Facing obstacles such as shipping delays, client requests, building permits, and everything in between comes with the territory when you’re an interior designer. So when designer Lauren McKay’s longtime clients contacted her about a comprehensive home design and expansion of their beloved Cary home, she did not hesitate to get on board. Tasked with adding space and functionality to accommodate their five children and love of entertaining, the designer hit the ground running.
The family purchased the 1980s-built home in 2002. They quickly completed a kitchen renovation, but didn’t hurry to do much more because it wasn’t going to be their forever home. Plans changed, however, as their family grew, the kids went to school, and they fell in love with the location. The home was dated and sorely in need of an expanded floor plan with easier flow and functionality for a family of seven.
The goal list was lengthy but certainly achievable for the seasoned designer: enlarging the kitchen, expanding their outdoor living, and creating an interior design that embodied the sense of joy and hope the family wanted to infuse into their home.
“Our client works hard from home managing her family and their activities as well as serving as a counselor, helping many in the community,” says McKay. “She wanted the home to be a happy, cheerful place that was a retreat for her family and their friends.”
The homeowner’s love of original oil paintings was a significant influence in the soothing color palette throughout. Subtle blues, pinks, and lavender hues create the spirit of peace and tranquility while the use of mixed metals and warm natural woods gives an edge to the softer color profile. Design features nod to midcentury modernism, especially in the owner’s bedroom, where the rattan bed, side chair, and Sputnik flush-mount light fixture exudes the clean, uncomplicated lines of the style. In other spaces, the homeowner’s love of natural stone, woods, and organic materials is infused into marble countertops, a walnut table and door, and the incorporation of outdoor spaces through an expansive pass-through window bar linking the kitchen and patio.
The kitchen renovation expanded the footprint fourfold. “The home’s substantial lot enabled us to bump out the floor plan to accommodate the expanded kitchen as well as create a covered porch and deck across the back,” McKay says. “The space not only had to be beautiful but also extremely functional, with a large island and intentional storage in this hardworking space.”
European influence is demonstrated in the sleek cabinetry that uses panels and hidden garages to integrate and conceal appliances. Two tall cabinets were added—a baking station that houses cookbooks, dry goods, and the necessary accoutrements as well as a “kid station” to store snacks, cereals, and more. Durable quartzite countertops pull together the inky-blue island and the contrasting soft-gray perimeter cabinets. A scullery serves as the pantry and dog-feeding station as well as a cutting station for the homeowner’s stunning backyard roses.
The soothing design includes unexpected elements that amp up the drama factor. A silver-leaf wallpaper backsplash covered with tempered glass, the custom- designed hood with brass accents, Zellige tile, marble and brass open shelving, and custom brass switches and outlets elevate the aesthetic. A stunning Schumacher Birds & Butterflies wallpaper and coordinating poppy- red vanity add playful pizzazz to the guest bathroom. The powder room pops with a tiger-inspired wallpaper and luxurious exotic marble counter, and the office’s Lotus Garden drapes pair beautifully with a wall of clear acrylic shelves displaying a collection of hand-blown glass birds.
“I’m thrilled with the outcome of this project,” McKay says. “Our clients truly have a home that fits their needs and can be a place of respite that echoes their values of faith, hope, and joy.”
