Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: North Carolina Redo Keeps It Classy, Cozy and Cool
A designer’s long-standing relationship with her clients helps her deliver the goods in their whole-house renovation
Designer Gray Walker has worked with her longest-standing clients for more than 20 years, completing multiple updates on two successive homes. When the clients were ready for a whole-house overhaul of the second home, including a total kitchen renovation and a greatly expanded master suite, they once again called on their trusted designer for help. Walker’s understanding of the homeowners’ tastes and needs paid off big time, and the results speak for themselves.
The tongue-and-groove ceiling treatment took a bit of initial coaxing; the homeowners worried that so much pecky cypress wood might make the kitchen feel dark. To allay their fears, Walker had a sample of the treatment installed as a test. The decision came down to the homeowners trusting their longtime designer, and in the end, they were glad they did.
Chandelier: Niermann Weeks
Chandelier: Niermann Weeks
A custom wood panel was added to the base of the elegant black Aga range to help it blend in. The interplay of double Moroccan runners, sconces and art above the bookended marble backsplash help make the kitchen an inviting one. “It’s a beautiful space to live in, not so utilitarian,” Walker says.
Separate cabinetry for storing fine china, crystal and silver opens up to the bar area and breakfast room.
If you look closely at the legs of the banquette in the breakfast room, you can see fine woodworking details capped with brass.
Table: Tritter Feefer; chairs: Artistic Frame; paintings: Oriet’s Fine Art
Table: Tritter Feefer; chairs: Artistic Frame; paintings: Oriet’s Fine Art
Walker specified Tyler Hall wallpaper in the wife’s favorite blue for the foyer, to set the tone and color schemes found in the rest of the home.
Walker remembers when the homeowner purchased the settee 20 years earlier because they found it together. The designer and her decorating-enthusiast client spotted the piece with its original Aubusson fabric still intact at a shop on Magazine Street in New Orleans. The pillows on the settee are from B.D. Jeffries, a home design store in Charlotte.
Walker remembers when the homeowner purchased the settee 20 years earlier because they found it together. The designer and her decorating-enthusiast client spotted the piece with its original Aubusson fabric still intact at a shop on Magazine Street in New Orleans. The pillows on the settee are from B.D. Jeffries, a home design store in Charlotte.
When they found the settee, it came with four side chairs. There wasn’t a logical home for them in the foyer, but placing the chairs in the dining room gave them a genuine purpose without having to break up the set. The family of five requires more chairs than just those four, though, so they had classic cane-back chairs custom finished to go with the Aubusson fabric. This fabric drove the color and subsequent textile selections for the dining room.
The homeowners’ long-held Fortuny table skirt flows under an antique mirrored tabletop, and matchstick blinds offer an extra layer of privacy underneath full drapery panels. The solid silk draperies are trimmed with a bias-cut stripe down the leading and outer edges on each panel to bring the color from the chairs and rug up while keeping the room sophisticated and subtle.
The homeowners’ long-held Fortuny table skirt flows under an antique mirrored tabletop, and matchstick blinds offer an extra layer of privacy underneath full drapery panels. The solid silk draperies are trimmed with a bias-cut stripe down the leading and outer edges on each panel to bring the color from the chairs and rug up while keeping the room sophisticated and subtle.
In the living room, silk buffalo check draperies hark back to a look that was once popular in New Orleans with some of Walker’s design mentors. Natural silk holds its shape very well, so she had her fabricator sew a flap at the top, which she hand-scrunched to re-create that beloved Cajun effect at the top of the window.
The rest of the room is replete with antiques, including two original French Empire chairs covered in a vintage multihued Pierre Frey fabric and an antique Corzine coffee table. In keeping with the Aubusson fabric in the adjoining dining room, a large Aubusson rug from Stark covers the floor.
The rest of the room is replete with antiques, including two original French Empire chairs covered in a vintage multihued Pierre Frey fabric and an antique Corzine coffee table. In keeping with the Aubusson fabric in the adjoining dining room, a large Aubusson rug from Stark covers the floor.
The master suite underwent the most significant overhaul of the housewide project. Walker added square footage to the room by taking over a former guest bedroom, enabling her to add a new sitting area, master bathroom and two large closets. The wife’s favorite color is light blue, but the designer wanted to add some contrast and “a little funk” by incorporating lavender as an accent color.
Though Walker rarely incorporates cornice boards into her projects, she says they just felt right here. A painting from Allison Sprock Fine Art ties the room together, and the matching ottomans at the foot of the bed add an extra pop.
This stunning walk-in closet belongs to the wife; her husband has his own. As with the kitchen, the homeowner had a specific vision for the space and how everything should be organized, so she and Walker took their time taking precise measurements and devising an optimal balance of hanging and drawer storage.
A Lucite chair allows the focus to remain on the light blue walls and built-in cabinetry. The framed photo on top of the built-in desk came from Walker’s collection of old Harper’s Bazaar magazine covers. The glamour shots of supermodels “make you feel like a supermodel when you sit down to do makeup,” she says.
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Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: An active family with three children ages 8 through 10, and a dog
Location: Charlotte, North Carolina
Size: 5,000 square feet (464.5 square meters)
Designer: Gray Walker Interiors
One of the homeowners had been collecting pictures of kitchens she loved for a while and had carefully researched exactly what she wanted. At the top of her list was an eat-in kitchen and separate formal breakfast room, each with a warm, rich and inviting feel. Custom cabinetry that rose to the level of fine furniture was her other big request. Note the custom island made to resemble an antique cook’s table and the handsome chest used to store tableware.