Create an ideabook for your next remodeling project!
Browse more than 1,500,000 photos from top designers and save your favorites
Houzz Tour: Boutique Hotel Style Reigns in Raleigh
Sleek style and comfort emerge from an unfortunate architectural mishmash, and even the dog comes out ahead
Heather Garrett's clients needed help with a home that had become a mixed metaphor. After an unfortunate addition more than a decade ago brought traditional architectural details to a "pure midcentury gem" of a house, as Garrett calls it, her clients were eager for a change. But they were averse to a complete teardown.
"They challenged me to make it work by stripping down what I could from the existing design and fooling the eye into missing details like a faux stone fireplace surround in the lounge area," says Garrett. Her clients, avid travelers, asked for blend of modern style and the finer aspects of a boutique hotel's sleek, warm design.
They were floored when they saw the change. "We did the bulk of this work all at once, over a winter holiday while they were on vacation, so they came home to a shocking transformation," says Garrett.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Brooks Bell, Jess Lipson and their terrier, Theo
Location: Raleigh, North Carolina
Size: 2,435 square feet
That's interesting: Bell and Lipson met and fell in love at Duke University, where they each founded an Internet technology firm (Brooks Bells and NovelProjects) from their dorm rooms.
"They challenged me to make it work by stripping down what I could from the existing design and fooling the eye into missing details like a faux stone fireplace surround in the lounge area," says Garrett. Her clients, avid travelers, asked for blend of modern style and the finer aspects of a boutique hotel's sleek, warm design.
They were floored when they saw the change. "We did the bulk of this work all at once, over a winter holiday while they were on vacation, so they came home to a shocking transformation," says Garrett.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Brooks Bell, Jess Lipson and their terrier, Theo
Location: Raleigh, North Carolina
Size: 2,435 square feet
That's interesting: Bell and Lipson met and fell in love at Duke University, where they each founded an Internet technology firm (Brooks Bells and NovelProjects) from their dorm rooms.
| Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| AFTER: Garrett's custom balsam wood sculpture above the fireplace in the lounge takes center stage and diverts attention from the faux stone fireplace surround — and that's the point. She sprayed the surround with a high-gloss enamel, giving the once-multitoned surround a neutral color that brings out the fireplace and the sculpture. A supporting cast of textures and decor balances the room. Fireplace surround paint: Sherwin-Williams; fireplace fire balls: Blazing Glass; dog portrait: Heather Mattoon; sofa: Lee Industries; felted wool basket: Ronel Jordaan; aluminum side table: West Elm; velvet pillows: Kevin O'Brien Studio; teardrop lamps: Arteriors Home; rug: Safavieh |
| Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| BEFORE: The earth-toned rug highlighted and pointed the eye to the fireplace surround — the very thing that Garrett avoided in the lounge redesign. The portait of the client's dog, Theo, in the previous image replaced the somber abstract painting here, delighting the clients to no end. |
| Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| AFTER: "They really like the easy transition from the dining area to the lounge. After dinner, guests can easily migrate to the fireside with cocktails in tow," says Garrett. Rug: 27 Ground; chandelier: purchased in Barcelona |
| Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| BEFORE: A hodgepodge of cream-colored furnishings fade into the background of the living room and make an odd pairing with the chartreuse wall, blue rug and faux stone fireplace surround. |
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
AFTER: The living room now speaks the sophisticated, stylish language of a boutique hotel lobby. Cooler blue and gray tones in the living room decor and the wall treatment complement the ceiling's warm wood grain.
Chandelier: Design Within Reach; painting: clients' own; floor lamps: Arteriors Home; sofa: Lee Industries; rug: Eskayel; light throw pillows: Ankasa; purple pillows on Barcelona chairs: custom by Heather Garrett; shell side table: Made Goods
Chandelier: Design Within Reach; painting: clients' own; floor lamps: Arteriors Home; sofa: Lee Industries; rug: Eskayel; light throw pillows: Ankasa; purple pillows on Barcelona chairs: custom by Heather Garrett; shell side table: Made Goods
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
The kitchen pendant and new Earth Glitter granite island countertop add just the right amount of sparkle and wow factor to the kitchen. Sleek modern bar stools also lend the space a sleek appearance.
Light pendant: Arteriors; bar stools: Organic Modernism; cabinetry: grass cloth insets, Schumacher; cabinet hardware: Top Knobs
Light pendant: Arteriors; bar stools: Organic Modernism; cabinetry: grass cloth insets, Schumacher; cabinet hardware: Top Knobs
| Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| |
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
"We built the luxurious, high-ceilinged master bedroom around a painting that the clients found in a yard sale for just $5," says Garrett.
The designer created the feel of a high-end boutique hotel in the master bedroom by layering sumptuous velvet and luxurious silk with oversize furnishings and sweeping draperies.
Floor lamp: Jamie Young; bench: ambrosia maple and iron, Elijah Leed; silk bedcover: Garnet Hill; velvet pillows: Kevin O'Brien Studio; bedside lights: Y Lighting; iron claw chair and side table: Organic Modernism; velvet chair: client's own, vintage; blue polished plaster wall finish: Can Decorative Paint
The designer created the feel of a high-end boutique hotel in the master bedroom by layering sumptuous velvet and luxurious silk with oversize furnishings and sweeping draperies.
Floor lamp: Jamie Young; bench: ambrosia maple and iron, Elijah Leed; silk bedcover: Garnet Hill; velvet pillows: Kevin O'Brien Studio; bedside lights: Y Lighting; iron claw chair and side table: Organic Modernism; velvet chair: client's own, vintage; blue polished plaster wall finish: Can Decorative Paint
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
BEFORE: The bathroom felt oppressive and closed in instead of open and expansive. A potted indoor plant fell short in connecting the indoors to the outdoors.
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
AFTER: Garrett replaced the hardwood floors with marble tiles, bringing together the room's white and cream colors. Hanging terrariums, bamboo shades and grass cloth wallpaper extend the organic character of the outside view.
Étagère, vase: Oly Studio; terrariums: Roost; vanity: West Elm; pendant: Arteriors Home; grass cloth wall treatment: Phillip Jeffries
Étagère, vase: Oly Studio; terrariums: Roost; vanity: West Elm; pendant: Arteriors Home; grass cloth wall treatment: Phillip Jeffries
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
"My clients' neighborhood boasts of homes built in the '30s and through the midcentury, but I often wonder about the interior aesthetic and if it complements the architectural bones of the house," says Garrett.
Here, the designer rooted the media room in midcentury modern design by filling the space with iconic pieces.
Wall paint: Grizzle Gray, Sherwin-Williams
Here, the designer rooted the media room in midcentury modern design by filling the space with iconic pieces.
Wall paint: Grizzle Gray, Sherwin-Williams
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
Floor-to-ceiling black and gold wallpaper ups the drama of the wall behind the media console. A leaning mirror reflects light from a nearby window, keeping the room from appearing too somber.
Wallpaper: Monaco in Ebony, Tibi
Wallpaper: Monaco in Ebony, Tibi
| Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| Garrett turned a guest room by the pool into a cabana. The cabana has a stocked bar cart and a daybed upholstered in Sunbrella fabric that Garrett's clients can wheel out to the pool for parties. The daybed comes in handy when guests sleep over. |
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
The home's previous owners had updated the porch, installed a new entry door and replaced a wood tongue and groove exterior with cedar shingles.
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
In addition to transforming the landscape, designer Chad Smith created a doghouse for Theo out of a recycled drainage pipe and wood. It has a seasonally planted green roof to keep "the coolest of all pups," as Smith calls him, cool.
Ideabook published on Sept. 18, 2012.
What are you working on?
News From Our Partners
Latest Ideabooks
People found the photos in this ideabook after searching for:
View over a million photos:
basements · bedrooms · dining rooms · entries · family rooms · garage and sheds · halls · home offices · landscapes · laundry rooms · powder rooms · wine cellars and more.
Our experience is that remodelling has a very expensive snowball effect. We often thought that existing objects or materials were still okay, but once the overall changes were made, these 'okay things' looked somewhat incongruous. *sigh*
I believe the price tag is as overwelming as the overall look. It is okay to live in it for a short period of time (like in hotel) but it is cold and somber (gray, blue, black and white)!!!
But I was soon very disappointed to see how the mid century spirit of this house was almost ignored. High gloss paint on the beautiful stone and what is that Louis XX chair doing in the bedroom? I was heartened to see that the media room retained some mid-century charm and the stone on the fireplace until I saw the shot with the wallpaper! Totally atrocious in that room. Another one bites the dust. Sigh.