Erica Kerns’ Signature Style is Instinctual and Beautiful

Photos by Daryl Calfee

In every single room, the foundation has to be a vintage rug,” Erica Kerns said.

And she would know. Co-owner of BEFound Collective, a shop that sources one-of-a-kind, handwoven vintage and antique Persian and Turkish rugs, and Vice President of Merchandising and Product Development for Moore & Giles, Kerns has a penchant for finding just the right piece to tell a story and pull a space together.

Walking through her home with her foster-turned-adopted dog Nora, Kerns exudes an effortless style, and her home is an extension of that. Her 1937 Dutch Colonial home is a nod to the era—with its galley kitchen and wood paneled rooms. But Kerns, who purchased the home in 2021, has brought new life to the space while maintaining some of the home’s defining quirks.

“The smoking room is one of the things that sold me on the house,” Kerns said, referring to the wood-paneled room that connects to the galley kitchen via the pass-through window. 

While she could have easily painted the wood paneling from the walls, Kerns instead opted to keep them intact to allow the room to maintain its rich dimension. Art, light fixtures, and natural elements adorn the walls, giving the room a Ralph Lauren–esque feel while the textiles—vintage rug, handwoven fabrics—make the space entirely her own.

It’s this type of layering that is Kerns’ signature style. Throughout her home, trinkets and oddities are stacked on top of vintage furniture. Sweeping Monsteras sit in beautifully textured vessels. Seashells act as paperweights atop children’s books or high school physics books from the 1930s. It’s a curation that seems instinctual to Kerns, who is constantly collecting items for her home.

“It doesn’t matter where I am, I’m hunting,” she said. “Ninety percent of the things in my home are secondhand. As long as you mix everything in the right way, there is balance.
If it’s all new, it doesn’t have soul. If it’s all old, it can lack the edge needed to feel fresh.”

Kerns credits her travels for many of the eclectic pieces in her home, including her most recent work trip to Genova, Italy, when she came home with a treasure trove of art. Kerns purchased extra suitcases, painstakingly wrapped the art in her clothing, and hauled the bags from train stations to hotels to airports just to get them all home.

Originally from Nashville, Tennessee, Kerns moved to Richmond after college.

In 2005, she moved to Lynchburg, holding a number of positions at J. Crew, including senior director of customer care; senior brand manager; and director of training, quality, and communications. In 2011, she moved to San Antonio, where she became a regular at a local auction house.

“Auctions weren’t as well-known as they are today,” she remembered. “It was the place to go. I would go to the auction house almost every single week. Sometimes I wouldn’t buy anything. One time, though, it was the end of the night, almost everyone else had left, and a lot of 100 pieces of art came up. I got the lot for $75.”

Walking through Kerns’ home, there is a mix of art that feels effortless but unrepeatable. Still life oil paintings share walls with paint-by-numbers (a favorite pastime of Kerns’). Vintage portrait paintings give way to ink sketches. Text art creates a platform for wildlife paintings.

“You don’t have to feel so tied to a theme or a palette,” she said. “I love taking nods from nature. Nature shows you how to mix tones and elements in a compelling way.”

Indeed, nature is abundant in Kerns’ home. She’s an avid seashell collector, whether they’re found on a beach or in a secondhand shop, and her collections are diverse enough for any scientific repository. Moose antlers dramatically frames a full-body mirror in the living room, antler mounts sit above doorways, and, of course, each space is layered with leather and shearling textiles from Moore & Giles.

“Texture and layers influence every room in the house,” Kerns said. “It’s intentional and it’s about layering light and color and texture in the right way. That’s what I want my home and future Palmera House to feel like. A space with interest in every corner and be something that you want to interact with and touch.”

Kerns’ newest venture, Palmera House, is an ode to her love of nature, textiles, beautiful art, and interesting details and the perfect amalgamation of her work and life experiences. It will be a shop for vintage home items, plants, and rugs. But Palmera Bodega, tucked inside the shop, is a reason to linger, have a bite and beverage, and enjoy a quiet moment in one of the many available nooks.

“It will be a multi-use space,” she explained. “With Palmera’s home decor and rugs being vintage or unique, each visit will feel like a new shopping experience. Mornings and lunch hour at the Bodega are sure to have a certain life and buzz. The space’s energy and ambiance will transition to a cozy, low-lit lounge after hours, where friends can gather and unwind from the day. Palmera Bodega will have a daily ‘Golden Hour’ serving aperitivos and distinctive snacks.”  

Kerns’ signature style is a beautiful collection of her travels, work, love of design, and vintage decor. Palmera House promises to be an extension of that hallmark. Palmera House will open on Bedford Avenue toward the end of this year.

“I hope Palmera House will be a favorite stop on the ever-changing Bedford Avenue,” Kerns said. “A place to feel inspired and a space you never want to leave. With short- and long-term rentals in the two floors above the shop, you’ll be able to stay for as long as you like—with Palmera House as your second living room.”  

Rugs are the best of form and function.

As grounding elements, rugs can often set the tone of a room while also serving an important role throughout the home. Whether looking for a soft place to land, protecting wood floors, or covering ugly ones (we’ve all been there), there’s no doubt that the right rug can complete a space.

While replacing all of the rugs in your home at once may not be in the cards, addressing those in the most visible, high-traffic areas is a great place to start. For insights on how to make a choice you will love, we called in expert help from Brittany Sydnor, Lynchburg-based owner of BeFound Collective (befoundcollective.com), an online shop of vintage, hand-woven rugs sourced from all over the world.

Picture It
Before identifying your rug style, it’s important to understand your personal design style. For help with that, Pinterest is a great resource.

“Search by room names and focus less on the rug and more on the overall space. What is it about those rooms that resonate with you? From there, pick it apart and determine the rug style that best supports the space you’re trying to create. You might be surprised to discover that the style of rug you’re attracted to doesn’t align with the aesthetic you’re trying to create. Once you determine the style you love, I recommend sticking with wool or other natural fibers as they tend to wear better over time and are easier to maintain,” Sydnor said.

Easily Influenced
Let’s be real, many of us are influenced by what we see on social media these days. And in the Instagram world in particular, rugs are having a full-blown moment. So what are the trends emerging as a result?

“Vintage and antique Persian and Turkish rugs have always been a timeless choice for the most discerning rug buyers, but in the last several years, a younger audience has emerged and we’re seeing design influencers placing antique Persian rugs in some of the most unexpected spaces,” Sydnor said. “It’s a testament to their versatility and longevity in design.”

Size It Right
Once you set on a style, rug sizing can be the next difficult challenge and with good reason—Sydnor said it’s hands down the most important consideration when selecting a rug.

“In living spaces, aim to have all of your furniture legs resting on the rug or at the very least, the front legs of each piece,” she advised. “For large areas, like living rooms and open concept spaces, we love to use natural fiber rugs (sisal, seagrass, etc.) as a neutral base layered with smaller rugs on top. They can be purchased online in custom sizes (search “custom natural fiber rug”) and are comparatively cost-effective. This approach allows for flexibility with your topper rug and creates layers of texture.

For odd-shaped rooms, custom rugs are certainly an option and most carpet stores can take a broadloom carpet (typically thought of as wall-to-wall) and create an area rug, tailored to your space.

It’s also worth noting that many hand-woven rugs, particularly old Persian and Turkish pieces, are sized outside of modern standards (4’x6′, 5’x8′, etc.).
We recently helped a client place a 7’x16′ antique Persian Bidjar gallery runner in a long, narrow home library. We would have never found this size outside of looking for vintage or going custom.”

Making a Beautiful Investment
As any homeowner can attest, rugs don’t often come cheap. However, for something you walk over all day, the price is often worth the investment. Sydnor said she has a “buy what you love and you’ll always make room for it” mantra that extends to rugs, particularly vintage and antique pieces.

“Because no two are the same, if you love it, snag it. There will never be another just like it. That said, it’s important to balance love with space realities. Collecting smaller rugs is a solid approach because even if you aren’t in your forever home, they can easily transition from dwelling to dwelling.

For instance, something in the 3’x5′ range will work as a doormat, at the side of a bed, in front of a kitchen sink, and so on.”

Keep It Clean
For basic cleaning and care, Sydnor said, first start by using the floor setting on your vacuum and avoiding the fringe, which is one of the most vulnerable areas of a hand-woven rug. On occasion, take your rugs outside for a sun bath–the UV rays act as a natural disinfectant and will help kill off odors and bacteria.

“We recommend professional cleaning as needed and at least once every year or two, depending on the amount of traffic your rug receives,” she said. “It’s also important to keep the perimeter of the rug (fringe and binding) secure so that you don’t lose any of that precious weave. Lastly, do not—I repeat, do not—tape your antique rugs to the floor. The residue from the tape will be nearly impossible to remove later and impacts the stability of the foundation. We recommend thin, felt wool pads under all rugs.”

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By Johanna Calfee | PHOTOS BY DARYL CALFEE