Meet Caroline Agee
Tuckahoe Home is an interior design firm and e-commerce boutique founded in 2020 by Caroline Agee. The firm has quickly grown — Caroline has ongoing projects in several states, with a strong presence in the Southeast.
Caroline describes her style as traditional with a modern sensibility. While her designs are timeless and sophisticated, she aims to provide her clients with interiors that also feel welcoming and livable. Caroline believes that a person’s home should be a reflection of their interests and heritage; each room should tell a story and be filled with pieces that bring joy. Her projects combine natural materials and textures with brighter colors and mixed prints; although she is a self-described lover of color and pattern, she exercises restraint in her designs as a nod to classic interiors. Caroline cites inspiration from neoclassical architecture, English and French continental furniture, and impressionist art. She always strives to balance the old and the new, incorporating antique pieces and clients’ existing collections into every project. As a collector of art and antiques herself, Caroline enjoys the art selection process so much she sought to open her own online boutique, bringing unique items to customers across the country.
Caroline is a Virginia native; she spent most of her childhood on the Eastern Shore of Virginia before attending college at the University of Virginia and graduate school at the College of William & Mary. Today she lives in the Far West End of Richmond with her husband, Marshall, daughter, Nellie, and two Boykin spaniels, Crosby and Layla. Virginia’s beautiful historic architecture has long inspired Caroline, whose interest in interiors developed at a young age. She fondly recalls rearranging her bedroom on the weekends, picking out the perfect shade of blue paint for her teenage bedroom, and selecting soft blue and green floral bedding to complement. While planning her Eastern Shore wedding, her attention to detail emerged and she honed her aesthetic, selecting French blue, ivory, and peach florals; soft watercolor stationary; and classic blue and white stripes as a nod to the historic Chesapeake Bay location. Today she brings these same sensibilities to her work, thoughtfully collaborating with clients to create beautiful spaces unique to them and their personal style.
Tuckahoe is the region of Richmond, Virginia where Caroline resides. This area includes Historic Tuckahoe, an estate on the James River famed for being the boyhood home of Thomas Jefferson. The estate’s Georgian architecture and gorgeous English country gardens evoke the kind of timeless design that Tuckahoe Home seeks to honor in their projects. For Caroline, the name Tuckahoe embodies a sense of peace, an appreciation of nature and life’s simple pleasures, and the celebration of a slower pace of life - all qualities that she emulates in her design work.
What is your favorite EH pattern and why?
"I love Meadow and Posey in Apple and Pool. They are both the perfect balance of modern, classic, and whimsical. Both are super versatile and can be paired with so many other patterns."
Where would you style Meadow and Posey and how would you use them?
"Posey would be gorgeous on pillows in a living room or bedroom, or on a window seat cushion. Meadow Original would be lovely on window treatments. I'd love to see the Apple/White traditional archived colorway on roman shades with a solid green tape. This fabric is currently pinned to my mood board in my home studio."
How do you feel about mixing color and pattern?
"Color is my love language (along with coffee)! I almost always mix color and pattern in rooms that I design. I typically like to start with one patterned textile that has multiple colors, and then use those colors throughout other textiles in the space. I often mix blues and greens, and sometimes throw in some peach / pink / coral. I like to think about color theory when creating a color palette for a room - I often use two adjacent colors and one complimentary color. For example, a favorite boy nursery I designed incorporate camel, tomato, and peacock - this was such a fun and unexpected combination! "
Do you see any advantages to working with smaller textile lines?
"Yes! As a small business owner myself, I love supporting other small businesses. When working with a smaller textile line, I appreciate being able to connect with the business owners / textile designers. It opens up opportunities for fun collaborations. With small textile lines, the textiles may be less well known or not used as often, so they can make a design project feel more unique. "
What color palettes or inspiration are you loving lately?
"I always love blue and green, but I'm currently really drawn to coral, peach, and lilac ever since having a daughter in October. Conveniently, Peach Fuzz happens to be the Pantone color of the year! I'm having a feminine moment (or maybe I always was?) and loving florals and butterflies."
What's your favorite room to design?
"I love designing bedrooms, including children's' bedrooms and nurseries! The artwork selections for children's' bedrooms are especially fun."
