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News
by Erdem Gorgun on Jan 07, 2020
A young Charlotte couple transforms a neutral palette into a lively, livable, and distinct home, unique to them.
When Caroline Trammell and her husband purchased their home in Myers Park, the clean, crisp palette of white walls and neutral decor was so appealing. It was tempting to leave well enough alone, but one look at the design boards created by Charlotte Lucas of Charlotte Lucas Interior Design and the pair couldn’t wait to get started. Of course, it helped that Lucas was a lifelong friend of the family, so her intuition on their style and needs were happily spot on. With a toddler running around and one on the way, the home had to be simultaneously functional, classy, and full of character. “The neutral palette made it easy to forget what interest color brings, but after seeing what Charlotte had planned, I wanted every room in the house full of bright, vibrant colors and patterns,” Trammell explains. Together, Trammell and Lucas agreed on a beautiful, inviting home that was still appropriate for children. Part of the design plan also included a renovation of the master bathroom, but within just a few months the home was ready for the young family to enjoy every day. Lucas’ design plan came together fairly easily. “I design best for people I know well,” she says. “Specifically for Caroline, I wanted her home to tell their story. They do a lot of ministry work in Africa, so I really wanted to turn the sitting room off the foyer into a fun, inviting jungle-inspired room.” Using the many treasures the Trammells brought home from Africa, Lucas mixed African print wallpaper, genuine zebra hides, woven baskets, and African swords with Trammell’s style requests, which included the modern velvet sofa and splashes of peacock blue with hints of blush. It’s one of Trammell’s favorite rooms. “The jungle room is so fun! I feel like I’m on vacation in some fabulous city,” she says. Lucas adds, “It’s so happy and so Caroline; you can’t go in there without wanting to sit and hang out.” The new, improved master bath is sophisticated, soft, and bright, designed around Miles Redd for Schumacher chinoiserie wallpaper, which was a favorite of Trammell’s. “I have to say, my bathroom is my favorite room,” Trammell admits. “It’s romantic and feminine. I love it.” With a few heirloom pieces refurbished and repurposed, the Trammells’ home is at once personal and stylish, new, and curated. The family dining room table found a home with modern chairs and a new sisal rug, layered underneath the heirloom antique oushak rug for depth. The pair of chairs and ottoman in the master bedroom sitting area belonged to Trammell’s parents but found new life with a little white paint and some gorgeous Kelly Wearstler fabric. Art pieces were carefully selected – some from Africa, some local, and even still, some personalized. The framed bird panel tucked into the book corner of the master bedroom, for example, echoes the de Gournay wallpaper style Trammell loves so much but is actually a hand-painted antique silk screen that Lucas had framed and hung. “Art is a great way to personalize a home,” Lucas offers. “Without art, there’s no story.” “Getting to know my clients is what creates successful projects. It goes beyond scale and down to the finishing touches with accessories,” Lucas explains. “It’s hard to go there after all the money is spent, which is why we try to include it in the budget, but it is what truly makes a house home-y. Without the layering of accessories, the home never feels quite finished.” Pulling locally from Slate Interiors, Darnell & Company, and their own inventory, in addition to all over the world, Charlotte Lucas Interior Design hand-selects every finishing piece according to their client’s style, interests, and needs. “We freehand it and do what feels right. But one thing is true: you can never have too many books.”
News
by Erdem Gorgun on Jan 06, 2020
Inspired by her clients’ Manhattan loft, designer Lisa Sherry designed a modern, family-friendly home in a suburban setting.
When Max and Caci Jaeger were house hunting in Charlotte, every home they saw was immediately compared to their Tribeca loft in New York City. “We just absolutely loved our home in Manhattan,” Caci Jaeger says. “The loft was in an old building that had been retrofitted with old, large windows and high ceilings. We had this gorgeous all-white kitchen with Calacatta gold marble that was beautiful but also so efficient and functional. Our home was truly a sanctuary from the chaos of the city.” The transition from urban living to suburban life was already going to be a significant change for the family of five, so they didn’t want their new home in Charlotte to be a complete departure from what they’d grown to love. So when they came across a house in Myers Park designed by architect Greg Perry of Greg Perry Design, they were immediately drawn to the home’s tall ceilings, sleek but classic architectural details, and oversized windows, which allowed natural light to flood the living spaces. “We just fell in love with Greg’s design,” Jaeger says. “The home had so many of the characteristics that we loved about our loft.” The couple moved from Manhattan with very little in the way of furnishings and enlisted the help of designer Lisa Sherry of Lisa Sherry Interieurs to help bring their Tribeca loft vibe to their new quiet, suburban setting. “With classic architecture and all-white walls,” Sherry says, “the home was the perfect backdrop for my designs, which are often a mix of classic with modern. And knowing Caci liked more modern and urban versus traditional design helped me understand her design direction.” Starting with designs for the rooms that are most used and visible in the home, Sherry went to work creating a seamless aesthetic of clean, modern lines on an all-white canvas layered with lots of texture and neutral colors that flowed effortlessly from room to room. “I like for all my spaces to have a common thread, so all rooms relate to one another,” Sherry says. In the family room, Sherry had to work with a long, rectangular space, which she made more family- and entertaining-friendly by creating two separate areas: one for the adults and one for the kids. The neutral sectional serves as the anchor for the room while just behind the couch is a play area for the children defined by the navy-and-white graphic rug. To up the interest factor, Sherry layered throw pillows by John Robshaw in varying textures and muted hues while a cowhide and natural fiber rug add a dose of texture to the setting.
The nearby dining room, one of Jaeger’s favorites, doubles as a place to eat and also as an impromptu home office for the mom of three. “It’s such a special room because the room is flooded with natural light,” she says. To take advantage of the large bay window in the room, Sherry added a chaise lounge. “I love that there’s a piece of furniture in this room that’s not a dining chair or table,” she says of the addition. “It feels so glamorous.” A classic round dining table by Julian Chichester is instantly modernized with the all-white Bernhardt dining chairs. “I love how light and bright the space is and how clean and edited it feels with the symmetry of the sconces,” Sherry says. To complete the space, a glass chandelier from Pelle in Brooklyn, which the couple had purchased before moving, provides a modern edge to the classic decor. In keeping with the fresh, modern look, Sherry brought in a touch of color to the baby’s nursery and bathroom. The whimsical wallpaper by Hygge & West in the bathroom is a nod to the playful artwork by Minted above the crib in the adjacent nursery. “I love the larger scale of the pattern in the wallpaper and how it plays off the graphic, oversized artwork in the nursery,” Sherry says. “And who doesn’t love birds!” Though the Jaegers and Sherry are constantly tweaking things in the home, what Sherry was able to add is exactly what the couple wanted in their new home. “It’s already difficult to move to a new city without any friends,” Jaeger says. “So we wanted our home to immediately be that place that we felt comfortable and at ease as soon as we moved in. Lisa was so instrumental in our seamless transition to Charlotte. Lisa was able to hone in on my vision and really elevate it to a whole other level.
News
by Erdem Gorgun on Jan 05, 2020
A homeowner sees past a builder’s choices in a spec house to add his mark on new construction.
For some people, buying a turnkey home is ideal. It’s move-in ready. However, one particular homeowner, a father of three, had a slightly different approach when he purchased a builder spec house near Greensboro. Instead of living in the house as-is, he envisioned more than just what the builder had in mind. After researching local interior designers who shared his passion for modern art and color, he chose Kara Cox of Kara Cox Interiors to design a home that fit his lifestyle as well as his art collection. “Most who buy a new house don’t want to make changes,” Cox says, “but this homeowner was open to making changes to fit his lifestyle.” With three kids who visit on the weekends and a busy work travel schedule during the week, the homeowner trusted Cox to turn this 3,000-square-foot Cape Cod bungalow into a colorful modern-classic design. To fit his specific lifestyle, Cox focused on making the open downstairs layout, which includes the master suite, functional for him and the upstairs bedrooms lively and resilient for enthusiastic kids on the weekends, incorporating colorful artwork into all the spaces.
“Since art is so important, we repainted or recovered all the walls in lighter and brighter colors, removing the deep grays and trendier colors chosen by the builder,” Cox explains. These color changes make a better backdrop for the homeowner’s modern art. “We further highlighted artwork in the house by minimizing patterns and using accent colors,” Cox continues. “The whole house design started with one piece of 3-D paper artwork purchased in Paris from a Japanese artist, which is now hanging in the dining room. That room contained the only wall downstairs large enough to accommodate the huge forty-eightinch by sixty-inch piece. It was the only piece of artwork the homeowner asked me to work around, and it is so different from the softer colors he wanted throughout the house. When you walk by this particular piece, it appears yellow in one direction and red if you walk by in the other direction. It is a true statement piece and served as both the design challenge and inspiration for the house.” Surrounded by lighter neutrals, the 3-D art becomes a focal point of the dining room. Since the dining room opens to the living area, Cox introduced pops of red and yellow to mix with the lighter base colors in the living room to keep the two spaces cohesive. The owner purchased all the other artwork especially for this house, and Cox used it as part of her color mix in each room. Since incorporating original artwork is part of Cox’s specialty, it was a particularly pleasant project where the homeowner put full confidence and control in her hands. In addition to a fresh, light colorway, Cox introduced masculine elements to keep the spaces appropriate for the homeowner. Nail head trim on the runner going up the stairs, for instance, accessorizes the blue, taupe, and tan carpeting. Grasscloth wallcovering and shades of blue in the home office add other hints of masculinity as well as texture and dimension. The home office is another example where Cox infused the owner’s personality into the house by changing the builder’s original concept. Initially presented as a front library painted dark gray, Cox turned the room into a multifunctional space to give the homeowner a place to work from home. She recovered the walls in neutral grasscloth, designed a desk with built-in bookcases and cabinetry surrounding it, and painted the trim and built-ins in a lacquered shade of light blue in keeping with the colorful theme of the home. Similarly, she turned a lonely base cabinet in a corner of the kitchen into a functional mini bar with a built-in wine cooler and drawers for storing supplies. Cox added upper cabinetry to hold wine glasses and enhanced it with a mirrored back, adding depth and interest to the corner. As a final act, Cox changed out all the builder-grade lighting fixtures and cabinet hardware to reflect a more modern aesthetic, which infused personality into the home. “This type of project is my favorite,” Cox says, “with a homeowner willing to add art and design around it. He took risks with artwork and the use of color, listened, and trusted my instincts. In the end, he has a kid-friendly home that also is functional for his needs.” “My advice to homeowners in a similar situation when shopping for a new home is to remember someone else has chosen the personal finishes. It’s OK to customize it for your style. Just because it’s new doesn’t mean you can’t change it.”
News
by Erdem Gorgun on Jan 04, 2020
A Raleigh-based design duo takes cues from an existing house to create a fresh and sophisticated home for a vibrant couple.
W hen a house has great bones, it makes interior design that much easier. And having innovative designers with an amazing vision doesn’t hurt either. This Raleigh home got a dramatic makeover by The Warehouse’s multifunctional design team of Liles Dunnigan and Zandy Gammons, who played up the home’s many strengths. Longtime residents of Raleigh, the homeowners relocated within their home city, and they knew what they wanted: to brighten up the dark and dated home, creating a look that was fresh and sophisticated. This required gutting the kitchen and master bath, as well as aesthetic updates throughout every other room and along the exterior. Perhaps most importantly, it required playing up the home’s natural light and filling the interior with a wash of lighter colors.
“Because we had worked with the homeowners previously, there was a high level of trust there,” Dunnigan explains. “The home was older and needed extensive updating. But it had great bones and great architectural details.” As the heart of the home, the kitchen is inherently more functional than it was before, with a longer island that faces the proper direction and offers comfortable seating. The original dark wood countertops and heavy light fixture were replaced by glazed white cabinetry and a distinctive metallic fixture overhead. The meticulously placed window captures sunlight, while the Walker Zanger tile backsplash behind the range and under the hood picks up the serene gray-blue wall color, as well as the custom color on the island. Vibrant artwork adds panache to the walls. Though the homeowners considered an all-white kitchen, the designers advised against it. “A lot of times people say they want an all-white kitchen, but it ends up looking stark and cold,” Dunnigan explains.
The adjacent breakfast nook is neither stark nor cold. The homeowners had the mirror in their possession already, and the designers had it lacquered in a soft blue that mimics the tranquility of the walls. The drapery fabric features koi fish, contributing to the Asian-inspired feel running throughout the house. A beautiful pagoda lantern from Visual Comfort completes the look. The nearby study serves as a haven for the family to escape and read. Many of the books in the collection are treasured pieces. And the designers added accessories including pieces with dark metallic shine that contrast the white cabinetry and enhance the overall look of the library. The balance of light and dark is also evident in the spacious living room, with exposed dark wood beams in the ceiling juxtaposed against a large Barbara Barry light fixture that brightens the room in more ways than one. To compensate for the fact that this room was originally even darker than most of the others, the designers repeated the same serene blue from the breakfast nook, covered the ottoman in a bright Robert Allen animal print, and installed beautiful geometric draperies from Dogwood Fabrics consisting of blue and cream hues. Finally, the Stanton wool rug adds additional light and softness. Another Stanton rug graces the steps off the foyer – an entryway that underscores the home’s overall charm. “It’s an ode to a leopard print,” Gammons says of the rug. “The art is from ArtSource, and we added an oversized antique mirrored fixture that we felt would really brighten up the space. The homeowners also had an antique chest and mirror that we repurposed.” Off the foyer, gold-finished oversized light fixtures from Visual Comfort wink down upon the mahogany dining table. “We added chairs from Woodbridge Furniture out of High Point, as we like to use North Carolina furniture companies when we can,” Dunnigan says. A multi-colored geometric Kravet print fabric with tangerines and blues graces the chair seats. The tangerine is repeated in the graceful floral draperies. “That color is found in little pops throughout the house,” Gammons explains. “The room’s rug is indoor-outdoor. [The homeowner] has grandchildren and pets and likes to entertain. So you can spill grease or red wine on it, and it will come out.” Through careful adaptation of the existing space, the designers were able to create an indulgent retreat in the master bedroom. Originally two rooms, the bedroom is now a one-room, spacious getaway with the most natural light in the entire house. An inviting combination of soft white and restful blues defines the luxurious bedding and accessories. The seating area within the master bedroom, complete with a fireplace, encourages restful afternoons spent in absolute contentment. The bedroom’s sitting room has a rival, however. The patio and outdoor living area extend the length of the back of the house. The homeowners spend many a day lounging in this vibrant space, enjoying the outdoor television, the fireplace, and most of all, the time they have with their children and grandchildren. “You can see all the colors from inside the house,” Gammons says, “and we wanted to bring the colors out and have them flow into the exterior space.” Not to be forgotten, Tucker, the dog, finds sanctuary in the mudroom, which features a vintage rug, distinctive Thibaut fabric on the windows, and a dog bed that has been painted to match both. Despite its aesthetic appeal, “That room has many uses,” Gammons explains. “It’s a laundry room, drop zone, work zone, and the dog’s favorite place.” Speaking of favorites, one of Gammons and Dunnigan’s favorite things is working together on home interiors like this one. “Most creative people enjoy having someone to bounce ideas off of,” Dunnigan says. “And for us, it’s a partnership and collaborative effort.”
News
by Erdem Gorgun on Jan 03, 2020
When a house has great bones, it makes interior design that much easier. And having innovative designers with an amazing vision doesn’t hurt either. This Raleigh home got a dramatic makeover by The Warehouse’s multifunctional design team of Liles Dunnigan and Zandy Gammons, who played up the home’s many strengths. Longtime residents of Raleigh, the homeowners relocated within their home city, and they knew what they wanted: to brighten up the dark and dated home, creating a look that was fresh and sophisticated. This required gutting the kitchen and master bath, as well as aesthetic updates throughout every other room and along the exterior. Perhaps most importantly, it required playing up the home’s natural light and filling the interior with a wash of lighter colors.
“Because we had worked with the homeowners previously, there was a high level of trust there,” Dunnigan explains. “The home was older and needed extensive updating. But it had great bones and great architectural details.” As the heart of the home, the kitchen is inherently more functional than it was before, with a longer island that faces the proper direction and offers comfortable seating. The original dark wood countertops and heavy light fixture were replaced by glazed white cabinetry and a distinctive metallic fixture overhead. The meticulously placed window captures sunlight, while the Walker Zanger tile backsplash behind the range and under the hood picks up the serene gray-blue wall color, as well as the custom color on the island. Vibrant artwork adds panache to the walls. Though the homeowners considered an all-white kitchen, the designers advised against it. “A lot of times people say they want an all-white kitchen, but it ends up looking stark and cold,” Dunnigan explains.
The adjacent breakfast nook is neither stark nor cold. The homeowners had the mirror in their possession already, and the designers had it lacquered in a soft blue that mimics the tranquility of the walls. The drapery fabric features koi fish, contributing to the Asian-inspired feel running throughout the house. A beautiful pagoda lantern from Visual Comfort completes the look. The nearby study serves as a haven for the family to escape and read. Many of the books in the collection are treasured pieces. And the designers added accessories including pieces with dark metallic shine that contrast the white cabinetry and enhance the overall look of the library. The balance of light and dark is also evident in the spacious living room, with exposed dark wood beams in the ceiling juxtaposed against a large Barbara Barry light fixture that brightens the room in more ways than one. To compensate for the fact that this room was originally even darker than most of the others, the designers repeated the same serene blue from the breakfast nook, covered the ottoman in a bright Robert Allen animal print, and installed beautiful geometric draperies from Dogwood Fabrics consisting of blue and cream hues. Finally, the Stanton wool rug adds additional light and softness. Another Stanton rug graces the steps off the foyer – an entryway that underscores the home’s overall charm. “It’s an ode to a leopard print,” Gammons says of the rug. “The art is from ArtSource, and we added an oversized antique mirrored fixture that we felt would really brighten up the space. The homeowners also had an antique chest and mirror that we repurposed.” Off the foyer, gold-finished oversized light fixtures from Visual Comfort wink down upon the mahogany dining table. “We added chairs from Woodbridge Furniture out of High Point, as we like to use North Carolina furniture companies when we can,” Dunnigan says. A multi-colored geometric Kravet print fabric with tangerines and blues graces the chair seats. The tangerine is repeated in the graceful floral draperies. “That color is found in little pops throughout the house,” Gammons explains. “The room’s rug is indoor-outdoor. [The homeowner] has grandchildren and pets and likes to entertain. So you can spill grease or red wine on it, and it will come out.” Through careful adaptation of the existing space, the designers were able to create an indulgent retreat in the master bedroom. Originally two rooms, the bedroom is now a one-room, spacious getaway with the most natural light in the entire house. An inviting combination of soft white and restful blues defines the luxurious bedding and accessories. The seating area within the master bedroom, complete with a fireplace, encourages restful afternoons spent in absolute contentment. The bedroom’s sitting room has a rival, however. The patio and outdoor living area extend the length of the back of the house. The homeowners spend many a day lounging in this vibrant space, enjoying the outdoor television, the fireplace, and most of all, the time they have with their children and grandchildren. “You can see all the colors from inside the house,” Gammons says, “and we wanted to bring the colors out and have them flow into the exterior space.” Not to be forgotten, Tucker, the dog, finds sanctuary in the mudroom, which features a vintage rug, distinctive Thibaut fabric on the windows, and a dog bed that has been painted to match both. Despite its aesthetic appeal, “That room has many uses,” Gammons explains. “It’s a laundry room, drop zone, work zone, and the dog’s favorite place.”
Speaking of favorites, one of Gammons and Dunnigan’s favorite things is working together on home interiors like this one. “Most creative people enjoy having someone to bounce ideas off of,” Dunnigan says. “And for us, it’s a partnership and collaborative effort.
News
by Erdem Gorgun on Jan 02, 2020
A Badin lake beauty proves life is better where the living is easy.
What do we want? That was the question Cam and Jen Dyer mused with designer Anne Buresh on the banks of Badin Lake as they stared out across their new property, a peninsular stretch of waterfront heaven that would be the site of their future lake home. Having worked previously with the Dyers and now with the opportunity to start fresh on a new construction, Buresh drew on her knowledge and relationship with the family to open up a dialogue about their must-haves for the home. “Transparent communication is paramount to the process, from vision boarding and conceptualization to implementation. The key to the perfect design is determining a clear idea of the client’s needs then proceeding through a systematic process that provides both direction and shared expectations,” Buresh says. “That’s exactly what the Dyers and I accomplished.” The Dyers wanted to establish continuity between the home and property, seamlessly bringing the outdoors in to create an organic yet chic design that embodied the tranquility of the natural setting. Buresh’s mission was to create a space that embraced the casual and functional, as well as the contemporary luxe. “The design was all about balance, whether the family was entertaining friends, relaxing with family, or simply having kids in wet bathing suits running in and out,” Buresh says. And balance is the key element of the comprehensive design. While outdoor luxury living was a cornerstone element, a nature-inspired palette of grays, neutrals, greens, and blues were infused throughout the interior, reflecting the beauty of the outdoors inside. Buresh also used layers of textures and colors to soften the space without compromising the airy openness of the home. Likewise, custom-designed furniture allowed Buresh to accommodate Cam Dyer’s six-foot-eight-inch frame, providing ease of accessibility, and highly functional furniture without sacrificing the clean, contemporary aesthetic. Ample outdoor living areas effortlessly extend the home’s livable square footage, all with a picturesque backdrop of the pool and lake. Extra seating offers guests the opportunity to sit back and relax with a glass of wine on a poolside lounger, at the stone fire pit, or in one of the eight Adirondack-style rocking chairs that line the back patio. The clean, straight lines of the pool and furniture perfectly complement the linear detail of the bluestone patio stone pavers that coordinate with the pale blue patio ceiling, a nod to a traditional feature of Southern design. An adjacent screened porch boasts additional dining and sitting areas, complete with versatile swivel chairs that encourage conversation or aid relaxation next to the electric fire table while taking in a game on TV.
Buresh’s use of textures and subtle colors throughout the master suite echoes the cohesive design. Natural woven blinds are layered with soft blue window treatments in the bathroom to offer privacy while also adding a dash of color to accent the gray cabinetry and white marble. The bedroom, the Dyers personal sanctuary, is full of texture – from the upholstered headboard with nail-head trim to the textured silver gray bench to the classic, European damask linen curtains. In the kitchen and dining room, the portion of the home Buresh lovingly dubs “Grand Central,” the design centers not only on the balance between chic and casual but also focuses on accessibility and durability. The upscale farmhouse-inspired kitchen echoes the same subtle palette of the home but also includes a custom-designed Tritter Feefer farm table that comfortably seats a crowd. The table’s protective coating and the chairs’ faux ostrich fabric are both beautiful and easily maintained. Likewise, the custom, extra-long formal dining table seats up to sixteen and the nail-head dining chairs were selected to encourage lingering at the table long after a meal. Both tables were constructed one to two inches taller than average to give Cam Dyer a maximum amount of comfort and mobility. It was this attention to detail that made the unveiling of the finished product a day that neither the Dyers nor Buresh will soon forget. Buresh’s “reveal day” is never complete without a few homey touches like her signature bottle of wine and bowl of nuts on the table, which she says is an invitation to sit down and enjoy some Southern hospitality. “I honestly believe our living environments affect our physical and emotional well-being,” Buresh says. “That’s why my passion is creating a design that embodies the client’s needs—a haven where they can relax, put their feet up, and enjoy life.
News
by Erdem Gorgun on Jan 01, 2020
A Charlotte-area couple builds a second home in which they can’t help but relax.
You won’t find a single basket of shells or miniature palm tree at this oceanfront Isle of Palms, S.C. vacation home. Yet, the minute you walk in, you know you’re at the very beachiest of beach houses. And it was designed that way. When a Charlotte-area couple decided to build a seaside escape, they went with their tried-and-true. They hired their long-time designer, David Smith of Custom Interiors, to bring their vision to life. Smith and the couple practically communicate telepathically. “We’ve worked together on many projects,” Smith says. “They trust me.” The trust runs so deep, in fact, that the pair told their architect, Herlong & Associates, to allow Smith leeway to make changes to the blueprints. “I’ve never had that happen,” Smith says. “The architect gave us a beautiful exterior and a basic interior layout based on the needs of the client. It was up to me to design the interiors.” “If the walls needed to be moved to accommodate the furnishings or open a space up or allow for better views, I had that freedom,” he continues. “I was able to design all the interior elements from the walls, handrails, lighting, tile, cabinetry, countertops, decorative beams, and furnishings – all with amazing support from the builder and architect. My clients let me roll with it.” Smith and his clients made the decision to have few walls on the main level. Beyond the extra-large foyer is what Smith describes as “one grand room”. “It stretches the full width of the house,” he says. “It contains the dining room, family room, kitchen, and even the butler’s pantry. Big, sliding doors give an uninterrupted view of the beach.” Also on the main level are two guest suites with private baths as well as a powder room. Lots of natural wood and light, creamy taupes, pale blues, soft browns, and grays – and a complete lack of visual clutter – provide a sedate backdrop for a vacation home meant to induce utter relaxation. Plenty of white space gives the furnishings and art room to breathe. And it reminds homeowners and guests that an oceanfront house is a place to let out a big exhale. As elegant as it is, the couple originally planned on something grander. At first, this house was conceived as the guesthouse. They planned to build it first and then use their land on the adjacent lot to build the main house. But Smith explains that the homeowners fell in love with its comfort, so they no longer needed the second build. “Even though it’s a sizable house, there’s an intimacy to it. It’s relaxing. They decided this was exactly what they wanted.” It’s easy to see why. Their architect designed what Smith calls a “Lowcountry farmhouse with a vintage Southern spin.” “It fits in with its seaside environment, but it doesn’t scream ‘beach house.’” It’s built in the Southern farmhouse vernacular – but with every upgrade imaginable. Yes, the front porch is there. But it’s oversized for outdoor living. A ground-level veranda has a luxurious living area and a dining table that seats eight. The interior, heavy on neutrals and pecky cypress, is designed to soothe – not excite. “One of my client’s only directives was that she wanted to see soft colors,” Smith says. “And that’s the palette I’m most comfortable working in. There’s nothing too bold or loud in this house. There’s nothing wrong with either of those, but this house was designed to be calm and quiet.
The owners have three adult sons and can’t help but dream of the grandkids they hope to welcome to the beach one day. Those future grandchildren were very much taken into consideration in the home’s design. The home’s second story has one guest suite and a showstopping bunk suite with four built-in beds and a boys’ bathroom and a girls’ bathroom. On the upper level there are two master suites with balconies overlooking the pool, landscaped backyard, and ocean beyond. An elevator provides easy transport from one level to the next. Smith managed to pull off the nifty trick of making a house both grand and down-to-earth. As sophisticated as it is, the house is alsowhat he calls “very casual and lived-in.” “This is not a hands-off atmosphere,” he declares. Wicker chairs at the oversized kitchen island, shiplap walls painted a creamy white, and a minimalist aesthetic all combine to make the home feel like a place you want to be barefoot. A beach house doesn’t need to have a beachy theme to remind owners and guests they’re at the shore. In the case of this classic oceanfront home, the wall of windows overlooking the sand and sea do the job quite nicely. The sound of ocean waves crashing against the shore and seagulls chirping overhead is its own kind of symphony.
News
by Erdem Gorgun on Dec 31, 2019
A circa-1927 home is transformed into an unexpectedly grand cottage on a hill in the heart of Myers Park.
It was time to go. The couple had been toying with the idea of moving to Myers Park from their Concord-area home to shorten their work commutes, and one particular home kept popping up during their search. “My husband kept showing it to me, and I just kept telling him, ‘No. It’s way too big; it costs too much’,” she says. It wasn’t until a family friend suggested they go look at the home “just to see,” that the couple finally scheduled a showing. “Literally, as soon as we walked in, I knew it was the one,” she says. Within hours, the couple put an offer on the home. After much back and forth, though, the homeowners eventually rejected the couple’s final negotiated offer. “At this point, we’d already sold our house, so we had to move into a hotel,” she explains. “Our heart was set on that home, and we didn’t have a plan B. But as I was packing my things, we got the call from our realtor that they wanted to know if we’d still honor our last offer.” The home, it seems, was meant to be theirs. While they loved the bones of the circa-1927 Colonial-style home, they knew that it would need updating. That renovation, though, would not take place until nine years later when their next door neighbor offered to sell the couple their home. “We were ecstatic,” she says. Tearing down the adjacent home would allow the couple to expand their existing home while also making room for the swimming pool the husband had dreamed of having in the backyard. “It was the perfect situation,” she says. “Tearing down that home would allow us the space we needed to do everything we wanted.” Not long after purchasing the adjacent home, the couple reached out to architect Frank Smith whose vision for the home was to maintain its stunning yet unassuming cottage curb appeal and seamlessly expand the home so that you could never tell where the original structure began and where the addition and renovation started. “We probably went through five or six drawings with Frank before we got to the point where we knew this renovation was exactly what we wanted,” she says.
To expand the kitchen from its original galley style and make room for the swimming pool and outdoor living area—both hers and his top priorities with the renovation, respectively—the footprint of the home needed to be reworked. The couple enlisted the help of designer Laura Archibald, who worked closely with Smith to redesign the existing home’s layout to better fit the homeowners’ needs. What was once the living room became the dining room while the former dining room was transformed into a library with a staircase that leads to the second floor. The original garage transitioned into the new master suite while the existing den remained as is. With the addition came a larger living room, new kitchen, and a threecar garage with a room above.
Though the renovation nearly doubled the square footage of the home, the ultimate goal was to design a home that was aesthetically appropriate for the neighborhood. Being a oneand-a-half-story home, it’s unassuming from the street. “People often don’t realize how large the home really is when you see it from the sidewalk,” the homeowner says. “And being that it’s situated on a hill, we really wanted to make sure we weren’t going vertical with our square footage.” Archibald helped create a comfortable interior with the use of a calm, soothing color palette of greys and neutrals. Though the homeowners ideally wanted to use most of their existing furniture and accessories, Archibald ultimately installed new pieces while seamlessly weaving in some of the older items from the home’s original design. In the dining room, Archibald kept the original dining room table but switched out the traditional chairs for more transitional ones by Charles Stewart in a Duralee fabric while the homeowners’ china cabinet was “the perfect size for that space, so we decided to keep it in the mix,” Archibald says. In the den, the designer reupholstered the existing oversize sofa in a Pindler fabric but then added a pair of new Charles Stewart armchairs. “It was really about elevating the look to a more transitional style with color and textures,” Archibald explains. “It was such a departure from what we were used to,” the homeowner says. “But it was exactly what we wanted, and Laura nailed it.” The one-time small galley kitchen was transformed into a stunning open-air room overlooking the den. Archibald and the homeowners worked closely on the design of the kitchen designing the custom cabinetry by Johnson Custom Cabinetry and choosing the finishes and appliances. Because of its proximity to a living space, Archibald wanted to make sure the kitchen table felt more like an extension of the den, so she added a metal-top table by Bernhardt she found at High Point market coupled with skirted upholstered dining chairs on the side facing the living space. Opposite, a simple custom-designed bench slides under the table leaving more room between the counters and dining area. Backless counter stools by Hickory Chair keep the view from the kitchen to the den open. “Laura was always spot on with her fabric choices and colors,” the homeowner says. “We loved everything she picked for us and how she also kept some of our pieces in the look.” Though the couple wasn’t planning to fall in love with this house when they first saw it in 2003, today—with the renovation and addition—they can’t imagine their home being anywhere else but here. “Frank and Laura and this team brought our dream to fruition,” the homeowner says. “I didn’t know it back then, but this was exactly what we needed and wanted.
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by Erdem Gorgun on Dec 30, 2019
Cosentino’s new line is slim in stature, big on impact.
Countertops. Walls. Floors. Ceilings. Tabletops. The home’s many surfaces are an integral part of architecture and design, not just for their beauty but also for their functionality. With these surfaces facing the everyday wear-andtear of foot traffic, food prep, and hygiene rituals, it’s important that they also are durable and low maintenance. Cosentino specializes in collaborating with customers to create high-value, innovative surfaces that add beauty and brawn for a variety of applications. Their Silestone, Dekton, Sensa, and Natural Stone lines are the perfect solution for homeowners and designers looking to add style and substance with their surfaces. The Dekton line, available in thicknesses from 4 mm to 30 mm, is created through a sophisticated, innovative process that results in zero porosity and ultra-compaction, making it highly resistant to the elements with the size, lightness, and strength for an array of applications. Available in nearly sixty colors from nine collections, homeowners are sure to find the perfect hue for any home project. “Our amazing countertop and wall cladding products go beyond traditional residential use to also include extended applications such as commercial, cabinetry doors, indoor and outdoor furniture tops, and fire surrounds, to name a few,” Rudi Bruno, general manager of the Charlotte Cosentino Center, says. “Our newest addition, the Dekton Slim line, has brought an even greater depth to our offerings with the highest standards of quality and durability in an ultra-thin construction.” The Dekton Slim’s 4-mm thickness makes it extremely adaptable, offering homeowners and designers an unlimited amount of design implementations from a single product. Because it’s offered in a large, cut-to-size format with slabs measuring up to 126 inches by 56 inches, homeowners will find their surfaces more hygienic because of the need for fewer joints. Currently available in a broad palette of colors from Dekton’s natural and solid collections, homeowners can select surfaces that speak to their home’s personality, ones that blend seamlessly with their aesthetic, or bolder options that inspire conversation. The amount of customization offered by Dekton Slim ensures each application will be a uniquely beautiful and durable choice. Because of its moisture- and stainresistant properties, Dekton Slim is the ideal product for use in bathroom and kitchen applications. In bathrooms, where excessive humidity and exposure to household chemicals are certain, Dekton Slim offers the resilience needed to maintain a healthy, clean, and beautiful space—all with no more maintenance than a soft, wet cloth! Likewise, in the kitchen, where cleanliness and durability are an absolute necessity, Dekton Slim features low porosity and liquid absorption rates as well as a resistance to scratches, stains, and heat damage. “High-traffic and day-to-day use are no match for Dekton Slim. Homeowners love the freedom of being able to live in their home without the burden of high maintenance routines and upkeep,” Bruno says. “An additional advantage touted by our customers is the significant cost savings of going with a product line like Dekton Slim, which, because of its ultra-thin construction, generally results in less quantity of product needed in installations.” And for those looking to spice up other areas in their home, Dekton Slim’s ease of fabrication allows for its innovative use in cabinetry and furniture, featuring doors and tabletops that withstand household traffic and abuse without bumps, scratches, and stains. “With Dekton Slim, our customers’ dreams are limitless,” Bruno says.
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by Erdem Gorgun on Dec 29, 2019
Make lighting a priority in your home design.
The cascading fixture in the foyer welcomes guests into your home. That organic chandelier induces lively dinner conversation. Those sleek but subtle spotlights transform your fireplace or artwork into the focal point you imagined. The master bath’s well-placed ceiling lights and wall sconces provide not only a healthy dose of style but also the perfect amount of illumination to help you “face” your day. Of course, we’re talking about lighting, where form and function meet style and sophistication in a single element that can make or break the entire home design. “Unfortunately, lighting is often undervalued by builders and designers, being the last detail considered when, quite frankly, it is the first thing people notice when they walk into your home,” Liza Branch says, owner of Modern Lighting Design Store.
Lighting is a crucial building block in home design, performing a host of important duties such as providing illumination, creating ambiance, personalizing the decor, and accenting other decorative or architectural features. Because lighting does so much heavy lifting, the selection of fixtures shouldn’t be left to last-minute decisions but approached with careful consideration, keeping the functionality and the homeowner’s tastes at the forefront. “Don’t wait until you’ve blown your budget on flooring, bathroom tile, and plumbing fixtures to think about your lights,” Branch says. After eighteen years in the business, Modern Lighting has helped countless homeowners navigate the often overwhelming world of lighting, offering them timeless pieces to fit every budget. “Frequently, we help customers who have realized their mistake in shopping online. These products often turn out to be overpriced knockoffs and sub-par substitutes that don’t offer the beauty, durability, or functionality of a higher-end piece. They simply won’t stand the test of time,” Branch says. “On top of that, it’s virtually impossible to select the correct sizes and types of lighting needed in your particular space from an internet thumbnail.” This is where the expertise and initial one-onone consultations (offered either on-site or in the showroom) with a local retailer like Modern Lighting is key, enabling clients to see fixtures in person and gauge their size and finish. Branch curates her collection to ensure customers always have peace of mind in their purchasing decisions. The Modern Lighting team regularly travels to lighting shows and maintains a close working relationship with the manufacturers, which enables them to provide quick, responsive, and transparent customer service while remaining on the forefront of the latest trends. Modern Lighting provides the most extensive selection of lighting styles in the Carolinas, with exclusive lines otherwise found only in Atlanta or New York. With more than fifty manufacturers carried, Branch thoughtfully chooses which ones she features in her selection and has eliminated all non-valuedriven lines, so customers can rest assured each product provides top-of-the-line quality. “Our physical footprint may be small, but our selection is vast,” Branch says. “We are constantly putting up new items and styles, and our customers are blown away by the opportunities to discover another favorite piece with each visit.
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by Erdem Gorgun on Dec 28, 2019
Home design gets personal with custom cabinetry.
Kitchens and bathrooms are two of the most utilized areas of the home. Long considered the “heart of the home,” the kitchen functions for meal prep, cooking, entertaining, family gathering, and completing homework. Today’s bathrooms meet more than just the basic needs; they can also be a sanctuary, where a long tub soak can restore peace and harmony. With the increasing demands on these spaces, the need for functional—as well as beautiful—design is a necessity. Custom cabinetry is the perfect solution, providing the ability to create designs that fit each unique space while maximizing storage capacity with personalized flair. Features such as layout and configuration, door style, color, and finish can be tailored to the homeowner’s specific tastes.
Anna Wilder, owner of DesignLoft, says customizations are only limited by space and budget. The company works with a variety of high-end manufacturers to accommodate every client’s needs at different price points and varying levels of customization. Color and finish are two of the most popular customization options offered to their clients. While each of their cabinet lines features multiple standard colors, custom color matching from any paint sample is available, and finishes come in matte, semigloss, high-gloss, or glazed. One cabinet line even offers a “velvet” finish with a unique texturized feel.
Securing an expert in the industry who can build on your vision with design experience and high-quality product lines is the most important step in making the space your own. “There are constantly new innovations in the kitchen and bath industry that our designers are always up to date on, as well as the latest trends in color and finish. Continuing education through the National Kitchen & Bath Association is just one way our designers stay informed. Although we focus on kitchens and baths, it is important to note that their knowledge also applies to other rooms where custom cabinetry is used, such as a bar area, laundry, mud, and family rooms,” Wilder says. “I equate it to going to a specialist rather than your general practitioner.” When considering custom cabinetry, the word “custom” literally means made-to-order for a particular client. Homeowners should do their homework, familiarizing themselves with product lines and understanding precisely what they’re getting for the money. “DesignLoft specializes in meeting our customers wherever they are in the process, whether they’re just getting started or are working with a set of plans. We strive always to create a space that gives the client everything they are looking for and functions to meet their family dynamics. Our goal is to truly provide a custom experience and product for our clients.
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by Erdem Gorgun on Dec 26, 2019
DESIGNER EMILY BOURGEOIS LOOKED TO THE LOWCOUNTRY LANDSCAPE FOR INSPIRATION BEHIND A SOUTH CAROLINA BEACH HOME.
When Emily Bourgeois was approached by her good friends to design their home in DeBordieu, South Carolina—a sleepy, private community just south of Pawleys Island—she was elated. The soonto-be clients were the architectural designer’s dear friends, and this was their first foray into building a home from the ground up. “I was flattered that they had chosen me to design their new home,” she says. The lot the couple had chosen was breathtaking. So much so that the moment the couple saw the piece of land, they bought it the same day. “We just knew this was where we needed to build our beach home,” the homeowner says. The lot overlooks a golf course with a large pond in the forefront. Towering oak trees strewn with lazy Spanish moss provide shade from the powerful Carolina sun. But it was the view of the grassy fairway coupled with the glassy pond that both the homeowners and Bourgeois knew had to be the focal point of the home. “The water, sun, sky, trees, everything about nature and being down there inspired the design of this home,” the homeowner says. “The inside wasn’t the story. The house had to lend itself to being where you saw the beauty of nature. That’s what guided the design.” With that in mind, Bourgeois set to work designing a home that allowed for views from just about every inch of the home. Though the couple wanted something a touch more modern, Bourgeois looked to traditional Palladian architecture, which features symmetry and graceful, understated decorative details. “They both appreciate the beauty of classicism, while truly loving the clean lines of modern architecture,” she explains. “We wanted the house to reference both. We used four main elements to tie the house to the past: a strong base and water table made of tabby, an exaggerated main floor with oversized windows, a minimized top floor with clipped walls and short windows high on the wall, and a floor plan driven by axis. The house even has a point inside where you can see outside on axis in all four directions.” The homeowners were laissez-faire about the process, letting Bourgeois take the lead on the architecture to design a home that took advantage of every possible view the structure would allow. “Once we had this in place, the owners were free to play with minimalism and modernism in furnishings and palette,” Bourgeois says. “The homeowner is a master at this and has an incredible eye for interiors. She is not afraid to be a little edgy but she always uses shapes familiar throughout history. She is never trendy or gimmicky. With that tether, her rooms are always mysteriously soothing and inviting.” “I really wanted the home to be one where you don’t walk in and say, ‘Oh, I love your sofa!’ but rather, ‘Oh my gosh, your view is amazing,” the homeowner says. “I really let Emily’s architectural details inspire the rest of the interiors. They’re so beautiful that I didn’t want to overpower them.” Swooping lines frame various areas, such as the range in the kitchen, so as to blend seamlessly with the adjacent living room. A hidden scullery hides the everyday appliances so the kitchen feels less utilitarian and more like an extension of the living room. At the top of the stairs, there are views in every direction, including down the hallway to the master bedroom where Bourgeois added a nail-head trim door to draw your eye through to the vista beyond. Letting the views dictate the design, or, at the very least, inspire it, allowed Bourgeois to utilize Palladian architecture’s signature design elements to enhance the experience one has throughout the home. “It was really about letting nature play center stage from the very beginning,” Bourgeois says. The homeowner adds, “The moment you walk in, you’re drawn right to the outside. It’s really breathtaking.
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WHERE MID-CENTURY MEETS COUNTRY
by Erdem Gorgun on Dec 21, 2019
With a hint of retro and a touch of rustic,this former farmhouse is now a stylish place to live and work for Christen Pears and Chris Blake.
Moving to the UK from Australia, Christen Pears and Chris Blake had a pretty clear idea of what they wanted from their new home. ‘We were specifically looking for a property with holiday cottages,’ says Christen. ‘I travelled ahead of Chris with an agreed list of nine properties to view in Cornwall and Devon. But that search stopped short after the very first viewing. This house ticked so many boxes and felt so right, I just knew it was meant to be.’ Cancelling the other viewings was a bold move, especially for a house that wasn’t the classic Georgian property Christen had thought she wanted. ‘I love that look but this house, although lacking in period features, had the cottages we wanted, space for a Pilates studio and an amazing garden,’ she says. The previous owner had renovated much of the house, but some parts of the property still needed attention. ‘The floors upstairs weren’t great and the old conservatory was held on with duct tape and had greenery growing through it,’ says Christen. ‘It involved a bit more work than we anticipated.’ A new extension resolved the wobbly conservatory and gave the couple space for an extra bathroom, too. ‘We’ve done our best to preserve the few original features that were here, and beyond that, we’ve tried to respect the house in our choices, reusing materials and running with a rustic feel.’ Christen took time to create a palette of soft, warm greys that worked in the predominately open-plan space. And while the couple have filled their home with mid-century classics, they have chosen from the rustic end of the spectrum, selecting chunkier styling and sticking with natural materials, such as leather and wood. The result is homely and inviting. Even the practical spaces have modern-rustic charm. Top of Christen’s wish list was a pantry, but they found space for a much larger scullery. ‘The scullery is great for keeping all the mess out of the open-plan kitchen when we’re entertaining,’ she says. They reused parts of the old kitchen to create the scullery, painting it a fresh shade of green. Repurposing materials not only helped keep costs down, but also created a relaxed and timeless look. A spacious downstairs cupboard was built from old floorboards and, out in the barn, Christen’s ever-growing book collection is housed on shelving made from scaffold boards. Although the barn was one of the selling points for Christen, it wasn’t in good condition. ‘The lower walls are granite and the top part is cob, so that needed completely redoing, using traditional methods and lime plaster. But it gave us a chance to put in a massive fireplace,’ says Christen. The asbestos and polycarbonate roof was also removed and salvaged beams were fitted. Before starting the work on their own house, the couple completely renovated the three cottages, plus the barn and the studio to get their businesses up and running. ’Doing things that way round gave us time to get to know the space and understand what works – you can’t overestimate the importance of that.
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by Erdem Gorgun on Dec 20, 2019
When Katharine and James Howard needed to upsize to accommodate their growing family, the architecture of this house blew them away. ‘It’s early Victorian, with sweeping steps up to the front door, which were a big draw.’ The house had been let to students, so the interior was another story. ‘It had brown, cigarette-burned carpets and scuffed magnolia walls, but my mind began racing with ideas to bring it to life,’ says Katharine. ‘The deep cornicing, the lovely tall windows, the marble fireplaces – it had it all,’ she says. ‘Although the house felt big compared to our flat, we knew there was scope to make it more family friendly.’ The first move was to stretch the footprint of the property by adding an extension that gave them an all-in-one family room and kitchen-diner, plus an office and capacious built-in storage – ‘to swallow up all the boots, sports kit and family clutter,’ says Katharine. On the top floor, the couple had the ‘Hobbit-height’ ceiling raised to create a bright bedroom and a bathroom for their daughters. Throughout the house, its orange pine floorboards were replaced with silver oak planks and the standard panel radiators swapped for Victorian-style designs, which Katharine painted blue to disappear into her blue-based colour schemes. ‘I like the way the blues feel dramatic but calm; and from a practical perspective, it makes the artwork stand out.’ As well as the varying shades of blue, Katharine has indulged her love of decorative detail, with button-back upholstery, swannecked lamps, fringed sofas and oversized patterns. ‘I’m glad that decorative design, richness and layering is making a comeback,’ she says. ‘I wish I could be more restrained, but it’s impossible!
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by Erdem Gorgun on Dec 19, 2019
Liz and Mark Warom turned a Tudor farmhouse and its outbuildings into a unique oasis in which to live and work.
When Liz and Mark Warom decided to relocate from Suffolk to Sussex, it really was a whole new beginning for them. ‘When we finally secured this place, all we had was a bed and a TV – but with a period house of our dreams, we were more than happy to start again,’ recalls Liz.
The couple found this property, which had everything they were looking for, after a year of fruitless househunting while renting in nearby Hove. ‘We fell in love with the fireplaces – there’s one in almost every room, plus the garden was exquisite,’ says Liz. ‘Half an hour after our viewing, we made an offer, which was accepted, but with the purchase price and a planned extension, we had gone way over our budget, so we had to sit tight and just enjoy the empty space for a while.’ In the fullness of time, the couple decided to make a few adjustments. ‘When we bought the house, it had just two bedrooms, so the biggest project was putting a floor above the barn-style sitting room,’ says Mark. ‘This gave us additional bedrooms and bathrooms upstairs, without sacrificing too much height downstairs – it seemed a big and brave step at the time!’ For decor inspiration, the couple drew on ideas they’d seen in hotels abroad, as well as schemes from interiors publications. ‘Several times a year, we treat ourselves to a pile of magazines and store the cuttings on mood boards in a giant artist’s folder,’ Liz explains. These cuttings were particularly useful when they decided to convert the outbuildings to accommodate their company, Temple Spa, which they co-founded in 2000. Liz and Mark clearly appreciate the history of the farmhouse and its original features, but there’s something else about this home. ‘For us, it’s the beautiful spirit of the place we love most,’ Liz says. ‘We set out to make our home a haven of peace for ourselves and our guests, and we entertain all year round. And at Christmas the house is totally magical – I look forward to it so much every year.
News
by Erdem Gorgun on Dec 02, 2019
Patrick Overwijk has bravely juxtaposed the period features of his 18th-century home with bold mid-century design.
Seventies-inspired Versace wallpaper, bold lighting composed of oversized lightbulbs, and a porcelain cactus that borders on kitsch may not be what immediately springs to mind when you imagine the interior of an 18th-century Dutch townhouse. It’s exactly these surprising elements though, that make this family home so exciting. While most people would almost automatically team a breathtaking rococo ceiling (thought to be one of the most detailed in the region) with ornate, heavy antiques of the same period, the owners of this home, Patrick and Inez Overwijk, have adopted a more original approach. Instead, Patrick has fully embraced his love of mid-century design, and statement furniture and lighting come into play in every room. What ties the scheme together is the subtle celebration of the house’s original features. Despite Patrick’s passion for the 1950s, 60s and 70s, since moving here six years ago, he’s been committed to unveiling its floors, ceilings and walls – many of which were hidden under softboard coverings and layer upon layer of paint. ‘The whole house was filled with old elements – from the kitchen tiles to the ceiling of the living room. It has quite the personality,’ he says. It was this rich sense of the past that originally drew Patrick to the house: ‘We always wanted an old house, filled with history. It was our dream.’ Historically, the property has been inhabited by local mayors and doctors, and it is said that one of the former inhabitants would monitor his ships, sailing for business in England, from the balcony at the top of the building. It is these romantic elements that hooked Patrick and Inez. Transforming the house for modern family life was no quick fix, Patrick admits. ‘It took almost four years to get to this point. When we bought it, floors were damaged and original elements had been lost. It was in bad shape.’ The renovation had to follow strict building regulations as the house is included in the register of Dutch protected buildings. Patrick didn’t let this hold him back though. ‘I carried out extensive research regarding which colours to use in the interior – hunting for old photographs of the house and scraping off old layers of paint to reveal the original colours.’ Happily, these shades included a spectrum of greens, which now frame the entrance hall, complement a Morris & Co wallpaper in one of the living rooms, and reflect the rustic feel of the kitchen. Elsewhere, walls are simple and white or – in the kitchen – covered in original Delft tiles. Walking from room to room reveals a potted history of 20th-century design. Key pieces include a desk and coffee table by the Dutch designer Cees Braakman, a leather chair by Norwegian designer Ingmar Relling and one by the British designer Geoffrey Harcourt. The lighting is similarly impressive, with designs by the l i kes of Verner Pa nton, Ach i l le a nd Giacomo Castiglioni and Gino Sarfatti gracing the ceilings. These pieces were created for function as well as form, and so are perfectly placed for robust family life. Despite being a house of historical significance, it’s undoubtedly cool and modern. And that in itself is no small feat.
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by Erdem Gorgun on Nov 29, 2019
WHEN ELTE’S KEN AND RENEE METRICK FINALLY DECIDED TO EMBRACE COTTAGE LIVING, THEY BUILT A CONTEMPORARY RETREAT THAT’S AS PERSONAL AND POLISHED AS THEIR ICONIC STORES.
IF IT'S RARE TO FIND a family that can work together, it’s rarer stillto find one that, atthe end of a long workweek, can’t waitto getto the cottage to spend more time together. Ken and Renee Metrick and their sons, Andrew and Jamie, are the third and fourth generation of Metricks overseeing Elte,the wildly successful Toronto-based home decorating juggernautfounded by Ken’s grandfather 100 years ago in 1919.Almost a century later, in 2015, the family expanded its refined sensibility withElte Mkt, a sister brand focused on affordable luxury. The Metricks also own kitchen and bath retailer, Ginger’s. To putit mildly,the Metricks are devout city dwellers. “We’re not cottage people,” says Ken. “Summer for us was tennis and then dinner on the patio at one of our favourite restaurants in Little Italy.” Renee adds, “We used to rationalize it saying, ‘The city’s so great in the summer — there’s no one here!’” Elte was also a large part of what keptthem far from cottage country. Renee, who was Elte’s principal buyer for years, says they’re a family of workaholics with Ken, especially, living and breathing the business. Then there’s the factthat retail — like everything else — has changed over the years. “What used to be working five days a week is now seven days a week,” she says. “We never thought we could own a cottage. We were retailers and that meant always being available. Plus, we travel allthe time for work.” The idea of a family retreat outside the city eventually became more appealing when their two sons grew to take on more responsibility at the company (Andrew is the principal furniture buyer and Jamie handles the buying of rugs and broadloom). “Occasionally, we’d visit our friends at their cottages and see what a wonderful life it was,” says Renee. “And with better technology, we realized we’d still be able to work at a cottage if we needed to.” So she and Ken looked at places in Prince Edward County and Niagara-on-the-Lake, butthey were daunted by the drive. Then they found it: a northwest-facing waterfront property on Muskoka’s Lake Joseph that was less than a two hours’ drive from Toronto. Ken and Renee hired Kelly Buffey of Akb Architects to design the cottage. They appreciated her clean-lined style and meticulous approach. Their idea was a warm contemporary take on cottage living with a spa-like ambience. “We envisioned pods,” says Renee. “One for us and one for our kids off a central hallway.” The cottage would be a one-level structure made up of interconnected wood and glass units, designed to both naturally recede into the landscape and celebrate it by beautifully framing the magnificent views. Fitting like a puzzle piece into the lot, one side ofthe cottage would face the forest,the other, rocky terrain, and yet another would offer unobstructed vistas of Lake Joseph. To begin, Ken and Renee walked the site with Kelly, who examined its angles and where the light fell at different times of the day. “Our priority was to locate the pods to capture the best and longest views from each one through the bay and beyond,” says Kelly. The finished cottage is all about wellconsidered details. The metal-clad roof has a deep overhang that creates shade while enhancing privacy. Inside, walls and ceilings are wrapped in Thermory ash, an ash that’s been baked to give it a deeply ingrained hue. The interior decoration continues the minimalist outlook to a degree that’s surprising for a family in the home decorating business. There’s no artwork on the walls and very little colour. “I wanted itto be spa-like — serene, without a lot of clutter,” says Renee. Every bedroom has the same beds and linens; every bathroom has the same vanities and sinks. “It’s very us. We’re aware ofthe beauty of simplicity. We all dress simply, in neutraltones and primarily in black.” When the family, which now includes Jamie and wife Heather’s nine-month-old daughter, Zena, gathers atthe property, most days are whiled away on the boathouse dock where lounge chairs are lined up to look atthe lake. “As soon as we get up in the morning, we go down there, put on coffee, sit on the dock and enjoy the views,” says Renee. “After building allthis, we spend our entire time in this six- by eightfoot corner,” says Ken with a laugh. But keeping it simple has always been part ofthe strategy. “For us, it’s aboutthe serenity and peace,” says Renee. “By the time we hit Barrie, the sense of calm justtakes over. Within five minutes of being here, we relax.” Renee remembers friends saying, “You don’t want a cottage; it’s so much work,” but these urbanites have absolutely no regrets. “Honestly, it’s the bestthing we’ve ever done.”
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by Erdem Gorgun on Nov 27, 2019
A Toronto designer escapes an overheated housing market and creates her own perfect weekend escape on the cooler shores of Lake Huron.
I just knew this was it!” says Toronto designer Tiffany Piotrowski, describing her first visit to the cottage. “It was only the second property I saw, and I put in an offer right away.” Other prospective buyers with less imagination may not have felt the same way. The interior left much to be desired, with dark wood panelling, popcorn ceilings, and orange and brown patterned carpeting. However, the location couldn’t be beat: the 800-square-foot cottage was just two blocks from the beautiful beaches of Lake Huron and a five-minute walk to the main street of Sauble Beach, a small town in southwestern Ontario. In 2018, the principal designer of Tiffany Leigh Design had expanded her Toronto property hunt out to cottage country as she searched for more affordable real estate. She envisioned a place that could be a weekend getaway, as well as a desirable Airbnb property — renting it out could recoup some of her renovation and mortgage expenses. “Looking at other listings in the area, I saw a gap in the market for an updated, aesthetically pleasing cottage rental,” she says.
MAKEOVER
To keep the budget under control, Tiffany and her parents tackled most of the work themselves, going up on weekends to paint, and install tile and new laminate flooring. The deck off the kitchen was expanded to make more room for outdoor grilling, and Tiffany uncovered flagstone on the property, which she used to pave an area for a cosy firepit. Cottage ownership did come with some unforeseen — and expensive — surprises: ripping up the carpeting exposed asbestos tile, which required professional abatement. The property also uses well water, which is high in iron and can stain bathtubs and sinks a rusty red. “We had to install an iron filtration system and a new septic system, which was pricier than we had anticipated,” says Tiffany. Despite these bumps in the road, she kept her vision firmly in mind. “I didn’t want it to look too traditional and cottagey. I wanted it to feel more coastal, like a beach house.” She kept to a soothing palette of whites and soft blues and natural textures of jute, seagrass and rattan. Many of the furnishings are thrift store finds given new life with a coat of paint. “I don’t think furniture at a cottage should be too precious — little nicks and dings are fine and give it a relaxed feel,” says Tiffany. After nearly a year of renovations, the cottage is now open for business and booked solid for the summer. “I might get to use it in September!” she says with a laugh.
News
by Erdem Gorgun on Nov 25, 2019
here was a time in my life when all I desired was an entirely white home — white floors, white walls, white furniture, even books sheathed in sleeves of white paper. It was an aesthetic I’d seen successfully carried out in magazines by artistic homeowners often living in New York City lofts with soaring factory windows. When we bought our first house in Toronto, we decided to live in the space for a few months before taking on a major renovation. The walls were a deep burgundy and the floors were a dark-stained, cheap parquet. Prior to moving in, I persuaded my husband to give everything a coat of white paint — including the floors — so at least the house would feel bright and clean. Three coats later, the place gleamed and my design fantasy to live in an all-white home was starting to take shape. I bought a white sofa, plucked out my whitest bound books and invested in lots of affordable white vases. The look should have started to come together, but no matter how many white things I threw into the space, it wasn’t quite right. Then one day, while studying a photo of a pristine white loft, it dawned on me: the whole reason the space worked was because of the gritty, downtown Soho envelope that surrounded it. It was the tension between the austere architecture and the graceful white furnishings that made it sing. In this issue, we have four homes where talented designers have played against expectations to create stunning spaces with that perfectteeter-totter effect. In Palm Beach, we step inside a landmark 1920s Mediterranean Revival house belonging to Maxine Granovsky Gluskin and Ira Gluskin that has been updated by New York firm Haynes-Roberts with a gutsy mix of mid-century, disco-chic Italian furniture thatfeels entirely appropriate. Closer to home, retailers John Baker and Juli Daoust-Baker, inspired by Paul and Linda McCartney’s mid-life flee to a country estate in Scotland, renovated a centuryold stone house in the country and setto work doing whatthey do best — applying their distinct, paredback Scandinavian-Japanese aesthetic to their rural digs. In Caledonia, Ont., a Victorian-era farmhouse with gingerbread trim and peaked roofs belonging to Judy and Michael McPhee was given a modern treatment with coats of white paint and a mix of down-to-earth honest pieces (think Windsor chairs) and contemporary furniture. And finally, we tour a soaring, downtown condominium with a decidedly contemporary vibe that delights and surprises with antique furniture updated in playful prints and an enviable art collection. Each ofthese homes responds to the architecture ofthe space butin a way thatis slightly unexpected. Instead of filling rooms with furniture ofthe same vernacular or era,they’ve played againsttype and the resultis glorious. I hope you enjoy these homes as much as I do.
News
by Erdem Gorgun on Nov 20, 2019
A cramped and crumbling 1840s English cottage bursts back to life once it falls into the right hands.
AT ONE POINT IN TIME, THIS COTTAGE housed factory workers. At another, squatters staked a claim to the abandoned structure. When Justin Capp bought it in 1998, it was the home of a 102-year-old opera singer. Justin, a chef and leather artist, easily recounts the history of the house—he grew up next door to it in a Northamptonshire County village in the United Kingdom. “I’m a local lad so I knew the place all my life,” he says. “When it came up for sale, it was a low price because of its sorry condition, and I bought it.” Justin put his artisan skills to work—pulling in his father, mother, and brother—and together they replaced rotting floorboards, replastered the walls to a clean white, and reworked fireplaces. When he met eventual partner Angelos Bratis, an international fashion designer, the home took a modern turn. “It leaned more rustic and traditional English in style,” Angelos says. “I introduced color and modern design objects to the house.” Now the home has an international flair—much like the men themselves, who also have a home in Angelos’ native Greece. Here, clean-lined 1950s Italian upholstery and lighting mix easily with the English antiques Justin has rescued over the years. Pops of blue inspired by the Aegean Sea brighten rich, natural woods. Items discovered during travels, such as vintage Moroccan rugs, visually bridge the styles.