Held Together by Home

By Katie Ogletree | Photography courtesy of Cottonwood Company

Having just celebrated its seven-year store anniversary, Cottonwood Company in Northwest Florida was built on more than the beautiful storefront you see today. It was brought together by family, heart, and a deep passion for helping people create their dream spaces. At the center of it all is owner and creative genius Allyson Dutton, a Niceville, Florida, native whose love for design is woven into her everyday life as a wife, mother of five, and businesswoman deeply invested in serving others.

For Allyson and her store, creating a home or evaluating a space isn’t about perfection; it’s about intention. Crafting a space that feels lived in, loved, and reflective of the people who gather there. Throughout Cottonwood Company, she brings that philosophy to life, and it shows in each piece she brings into the store. Everything that crosses the threshold has been carefully thought of and picked out with the hopeful intention that it will make someone’s house a home.

Allyson spoke with VIE about the beginnings of her vision and how she has stayed steady in her goals with the help of family, friends, and faith!

VIE: What is your background? How did the world of design come into your life?

Allyson Dutton: I’m from Niceville—I mean, I like to say I’m from Niceville! My dad was in the military, so we moved here when I was eight, and my parents ended up retiring here. I went to college at Auburn and studied architecture there. There was a super-competitive summer program you had to take to actually get in, and I did! I was like, “I guess I’m really doing this!” But after I graduated, I was super burnt out from design and didn’t want to do anything with it, so I actually started teaching high-school math.

After I had my first child and I was home with him, I felt like I didn’t have anything to do. My mother-in-law had a booth at Smith’s Antiques in Destin, and I thought it was super cool. I was inspired to curate one of my own! My husband and I started going to antique flea markets, collecting things, and getting ideas. We eventually went to a market in Atlanta, and that’s where I really fell in love with the whole process of finding things and putting collections together, which really inspired me to know I wanted to have my own store one day.

My goal from the beginning was to serve the people. I wanted to know how we could make them feel as welcome as possible.

VIE: What’s your style and aesthetic? Do you find it hard to stay up to date with ever-changing trends?

AD: It has definitely evolved over the years. When I look back at the beginning photos from when we first opened, I’m like, “Oh my!” I love organic-looking things, something that looks old or like someone handmade it, or things with a natural color palette. It has really been that way since I opened Cottonwood Company. Those types of things, I believe, will stand the test of time.

I do spend a lot of time checking out other stores and reading design books, and I really dove into that. I’ve been able to develop what I actually like and to try things out in store, seeing what sells and what doesn’t. For trends, even if I know something is popular and doing well, I just won’t buy it if it doesn’t fit what we’re doing. I think trends will always change, so it’s important not to over-commit to them.

VIE: What’s a specific decorative item you’re really into right now?

AD: One thing I’m really loving right now is wallpaper! I do love art, as well, and I have grown to love it more and more as we’ve had the store. I love finding antique-looking artwork and true antique art pieces to incorporate into designs.

VIE: What’s a home design theme you don’t typically go for when curating your store or interiors?

AD: I really wanted to avoid beachy themes and items, which are so common along the Gulf Coast. But we live in Niceville, not at the beach! We’ve done some coastal pieces here and there, but I’ve never and will never do a lot of beachy things. I wanted to have a different style from what Destin was offering. I also stay away from using a lot of white. Of course, we have white pieces in the store, but I’m not into making the entire space white.

VIE: When did you know it was the right time to bring your design business to a storefront? What was your goal going into it? 

AD: The biggest signal for me was that it was just really heavy on my heart, and I couldn’t let it go. I would pray for the feeling to go away because it was so overwhelming. I thought it was so far-fetched for what we could handle. We had a brand-new baby, but I couldn’t stop thinking about a store, and the more I prayed for the idea to go away, the more visions I had of the place I wanted. I kept seeing that we did not have anything like this in Niceville. I didn’t want to be in Bluewater Bay; I wanted to be here. And the result really was the perfect in-between of everything.

My dad was super encouraging, asking me things like “What would happen if you failed?” “Could you recover if you failed from this?” And the answer was yes. I mean, it would stink, but we were young and could pivot. It wouldn’t end our lives if we tried this and it failed. The first day we opened Cottonwood Company—after working so hard for four months leading up to it and pouring all of ourselves and all this money into it, not knowing if it would work out—we were so busy! We ended up doing $10,000 in sales that one day. I remember crying, and it was a big confirmation that people like this and people want this.

My goal from the beginning was to serve the people. I wanted to know how we could make them feel as welcome as possible. I love going into stores over online shopping, and I love that experience of small shops because you can’t get that with large box stores. We’ve never had the mindset of trying to reach large numbers or worrying about how many of one item we are selling. Our conversation has always been about people being the most important thing, and we want to treat them the best we can by giving them the best experience, and sales will come from that.

VIE: You are a busy, working mom, so what helps you stay on track and motivated to keep thriving professionally?

AD: Over the years, it’s been a little bit more difficult. I feel like I’m in a better place with it now. There were times when I wanted so much for the store, but I couldn’t pour into it because I’d be sacrificing family time. At the time, I’d think, “The store just isn’t at the point I want it to be.” And so I’ve really had to let that go. I can only do what I can, and I’ll do it the best I can for our customers, but our family comes first.

VIE: What room in the home is your favorite to design?

AD: I love kids’ spaces. They’re so fun! I’ve done nurseries for a couple of people. I think because they’re so boundless, with the color and the playfulness that you wouldn’t do in your main spaces. I love doing my kids’ rooms, and they’re always asking, “When is my room going to be done next?” I like doing what they like and bringing their visions to life.

VIE: What advice would you give to someone who is interested in starting a small business?

AD: If it’s something you are really passionate about and really love doing, do it. I mentioned earlier how encouraged I was by my dad asking, “What is it going to hurt if you try? Could you move on from this if it failed?” If it didn’t work out and you can move on from that, why not give it a try? If you have an amazing support team as well, you should go for it!

VIE: Are there plans to expand your business to another store?

AD: The dream, one day, would be to have a larger space where we have more furniture and really can be a whole-home retail store. We’re just limited in this space, but I would love to host events and maybe have vendors come through to give smaller creators opportunities to show and sell their work. We will stay local, for sure!

VIE: Thank you, Allyson!

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