in bloom
Text by Taylor Bowler; Photography by Julia Lynn Photography; Styled by Kendra Surface
This article appeared in the September/October 2026 issue of Home Design & Decor’s Charlotte edition.
For designer Gray Walker, inspiration begins the moment she steps through her front door.
Tucked into more than two wooded acres at the intersections of Eastover, Myers Park, and Cotswold, Gray Walker’s three-story Georgian feels less like a city residence and more like a secluded retreat. Built in 1966 and designed by noted Charlotte architect Harold Cooler, the red-brick home sits on a quiet road with only five houses.
Walker and her husband, Geordie, purchased the property nearly twenty years ago from the family who built it. “No homes ever came up for sale on this street,” says Walker, “so when I saw this come on the market, I thought, ‘We’ve got to get in there today’.” They were smitten almost immediately.
“The moment you step into the foyer and look through to the back of the house, it feels as though you’re suspended in the forest,” Walker recalls. Nestled into a hillside, the residence seems to hover among the trees, evoking the charm of an elevated treehouse retreat.
The house arrived with enviable architectural bones and a pedigree to match. Its original interiors were designed by the late Otto Zenke, whose sophisticated vision made the home a standout of its era. “It was an incredibly chic house in the 1970s,” Walker says with a laugh.
The Walkers transformed the home gradually, updating rooms in phases as time and budget allowed. The kitchen came first, followed by bathrooms, an expanded rear porch, and, most recently, extensive garden improvements.
Inside, the home serves as a canvas for Walker’s creativity. The foyer’s butterfly mural that climbs the staircase was originally painted in sepia tones by artist Robin Wellner. But the installation evolved over time, with artist Lottie Banner introducing bolder colors and graphic details. “Those butterflies, much like me, have gone through many changes in their life,” Walker says.
Color and whimsy are on full display throughout the house. A vibrant Moroccan rug and sculptural sunburst chandelier energize the living room. In the dining room, walls and trim are drenched in a custom lacquered blue-green, while Banner transformed the ceiling into an ethereal landscape of silver and gold leaf. “I wanted to create a celestial ceiling so you felt close to heaven in the dining room,” Walker says.
The kitchen balances classic architecture with fresh finishes. Walker traded the dark wood paneling for bright white cabinetry, soapstone countertops, and a marble backsplash, while the breakfast nook incorporates clear acrylic chairs and a custom upholstered bench.
In Geordie’s study, Walker trimmed the grasscloth wallpaper with red Samuel & Sons gimp—“It’s done like upholstery with brass tacks in it,” she says—while the owner’s suite embraces her love of lavender hues and floral wallpaper. But nowhere is the designer’s personality more evident than in her closet. Outfitted with a lavender island, grasscloth-front cabinetry, and a wallpapered ceiling, the space feels like a garden party. “I wanted it to feel like a gazebo, with wicker wallpaper and flowers on a trellis across the ceiling,” she says.
The home’s lower-level studio—once a dark, wood-paneled man cave—is now a light-filled design headquarters where Walker meets clients. Because her business operates from home, every room doubles as a portfolio piece.
For Walker, the home’s greatest luxury isn’t its history or its picturesque setting—it’s the freedom to keep imagining what comes next. Each room reflects a chapter of her life, layered with collected treasures, personal symbolism, and an unabashed love of color. Outside, the gardens continue to mature with the seasons; inside, new ideas are always taking root. “I’m constantly moving things around and dreaming up something new,” she says. Surrounded by the canopy of trees that first captured her heart, Walker has created a house that feels both deeply personal and perpetually in bloom.