History made modern A CHARLOTTE COUPLE’S NEW DILWORTH HOUSE CHECKS ALL THE BOXES FOR A FAMILY-FRIENDLY AND STYLISH HOME. BY BLAKE MILLER • PHOTOGRAPHS BY ERIN COMERFORD MILLER STYLED BY MOLLY WILLIAMS AND KENDRA SURFACE
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ick and Linsey Zalecki weren’t exactly looking to move from their Myers Park home anytime soon. “We loved that home,” Nick says of the property, which he built as a developer years ago. But when the opportunity arose to purchase a spec home he had been working on in the Dilworth Historic District, the couple felt they couldn’t pass it up. “I’ve always loved this area of town,” says Nick, a Charlotte native. “I have so many memories of riding my bike through [Dilworth], riding up to Mr. K’s for an ice cream, which is why I was so drawn to this home.” While working on the house, the Zaleckis enlisted designer Susan Hill to assist with the architectural detail work, lighting and other accents. “I knew the home really needed a more unified design,” Nick says. “I love the historic district, but I don’t like the older, cut-up floor plans, the natural woodwork trim or small closets. I like the design and feel of a historic home’s architectural details, but I like modern finishes and a more open floor plan. And I wanted it to feel really bright inside.” Hill’s niche as a designer is helping clients create a cohesive look throughout a home via architectural details. “That’s the foundation of everything we do — we start with the architectural details and move from there,” Hill says. Because the home is located in a historic district, it was even more imperative that everything align with the criteria laid out by the historic preservation committee. “It was important that we maintained details throughout the house that would be reminiscent of the historic aspects of the neighborhood,” she says. “We were very careful about selecting trim and molding details, the baseboard casing, the 74
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