Anchored in Mississippi
After 15 years in Atlanta, Molly Trost, an interior designer with Mississippi roots, finds her way back home.
Written by Sonia Thompson | Photographed by Joe Worthem
Sometimes, the house chooses you.
At least, that’s how it felt to interior designer Molly Trost when she and her family were house hunting in the Oxford area two years ago. Molly’s husband, Heath, grew up in Oxford, and the pair met at the University of Mississippi, so it wasn’t that they weren’t familiar with the area. But the neighborhood where they ended up was not initially on their radar.
It was her brother-in-law who already lived in the neighborhood — which is about halfway between Oxford and Water Valley, just off Highway 7 — who sent them a short video of the house.
“Even though we had been to visit him numerous times, we didn’t even know this was tucked back here,” Molly said.
The winding, gravel driveway leading up to the peaceful acreage and white farmhouse-style home is what sold Molly in particular.
“It reminded me of the house from the movie ‘Baby Boom,’” she said, laughing.
Thankfully, the Trosts’ house came with better neighbors than the cinematic version.
“This community is just unbelievable,” Molly said. “It’s the kind where we moved in, and they’re bringing pies and desserts, and they’re there at the drop of a hat. And to have family just up the road, too, is just the best.”
Now fully settled, the family calls their property Anchor Farm — a tribute to the Anchor Baptist Church that’s across the street, where they are now members — but also to the feeling the place evokes in their family of five.
Two enormous oak trees, believed to be more than 200 years old, stand at the center of the land. An addition of a pool and pool house give the backyard the feeling of a private retreat, while a large screened-in porch has become the real heart of the home. It is where they eat, watch football, play mahjong, entertain friends, and spend time together. That connection to family can be felt throughout the house.
When they first bought it, the home needed some imagination. The previous owners had loved it well, but the interiors were dark and dated. Rather than erase the house’s personality, she wanted to bring it back to life.
“I didn’t just want ‘farmhouse,’” she said. “I love Southern, just a Southern classic, traditional home.”
The result is layered and personal. Blue and green fabrics sit alongside traditional furnishings.
Wallpaper adds color and pattern. Antiques mix with newer pieces. Books and collected objects fill the rooms.
Her design philosophy, she jokes, is influenced by her “inner Jessica Fletcher,” a reference to the cozy, grandmillenial-style interiors from 1980s TV show “Murder, She Wrote.”
“I’ve always treated my interiors like that,” she said. “This is your home. This is where you’re going to be living with your family. This should be so fun.”
That idea has followed her throughout a nearly 25-year career in interior design. She worked in Atlanta as a design coordinator for a high-end design-build company, an experience that taught her to think beyond decorating and into the bones of a house.
Today, her work includes everything from house plans and kitchens to the details of a single powder room. She works with clients in Mississippi and other states, but Oxford has become home base again.
And now, she is bringing another piece of her life home.
The House of Vivian Jane
Molly met Christy Larson in college, and the pair opened their first interior design business, the French Foyer, together in Oxford nearly two decades ago. Years later, after different careers and years spent in Atlanta and Mississippi, the friends found themselves sitting over coffee and talking about what might come next.
That conversation eventually became a business. The House of Vivian Jane, which had its grand opening just last month, occupies a renovated 1970s ranch house off South Lamar. The decision to locate the shop in a house was deliberate.
“We really wanted to be in a house,” Trost said. “We want it to be a destination that you have to find.”
The name itself is a nod to family.
“Vivian is Christy’s grandmother and Jane is mine,” she said.
Inside, the space brings together the things the two friends love: interiors, fabrics, books, entertaining, mahjong and needlepoint. But The House of Vivian Jane is intended to be more than a shop.
One room is dedicated to mahjong, where visitors can reserve a table, attend events or gather with friends. There will also be a space for needlepoint, a hobby she discovered through Christy and quickly embraced.
“I’m obsessed,” she said.
The space will eventually host luncheons, sorority gatherings, mahjong parties and other events. And there is no dress code.
“We want it to be a place like, you come with your baseball cap and no makeup,” she said. “And, ‘hey, come on in. You’re welcome.’”
That sense of welcome is central to the shop and the home she has created. Both are places that anchor Molly, her family and friends, and anyone who might walk through the door.
Visit the House of Vivian Jane:
716 Prestage Rd., Oxford
Instagram: @houseofvivianjane
Comments