Houzz Tour: Casually Chic in North Carolina
Rustic ceiling beams, a fieldstone fireplace and a wood-and-white color palette make for a cozy and classic look
Sometimes you look around your home and realize it no longer suits your family’s taste or lifestyle. That’s how it happened for an artist and her family. Their antiques suddenly struck them as tired hand-me-downs, and their layout felt more confining than inspired. Hoping for a full stylistic and functional overhaul and an overall “lightening up,” the family decided to hire a professional to give their dark and dated home a fresh, earthy update filled with pieces that look older than they are.
The custom fireplace surround is covered in fieldstone.
The kitchen underwent the most extensive renovation, its layout completely reconfigured. Previously, a curved island and the cabinets were a mere 18 inches apart; the island was replaced with a rectilinear design that now allows ample room for circulation on both sides. The spot where the refrigerator now stands used to hold a door to the garage, which also inhibited flow.
Whalen added interest to the cabinets by bumping some out farther than others, mixing shiplap paneling with chiseled-edge subway tile, and interspersing gray and white cabinets with a bank of glass doors to display some of the family’s heirlooms.
Whalen added interest to the cabinets by bumping some out farther than others, mixing shiplap paneling with chiseled-edge subway tile, and interspersing gray and white cabinets with a bank of glass doors to display some of the family’s heirlooms.
The now-open kitchen was previously walled in, cut off from the family room and the view beyond. Whalen moved the sink below the picture window, which she trimmed in black for contrast.
The initial plan was to furnish the dining room with an antique set inherited from the husband’s grandparents. They selected a coordinating antique light fixture and hung an antique washboard from the wife’s collection on the wall, and thought their work was basically finished. But once they saw the rest of the home coming together, the old dining set suddenly seemed too heavy. So they switched gears and brought in a leggier, more streamlined table in a finish that feels more current. The wife happened upon the cane-back side chairs, and the designer brought in the slipcovered host chairs to complete the ensemble.
Mirror: Ballard Designs; wall paint: Silver Marlin by Benjamin Moore
Mirror: Ballard Designs; wall paint: Silver Marlin by Benjamin Moore
Even the formal living room was designed to feel light, casual and comfortable. Unlike many formal living spaces that end up as museum-like showpieces touched by little besides a vacuum, this family actively enjoys the room for entertaining and lingering over cocktails before moving to the family room after dinner. The designer echoed the rustic wood mantle of the family room and propped one of the wife’s finest paintings on it as the focal point.
A mirrored credenza by Classic Home supports two Currey and Company lamps, its reflective surface serving to visually decrease its mass. The client’s existing botanical prints add a dash of color.
Another tailored slipcover from Whalen’s line graces the library. Boasting more color and pattern than the rest of the home, this room is meant to serve as a retreat to inspire creativity and thoughtful reflection. It “just made sense” to balance the blue sofa with patterned draperies, Whalen says, but she continued her emphasis on wood and texture to make the soft palette come alive. The client already had the coffee table, and the artwork on the wall was painted by a friend. “Artwork is one of the hardest things to pick for clients,” Whalen says, “so it was nice that this client had so much.”
Wall paint: White Dove by Benjamin Moore
Wall paint: White Dove by Benjamin Moore
The home has two master bedrooms, one upstairs and one downstairs. Here, the downstairs master veers French in its styling. The client already owned the pair of glass lamps, so Whalen re-covered the shades to coordinate with the upholstered French Provincial headboard and floral bedding.
The upstairs master bedroom, which the homeowners occupy, features a slipcovered headboard from the designer’s collection, linen bedding from Peacock Alley and Restoration Hardware draperies with blackout lining. Most of the windows in the home are standard sizes, so Whalen was able to cut costs and keep the windows casual and undramatic by opting for ready-made coverings. Wall-to-wall seagrass carpet was specified not only for this room but for the entire upper floor to create the relaxing, escapist feel of a beach house.
Two important changes were made to the backyard: An unused pool was filled in, and the small, uncovered porch was enlarged and covered with a blue-painted beadboard ceiling that oozes Southern hospitality and protects the family room from the hot afternoon sun. Whalen added shutters to the back windows for charm’s sake and added useful stairs around the perimeter of the deck, offering both easy access to the yard and a place to perch.
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Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their teenage son
Location: Charlotte, North Carolina
Size: 3,200 square feet (297.3 square meters)
Designer: Ally Whalen Design
The family room captures the essence of the homeowner’s vision. A slipcovered linen sectional from designer Ally Whalen’s furniture line, Simplicity Home, anchors the space atop a warm neutral rug, while an accent wall covered in Phillip Jeffries birch wallpaper provides a textural backdrop “without screaming ‘wallpaper,’ ” Whalen says. Removing the wall that blocked sightlines from the kitchen to the family room opened up the space and the pastoral backyard view beyond, but it left a structural header that couldn’t be removed. Whalen used the header to her advantage by adding wood beams, which work with the rustic mantle to bring another layer of coziness to the room.