like it tumbled right out of the pages of one of her rom-com novels. The author, and mom of four, sat down to tell us all about her relaxed, cheerful dream home, complete with clucking chickens, a sprawling porch, and a cozy greenhouse. See how she styled our Rio Sofa in Osier Velvet Snow, tucked away in the comfiest-ever corner of her kids’ colorful playroom.
Q: Hi, Melissa! Could you give us an introduction? (Tell us a bit about you, your background)
Hi! I’m Melissa Ferguson, homeschooling mother of four, lover of hiking, and an author of romantic comedies for adults and fiction for children.
I got my start on social media when, at a writer’s conference, I was informed it was practically impossible to get a book deal without a social media presence. Well, I went home and downloaded Instagram, and then Tiktok, and now here I am sharing about our friendly farmhouse lifestyle at---uncoincidentally---@ourfriendlyfarmhouse. If you come find me, I’ll be surrounded by chickens, ducks, sunflowers, sweet moments, and a lot of sunsets ☺ (and, of course, my books).
Q: What’s a typical day for you look like?
They vary significantly, really, but we tend to wake up without alarm clocks, head downstairs, grab some eggs we gathered from the coop, and make some coffee and breakfast. Most weekdays, my husband and I make a point to spend 15-30 minutes on the porch enjoying coffee, the chickens, and the sunrise before he heads to work and I jumpstart our family day.
Our mornings tend to be devoted to schoolwork—four of the five school days I have a tutor come for a couple hours to handle a couple core subjects, so I can head off to write. In the afternoons we do extracurriculars or have visits with friends to parks or libraries or errands and two of the days are devoted to co-ops with friends.
In the evening, we tend to eat dinner and then dash over to a protected forest nearby to have a walk. Our bedtimes tend to be late, admittedly, usually 9 or 10 (eek), but we like the flexibility of dinners out with friends, fishing or lake days, etc, and then we start again!
Q: Tell us about your home. How long have you been there?
My husband was the builder for our home back in 2020. We’ve lived here for three years now.
Q: What was your approach when you started designing your home? Did anything change from your original vision for the space?
Oh, it changed loads of times! And funny enough, I have a children’s book called Our Friendly Farmhouse coming out in July 2025!
My original dream was to build this house—with a wraparound porch facing the sun and mountains—but we didn’t have the funds to include everything we wanted. Once I built my social media handle and started sharing more about our plans, we were able to turn around and use the funds to finish things around the house.
It truly was a dream—with a lot of hard work behind the scenes—that came true.
Q: How would you describe your design aesthetic, and how do you cultivate it?
I decided early on that I am not talented enough to do all of these mixing and matching styles interior designers do, so I better stick with three colors: white, light brown (from the floors), and gold. And for me, it worked well. I feel peaceful in a white kitchen and my bedroom. I like that I can change up the décor with the seasons and add a bouquet of flowers in summer. Now, I did end up going big and bold with my smaller spaces like our laundry room, toy room, arts & crafts closet, nursery, etc.
I decided to do what makes us happy in each space, and what is fun and whimsical can also serve a practical purpose (like using a coffee table to store board games to minimize a busy look). I tried to get my hub on board for a slide from the second floor to the first, but alas, that was a no go. He did build the swings on our front porch and we have used them ever since.
Q: Do you have a favorite room in the house, and if, so, what makes it your favorite? How does this room reflect you/your family/hobbies?
I think the toy room might be my favorite spot. It’s certainly the one that gets used the most outside of the kitchen. I love the wallpaper. I loved organizing it, so that it felt uncluttered, but also full of fun toys and games for kids. I love that there is ample space for sitting in the swing or on our beautiful, wool, eco-friendly Medley sofa! I can’t tell you how many times a week I find my kids in those exact spots!
Instead of using this room as an office, I turned it into a toy room, with an arts, crafts, and homeschooling storage closet—because we have kids over every single week and I wanted them to be happy. I want them to want to be here, and I want this to truly be a friendly farmhouse. The toy room reflects my passion for these things.
Q: What made you choose Medley furniture for your home? How are you liking your Rio Sofa?
Medley had joined my mental list of places where I wanted to buy from after I saw an ad from them stating how Medley furniture was non-toxic & sustainably made. I am one of those people who use non-toxic things: cleaning supplies, detergents, paint, even down to buying 100% organic cotton undies —and I’m always aiming to do better for the safety of myself and my family. Medley was the first furniture brand I found (and still is) that was so eco-friendly AND thoughtfully made.
I mean, when I unzipped the slipcover on the Rio Sofa and saw the simple label “100% wool” it was like a feast for the eyes. No chemical spray. No plastic filling. What a treasure. The Rio Sofa is velvety soft, beautiful to look at, easy to use in any room in my house. It’s really an heirloom kind of piece. I’m very pleased with it.
Q: Name a favorite texture and color in the house for us!
Ha! Well, white. I love, love, love the simplicity of white. As for texture? I’d say my curtains because they are romantic and soft—layers of easy, white tulle that let the light in.
Q: How about a favorite object?
My favorite object this year is easily my greenhouse. I use it all the time for so many things: I have July 4th parties, dinners, tea parties, painting parties with kids, Bible studies. It’s been an incredible blessing to my family for hosting and just a sweet thing to go to throughout the year. I even have a woodstove inside it—so that in the winter, it’s still cozy (and yes, I put a Christmas tree in it, ha!).
Q: What’s a silly memory you’ve made in the house?
So many memories but hmmm—I think the first time we brought our chickens home from the post office was pretty silly and sweet. I was supposed to be doing a Thanksgiving feast at my daughter’s preschool at the time, and got the call from the post office. Instead of doing the Thanksgiving feast, I ended up taking her out of school, per her eager request (where we ended up homeschooling from that day on, surprisingly), and we rushed to the post office to scoop them up. I’ll never forget her sweet, childish wonder as we sat in the toy room and she opened the box to see 15 chirping chickies staring back up at her.
Q: Any recent projects in your home you'd like to share?
We just finished the garden space this summer and put in our first fruit bushes and vegetables! It’s been such a joy! My son just harvested the first tomatoes and to see all of my kids’ (and their little friends’) wondrous faces when they pull out a carrot from the ground or cut zinnias to make a bouquet is priceless. They are all learning to love and nurture nature and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Q: What's next for your home?
I think we will end up doing the primary bedroom next. I’d love to have a little writing nook of my own for writing my novels, and I have this really fun (ambitious?) plan to have a double-sided fireplace that goes from the end of our bed in our bedroom to a clawfoot tub beneath a chandelier in the bathroom. We’ll see!
Q: If you could sum up the feeling of your home in a few words, which would you choose?
Peaceful.
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Thanks so much for the interview, Melissa!
*Edited for brevity
