When the Stewarts first purchased their home in Raleigh, they never imagined that most of it would be torn down. But that’s exactly what happened—while they were on vacation, no less.
“A neighbor sent me a picture of the staircase, with a quote saying, ‘stairway to heaven,’” the homeowner recalls. The couple had been working with an architect on a renovation, and, initially, they thought they’d be able to preserve many parts of the house. But when demolition began, it soon became clear that the home was no longer up to code, and nearly all of it—including much of the second floor—would have to be rebuilt.
“We went on a cruise, and when we came back, the whole house was gone,” the homeowner says. Where some people see disaster, however, the Stewarts saw opportunity. While they kept the stairway in the same location, they widened the rooms around it, knocked down the surrounding walls in the kitchen and living room, and added floor-to-ceiling windows throughout the space. The result was an open floor plan with sight lines that stretched from the front of the home to the back, complete with plenty of natural light.
When it came time to design the interiors, however, there were no surprises. The homeowners knew they wanted to collaborate with Lisa Sherry of Lisa Sherry Interieurs, having worked with her fifteen years earlier on another renovation—a complete redesign of their condo, which had flooded. Right from the start, Sherry and the homeowners were a design match made in heaven: “Lisa has a very clean, sleek, sophisticated look,” says the homeowner, who also prefers a neutral, contemporary aesthetic.
Sherry set the tone by selecting a nine-inch knotty oak floor, which runs throughout the house. She then added interest to a neutral palette by layering in a luxurious mix of textures and materials, from wooden tables to glass lamps to linen draperies. In the living room, a white plaster fireplace takes center stage, offset by a white gesso coffee table and a bleached silk-wool rug. The kitchen is also neutral-toned, with white quartz countertops and custom-built cabinetry in white. But the showstopper is arguably the dining room, where a multitiered chandelier hangs over the white cerused midcentury-modern table. “It took me a second to like the chandelier, but I trusted her, and now it’s one of my favorite things in the house,” says the homeowner.
One room of the house, though, was infused with a bold, dark palette: the Stewarts’ media room. “It was a departure from the overall light, bright aesthetic of the rest of the home,” says Sherry. There, the homeowners watch football on the two large televisions. A custom-built wet bar, with built-in shelves, hosts a collection of sports memorabilia—many of the items autographed by famous athletes, such as Peyton Manning.
The result is a home that’s elegant and refined, but also livable. Not only do the homeowners do plenty of entertaining, but they also have a large Golden Retriever who loves to run around the home. And while it helps that the dog also has white fur, the functionality of the home is also a testament to Sherry’s vision. “I told her I wanted everything to not only look pretty, but to also be comfortable and usable,” says the homeowner. “And she knocked it out of the park.”
