Keeping It Real
(above) The Willoughby couch from Anthropologie in “Oyster” and the leather chairs from West Elm build the room with opposing textures, and the bright rug adds just the right amount of rich colors to anchor the room’s look.
It’s clear from the design that you and Kim are not afraid of color, which is wonderful. What was your dream for the different spaces throughout and do you have a favorite room? My biggest fear was that my house would feel like a showroom and would make people nervous to relax and prop their feet up. I wanted the house to have its own character but also feel cozy and inviting. Neither Kim nor I think of ourselves as 'girly girls' so we often discussed the balance between masculine and feminine as the layers of the house came together. Each room has the perfect amount of colorful feminine touches with a bit of leather, wood, and metal to keep it all cohesive. I drew a lot of design inspiration from a juice bar downtown, called Huryali. I took Kim to Huryali for an acai bowl during one of her visits and we wrote down lots of notes. Every time I walk into my kitch132 • CH+D • Winter 2019
en I feel like I'm in the Caribbean, which make me so happy. Everyone goes nuts when they turn the corner and lay eyes on my retro orange fridge. My favorite room in the house is my bedroom. Deciding on such dramatic wallpaper was not easy. It’s a big commitment. I was literally sweating watching the wallpaper hanger put it on the walls. I'm so glad Kim pushed me out of my comfort zone because I couldn't imagine my room any other way. It reminds me of my favorite vacation spot, Costa Rica—definitely not a bad way to end a long day. I absolutely love every square foot of the room. “They” say that a house is never quite finished, so do you have any other plans for the house in terms of remodeling to do? The exterior of the house still needs some work but it’s going to have to wait till spring. I’m tired. [laughs] I’m plan-
ning on painting the brick exterior and putting in a Dutch front door. I’d love to eventually hardscape the yard and spruce up the front porch. I may even add a Charleston style gas lantern by the front door. Now that you’ve officially been through the whole process, do you have any advice that you’d like to share with fellow homeowners who are also remodeling their homes? [laughs] I was given some good advice that I didn’t put much stock in until the remodel was nearly over. When you’re in the thick of it, it’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel and it’s really easy to get overwhelmed by all of that stress. Make sure that you remember it will be finished and when everything is done, you won’t remember how stressed you were in the middle of it. Just keep breathing and don’t worry, you’ll get through it.