A Chic House Tour In North Carolina: a house log

We do our best to crash a variety of homes, both old and new, big and small, traditional and modern, expensivo and especially low-cost, etc. This one falls into the glamorous high-end realm, but its cup runneth over with adaptable ideas – even if you are on a tight budget. So we are glad to bask in the inspirational eye candy (and pass it along to you folks of course). As we mentioned in yesterdays post, this vivid home is located in Charlotte, NC. So on with the tour. Here is the charming exterior:

And here are Jennifer and her sweet six week old daughter Eleanor to let us in:

Here is the vivid view that greets you when you step in the front door, which you might recognize from yesterday’s surprise-we-were-road-tripping post. Seriously, I fairly much walked into this house and went crazy with delight and excitement. So sorry for jabbering mindlessly and running around screaming, Jennifer. Your house is simply too much goodness for my brain to handle.

When it comes to that vivid tonal zebra carpeting on the stairs, it is by Stark. And that gigantic mouthwatering mirror is from Circa (well, I am 90% sure that is what she said – remember my brain was exploding). I think the lights on the floating console are also from Circa, but I have seen dead ringers at HomeGoods along with other starburst mirrors. So checking there (or at their sister stores: TJ Maxx or Marshall’s) can assist you get the look for less. And speaking of that floating console, how cool is that? Finding a four-drawered piece like that at a thrift store or garage sale and adding nail heads around the edge of each drawer along with ring hooks could mimic the look. You could even remove the legs and mount it on the wall like Jennifer did. The girl is creative to the nth degree.

Behold, the kitchen. The cool thing is that it was not a massive space but Jennifer made the most out of it by adding as much function (along with a heaping portion of form) as she could. The steel pendants (by Visual Comfort) provide task lighting for the island, which is packed with useful range space as well as food prep area on either side and a spot to sit and eat in front of the cooktop. And instead of using pricey granite or marble, Jennifer in fact chose poured concrete for the top of the island, which was molded to wrap around the base of the cabinets on each side like a parsons desk. I was in lurve (she also said it held up truly well for those considering DIYing concrete counters like this previous House Crashing homeowner did here).

There were two small areas next to the sink with marble, but it was in fact scored as a remnant to save loot (using concrete for the majority of the kitchen was certainly a money saving choice). And how strong are those plain clean-lined shelves on either side of the window? So plain and sweet. The faucet is Rohl (I enjoy the raised neck) but overstock.com frequently has similar looking versions for those on a budget (you might have to check back a few times since they seem to go fast).

Oh and did you notice that cluster of items under the shelves in the photo above? I enjoyed this idea. Jennifer got a few glass apothecary jars (HomeGoods, Marshall’s, and TJ Maxx sell these for under $15) and filled them with kitchen stuff like granola, pretzels, and cookies. Such a chic way to dress up any counter.

And file this under never-seen-it-before-but-I-went-crazy. The fridge is “quilted” with a cool diamond pattern that in fact bumps out ever so slightly to create a faceted textured look. Jennifer went with standard GE appliances, but she sent the door of her fridge to a guy in Atlanta who brought in the special detailing for a fully customized look.

Beyond the kitchen was the dining room, which was a vivid contrast to the light and lovely space.

It felt moody and luxe thanks to darker tones (in that stunning wallpaper and those strong gray velvet drapes). If you are looking to recreate this look on the low-cost you could consistently experiment with a light gray stencil on a dark gray wall. You could even dye some $7 Ikea curtains (we like the Vivan ones) in a deep gray tone. It will not be fully the same (the sheen of the wallpaper and the texture of the velvet curtains is remarkable) but it would certainly swank things up and add that moody vibe.

And how remarkable is the light fixture? This picture does not even do it justice (it is by Baker). You can kind of see the shadows that it casts on the ceiling but it was ten times cooler in person. Oh and look closely at the chairs above. See those cool hardware handles on the back of each one? Those are also the brainchild of Jennifer, who brought in them because she thought it would be easier to pull them out (and they might save the upholstery a bit more since grubby hands will not constantly be gripping the sides). Is she a thinker or what? I enjoy that no detail was left unaddressed. Especially since I know firsthand how hard it is to have focus like that when you are furnishing a house (it is so straightforward to get caught up in the big stuff and forget about all the cool little finishing touches that make a room feel personal and functional).

Here we have the cozy living room with a vivid ottoman that I hoped to strap on top of our Altima and take home. It was covered with this remarkable painted fabric. That is right, I said painted fabric. It was a velour/velvet type upholstery that was stenciled with paint and then weathered/distressed/worn down so it looked irregular and tonal and remarkable. The weathering process (sanding it down) made it soft, so it did not feel crunchy or hard. Simply textured and special. I have never seen anything like it.

So for anyone brave sufficient to try stenciling velvet our velour with watered down paint and then sanding it with high grit sandpaper for a weathered and worn in look, I can tell you firsthand that it might simply be the coolest thing you ever do. In your life. Ok that might be an exaggeration (creating a human or graduating college might be up there too).

Oh and see those pieces of fabric folded over the top of each arm chair? Once again Jennifer used her brainpower to creatively solve a problem. Her cat loves to jump up from the floor to the back of her chairs, so draping some fairly fabric over the back of each chair was her solution to keep the chair’s upholstery from being clawed (it is much easier to switch out the draped fabric if it gets ruined than redo the chair). Smart right? And that is something you can make with a fabric remnant and some Heat N Bond (or a sewing machine if you are getting braver every day like I am).

Are not those built-ins vivid? I enjoyed the elegant greeny-gray color (try Benjamin Moore’s Senora Gray for a similar look), and the hidden storage underneath will certainly come in handy when it comes to stashing Eleanor’s toys.

Since Jennifer loves to add unexpected pattern and texture from room to room (like her light kitchen next to her ornate wallpapered dining room), she thought the small powder room was the ideal place for a little more wallpapered drama. It was a quite small room so we were truly impressed with her bravery (bold pattern, dark trim, dark sink) but it looked like a bling-y little jewel box instead of a compact and bland little builder bathroom, so it was such a strong call.

I also enjoyed the dark modern sink, which was poured concrete simply like the kitchen island. And the faucet is by Kohler (so sexy, right?) which frequently ends up on overstock.com or a place like plumbersurplus.com for those in a deal-hunting mood.

This room is a little office/bill paying area that was another modestly sized space that Jennifer maximized with a skinny floating desk and two comfy chairs (so much more inviting than traditional office chairs and still simply as functional). And those remarkable paneled walls make you notice the luxe architecture of the room instead of how small it is. As for how they attained that paneled look, it is simply low-cost wood from the home improvement store that they used to create a rectangular grid pattern with molding around the edges to finish each one off. Then they simply painted it all for a seamless effect.

Oh yeah and this mirror is another thing I hoped to sneak out with. How fairly is that patina-riddled glass? It is an antique from Circa, but there are walkthroughs online for antiquing your own mirror (like this one), so finding something new and then glazing the frame and patina-ing the glass could yield something similar on a budget.

Jennifer and her husband are hardcore art collectors, and one of their go-to pieces is this giant figure by Carl Plansky. It is such an remarkable focal point in a hallway without much else going on (except for that cool zebra runner which snaked upstairs). A giant abstractly painted canvas (made by you) or even a large wooden frame with colorful fabric stretched around it could add similar color and boldness.

And of course little Eleanor needed a nursery to call her own, and Jennifer did not spare a single detail. The vivid chandelier is from Circa and the dresser is in fact her own childhood dresser that she painted to work with the wallpaper.

Speaking of the wallpaper, here is a shot that might be easier to make out. It was in fact these tone on tone vines that snaked up the wall with squirrels and birds on some of the branches. So sweet yet sophisticated. I felt like I was in an enchanted forest.

And you know I enjoy a good quatrefoil worked in there, so of course this lamp was yet another thing I hoped to grab while screaming “what is that over there?” and running out to the car with it while Jennifer looked the other way. But I did not. It looked ideal right where it was. And how cool is the camel pillow (by Rikshaw Design)? I enjoy how it layers in with the tones of the room while adding more of that “enchanted animals” vibe from the wallpaper and the giant giraffe near the crib. Clara was in love with this room (and that camel pillow in particular).

So there you have one of three house crashing adventures (well one was in fact an office crashing) of which we partook during our weekend road trip. We will be back to share the other two in a little while (we do not want them to be jammed on top of each other and we are still waiting on some source info for those, but they are certainly coming within the next week or two). Oh but we cannot sign off without sending a large thank you to Jennifer and her sweet family for so graciously letting us in to snap photos for you folks (even with such a fresh little newborn around)! They were remarkable and we are so glad that we were able to stop by. Now let us play the what is-your-go-to-part game. Mine is the floating nailhead console with the sunburst mirror over it. And the poured concrete counter that runs up and down the side of the island. Le sigh.

Psst- Wanna check out other house crashing adventures? We have them all right here.

More random pssst- Is anyone else watching The Voice? I am in love with Dia and Xenia. Who are your picks?