Artful Evolution
Text by Blake Miller; Photography by Chris Edwards; Styled by Kendra Surface
This article appeared in the November/December 2027 issue of Home Design & Decor’s Charlotte and Triangle editions.
This designer’s personal home evolves from a once-overlooked cottage into a light-filled home that reflects her family’s shifting lifestyle.
When Coley Hull and her husband, Teddy, first saw the small cottage, they knew it was the one—even if it was being marketed as a teardown. "I immediately loved the front of the house," says Hull, founder of Coley Home. "The bones were wonderful—classic, airy, and full of character. It just needed some TLC."
Rather than overhaul it all at once, Hull renovated room by room over several years, allowing the house—and her own aesthetic—to evolve alongside a growing family and business. "When we first moved in, I went very moody with the colors," she says. "Eventually, I started craving something lighter and airier. I still love color, but now I use it in a softer, more layered way."
Most importantly, the cottage was designed to be lived in. "This home is well lived in, and I wouldn't have it any other way," Hull says. Its story, she adds, is less about perfection than the years spent making it their own.