2020 MAME Awards
C H A R L O T T E
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home design dedicated to showcasing charlotte’s distinctive homes
“With the onset of COVID-19, what has historically made Lake Norman attractive to people from outside the area is even more heightened now.” – Reed Jackson, Ivester Jackson Distinctive Properties
Lively Lake Norman From Denver to Mooresville and every charming town in between, Lake Norman has a lot to offer - story on page 6
real estate news What’s new p4
design instyle Room refresh p18
design trends Still in vogue p22
straight talk
What you didn’t know you didn’t know p30
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|real estate news
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what’s new? compiled by Whitney Berongi
GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY KICKS OFF NEW GALLERIES NODA DEVELOPMENT A new development coming to NoDa in Charlotte kicked off with a groundbreaking ceremony Aug. 17. Galleries NoDa, a development of 39 condominium units, is moving into the building phase and is now accepting reservations. Featuring open floor plans with 9-foot ceilings, potential buyers can choose from one to two bedrooms and two to 2.5 bathrooms. Floor plans will range from 730 to 1,499 square feet. Each condo will include a luxury kitchen with stainless steel appliances and quartz countertops, master baths with double vanity and large tiled showers, and walk-in closets. Optional storage closets available. Units are available with views of Uptown. Residents of Galleries NoDa will enjoy secured parking and entrances, green space with grills, fire pits and lush landscaping for a casual outdoor living experience. Galleries NoDa is located at 3630 N. Davidson Street. For more information, contact Liza Caminiti at 704-526-6695 or Liza@InvesstorJackson.com or visit galleriesnodacharlotte.com. SALES ACROSS THE CHARLOTTE REGION REBOUND IN JULY After three consecutive months of year-over-year sales declines, the Charlotte region’s home sales rebounded in July. Closed sales compared to the previous year rose 11.4 percent with 5,469 properties sold across the 16-county region. Sales compared to June 2020 increased 10.8 percent as buyers purchased homes at near-record pace. The region’s pending sales continued to show strong gains and rose 23.7 percent year-over-year as buyers added 5,895 contracts to the pipeline, even as the pandemic continues to impact the overall economy. New listing activity in July 2020 was also positive year-over-year for the first time since March, rising 4.1 percent compared to July 2019. Impacted by falling inventory, prices across the region continued to rise in July. The average list price ($367,414) rose 15.9 percent compared to last year. The median sales price ($285,000) and the average sales price ($344,991) rose 7.5 percent and 10.6 percent, respectively. Homes continue to sell briskly as days on market, the metric that accrues for “Active” and “Under Contract-Show” statuses, averaged 36 days in July 2020 compared to 38 days in July 2019. The average number of days a property was on the market from the time it was listed until it closed (list to close) was 89 days. For more residential-housing market statistics, visit CarolinaHome. com and click on “Market Data.” PREMIER SOTHEBY’S INTERNATIONAL REALTY WELCOMES NEW ASSOCIATES Premier Sotheby’s International Realty recently announced that five new associates have affiliated with the company’s North Carolina offices. James Condrey, Melissa Condrey and Jill Hoekstra have joined the Blowing Rock office. Sandi Dascoulias joined the Banner Elk office, and joining the Charlotte office is Maiko Soares. Headquartered in Naples, Fla., Premier Sotheby’s International Realty has over 1,200 associates and employees in 40 locations throughout Florida and North Carolina. For more information, visit premiersothebysrealty.com. M/I HOMES IN CHARLOTTE SETS RECORD FOR BEST JUNE SALES IN 35 YEARS M/I Homes in Charlotte has set a record for its best June in 35 years. The Charlotte division saw a 69 percent increase in contracts for new homes during June
2020 compared to June 2019. There has been increased demand in several M/I communities, including Selwyn Landing in Charlotte, Allen Mills in Concord, Covington in Indian Land, Bretagne in Indian Land and Walnut Creek in Lancaster. M/I’s results contribute to the strength of new home construction within the Charlotte region’s residential market. Market share for new home construction in the Charlotte area was 20.8 percent for the second quarter of 2020, compared to 18.1 percent for the second quarter of 2019, according to the research firm Metrostudy. For more information about M/I Homes communities, visit mihomes.com. DAVID WEEKLEY HOMES BREAKS GROUND ON WAVERLY TOWNHOME COLLECTION David Weekley Homes has broken ground on the Waverly Townhome Collection in the master-planned community of Waverly. This new section is part of the second phase of this multi-use development, located in South Charlotte at the intersection of Providence Road and Ardrey Kell Road. Sales are expected to begin in October for the 45 two-story townhomes priced from the low $300,000s. Homes will include approximately 1,600 square feet of living space with three bedrooms, two full baths and a two-car garage. Options will include a third-floor bonus room with fourth bedroom and third full bath. Waverly Townhome Collection will feature a main street area with a public plaza, water features and outdoor dining. Homeowners will be within walking distance to onsite medical offices and adjacent to restaurants and shopping, including Whole Foods. For more information, visit the company’s website at davidweekleyhomes.com. Email real estate news to homedesign@charlotteobserver.com. C H A R L O T T E
home design Editor Coordinator/Designer Christina Darnell
Melissa Kennelly
Creative Strategy & Real Estate Advertising Buck Brice, bbrice@charlotteobserver.com
New Home Builder Advertising
Suzanne Parker, sparker@charlotteobserver.com
Sales Director
Vic Bowers, vbowers@mcclatchy.com 336-402-4673 Section published by The Charlotte Observer • 550 S. Caldwell St., Charlotte, NC 28202. Editorial material in this section is the responsibility of the Observer Content Studio, 704-358-5185. It did not involve the news staff of The Observer.
Is there a neighborhood you’d like to see featured? Do you know of a new design trend on the rise? Did you use one of our ideas for your own home or home purchase?
We’d love to hear from you.
homedesign@charlotteobserver.com
facebook.com/TheCharlotteObserverHomeDesign *Copyright 2020 by The Charlotte Observer. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or reprinted without written permission.
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|living in Lake Norman
DID YOU KNOW? Even though more than 50 years have passed since Lake Norman’s creation, many roads, facilities, gravesites, and even homes still sit eerily undisturbed in its depths.
by Julie Cooper
L EAT 131 Main From vegan beet burgers with shoestring fries to an ahi tuna salad and Southern shrimp and grits, this Cornelius gem offers irresistible chef-driven dishes in a distinctive, low-country atmosphere. 131-main.com
PLAY
Ramsey Creek Park While the swimming beach may be closed for the summer, COVID-19 can’t stop residents from enjoying the rest of its 40-plus acres replete with boat docks, a new playground, picnic shelters, nature trails and a fishing pier. mecknc.gov
EXPLORE
Birkdale Village Watch a movie, take an al fresco Pure Barre class on the green, grab a Clean Juice and stroll—no matter what you’re in the mood for, this Huntersville favorite has what you’re after. birkdalevillage.net
ake Norman’s vast shoreline caresses the banks of some of Charlotte’s most sought-after suburbs. From the rural, small-town feel of Denver to the energizing buzz of Huntersville on up to NASCAR country in Mooresville, Lake Norman’s laid-back yet luxurious lake lifestyle attracts people from far and wide. Historically, the area has been a favorite of those hailing from out of state. But with the COVID-19 pandemic, more and more in-state residents are beginning to realize the stress-relieving benefits of living large on the lake. “COVID-19 has created an environment where people who can afford to are choosing to live anywhere,” says Reed Jackson with Ivester Jackson Distinctive Properties. “They have a feeling that their house is even more important than before. They’ve actually trended back toward having more space and more square footage. This is making the Lake Norman area more desirable than ever.” Beyond the bigger houses and yards, the Lake Norman area boasts the largest lake in the state. So even when folks aren’t out enjoying the sunshine on their boats or paddling out to meet friends, they’re still basking along the shoreline, catching fish or enjoying a stroll. And parks like Ramsey Creek Park, Jetton and Lake Norman State Park make it easy to enjoy the lake without living on it. “In Denver, there’s ample access to Lake Norman, with public boat
launches at Little Creek access on Burton Lane and Beatties Ford access on Unity Church Road,” says Frances Dawson with RE/MAX Executive at the Lake. “Beatties Ford Park also has a splash pad for little ones to cool off along with playgrounds, disc golf, volleyball and a picnic shelter—all with a gorgeous view of the lake.” While there’s plenty to do in the area, many still like to head out and enjoy a “Sunday drive” to nearby natural gems. “We’re less than an hour from several exceptional hiking and mountain experiences in South Mountain State Park and Crowders Mountain,” says Jackson. “Both of those destinations offer everything from moderate to strenuous hiking. And then Stone Mountain up I-77 is less than 90 minutes away.” And when a little more than nature is required for lifting spirits, Jackson says these mountain areas “all have nearby craft breweries and wineries, which are fantastic places to burn off some pandemic anxiety.” When it comes to housing, the area’s offerings are just as vast. “The Peninsula, River Run, and The Point continue to be some of the most sought after in the area,” Jackson says. “But we’re also starting to see new areas with heightened interest on both sides of the lake with Sisters Cove and Northview Harbour.” “Lock-and-leave townhomes like Watermark in Cornelius and the newly launched and very walkable Villages of South Main in Davidson
have really taken off as well,” he continues. “Villages of South Main are literally two blocks from Davidson’s Main Street, and they ooze luxury.” In Denver, Dawson says SailView, Covington at Lake Norman and Trilogy continue to be a hit with homebuyers. But new developments like Canopy Creek, Melwood, Killian Crossing and Harbor Oaks offer some serious competition. “New communities are coming out of the ground in every area and price point,” she says. “With new construction, availability of resale homes, a great cost of living and a lifestyle that includes lake living, Denver is a wonderful place to call home. And even though prices are rising, Denver is still affordable with housing options ranging from townhomes to starter homes, rural properties and magnificent waterfront estates.” The Lake Norman area is also only a hop, skip and jump from vibrant Center City and the airport. Combined with amazing restaurants, shopping opportunities galore and a sincere welcoming atmosphere, it’s no wonder the real estate market here is sizzling. “It’s an especially strong sellers’ market right now,” says Jackson. “Inventory is historically low, even below 2004 levels. And there are currently 75 homes under contract listed over $1 million in price. With the onset of COVID-19, what has historically made Lake Norman attractive to people from outside the area is even more heightened now.”
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living in Lake Norman| 300 Soaring Eagle Cove, Denver, NC 28037 Price: $710,000 MLS: 3643293 Listing Agent: Frances Dawson, RE/MAX Executive at the Lake, 704-701-7599, frances@ homesoflkn.com This custom home in SailView comes equipped with a walk-to deeded boatslip. You’ll love the convenience of the main-floor owner’s suite with spacious spa-like bath. The great room features a coffered ceiling, custom built-ins and a stoneaccented fireplace. The entire home boasts an open floor plan and is extremely spacious. Upstairs, there are four bedrooms, three full baths and a bonus room over the three-car garage. Relax on the screened porch featuring an E-Z Breeze system. Beautifully landscaped and fenced backyard. Walk to your boatslip along the paved pathway.
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living in Lake Norman| 159 & 155 Asbury Circle, Mooresville, NC 28117 Price: $2,999,999 MLS: 3497632 Listing Agent: Michelle Rhyne, Premier Sotheby’s International Realty, 704-622-0626, michelle. rhyne@premiersir.com Marvel at this magnificent Lake Norman retreat featuring two waterfront homes with 500 feet of shoreline and 1.63 combined acres. Stroll along the custom waterfront boardwalk with three boat docks, personal boat ramp, beach and boat house for storage. Spacious main house has detailed millwork throughout, maple flooring and a chef’s kitchen with a Dacor range and wall oven, wine cooler and Bluestone slab countertops. Dining room has folding doors that open to Lake Norman views. Relax in the lowerlevel game room complete with bar and fireplace or on the covered rear porch overlooking the water. Adjacent guest house.
CONTRACT PENDING
MLS# 3497632 | $2,999,999 159 & 155 Asbury Circle, Mooresville
MLS# 3634398 | $1,195,000 17015 Jibsail Court, Cornelius
MLS# 3643491 | 1,950,000 7292 Three Sisters Lane, Concord
CONTRACT PENDING
CONTRACT PENDING
CONTRACT PENDING
CONTRACT PENDING
MLS# 3614355 | $1,350,000 19709 Stough Farm Road, Cornelius
MLS# 3642514 | $799,000 251 Pat Stough Lane, Davidson
MLS# 3608609 | $775,000 627 Fern Hill Road, Mooresville
MLS# 3588616 | $1,190,000 21204 Senlac Lane, Cornelius
MICHELLE RHYNE
Contact me today for a consultation on how your home can be marketed in North Carolina and around the world.
704.622.0626 Michelle.Rhyne@PremierSIR.com MichelleRhyne.PremierSothebysRealty.com 19825 North Cove Rd, Cornelius, NC 28031 PremierSothebysRealty.com Sotheby’s International Realty® and the Sotheby’s International Realty logo are registered service marks used with permission. Each office is independently owned and operated. Equal Housing Opportunity. Property information herein is derived from various sources including, but not limited to, county records and multiple listing services, and may include approximations. All information is deemed accurate.
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|living in Lake Norman 180 Eagle Chase Lane, Troutman, NC 28166 Price: $2,900,000 MLS: 3647233 Listing Agents: Mike Feehley, 704-799-5233, mikefeehley@ivesterjackson.com; Lori Jackson, 704-996-5686, lori@ivesterjackson.com; Ivester Jackson Distinctive Properties Contemporary estate sitting on over 500 feet of Lake Norman. Wall of windows and soaring ceilings provide wide open views and abundant natural light. Rare Afromosia flooring and custom, imported Italian-turned iron railing. The gourmet kitchen, designed by award-winning Valerie Pressley, boasts Wolf gas cooktops, two wall ovens with warming drawers and a cabinet-fronted SubZero fridge/freezer. Other features include a glass sunroom, theater room, elevator, floating curved staircase and upper-level owner’s suite with two Juliette balconies. Massive custom steam shower featuring automated lighting and music. Huge gym and sauna downstairs.
17209 Green Dolphin Lane, Cornelius, NC 28031 Price: $1,130,000 MLS: 3649814 Listing Agent: Lori Jackson, Ivester Jackson Distinctive Properties, 704-996-5686, lori@ ivesterjackson.com This painted brick home defines elegance and style with its neutral palette and rich hardwood floors. Features include a wine refrigerator, scullery, two refrigerator drawers, copper range hood, farmhouse-style sink, pot filler, high-end appliances and cozy breakfast nook. Third-floor recreation room with wet bar and second-floor den allow plenty of hang-out space. Backyard private oasis with brick paved patio, brick fireplace and covered living area with built-in grill. Drop zone room with built-in cabinets and separate laundry room. French doors lead from dining room to private gated side porch. Walk-in attic storage area. Built by Simonini on the 3rd fairway of the Peninsula Club Golf Course.
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living in Lake Norman| 18101 John Connor Road, Cornelius, NC 28031 Price: $3,200,000 MLS: 3648322 Listing Agent: Reed Jackson, Ivester Jackson Distinctive Properties, 704-713-3623, reed@ ivesterjackson.com Enjoy expansive Lake Norman sunsets from this Patrick Joseph custom home in The Peninsula area of Cornelius. Exquisitely crafted, this property’s soaring windows provide unrivaled views from almost every room. Ample lower terrace and lakeside built-in firepit. High-end custom finishings. Gourmet kitchen featuring Walker Zanger tile backsplash, quartz countertops, large island and professional-grade appliances. Elegant entry lined with bookshelves, formal dining area and lakeside great room with exposed beams completes the main living area. Owner’s oasis on main with dark plantation shutters and custom bath with Carrera marble flooring. Builder’s personal home.
15105 Ramah Church Road, Huntersville, NC 28078 Price: $3,000,000 MLS: 3620166 Listing Agents: Doris Nash, 704-201-3786, doris@ivesterjackson.com; Jessica Simpson, 704-787-3330, jessica@ivesterjackson.com; Ivester Jackson Distinctive Properties Located in the gated enclave of Meadowbrook Farms, this estate is located on a private 5.98-acre lot. Almost 10,000 total square feet. Courtyard with custom designed pool and spa. This stone-and-brick home was built with the finest craftsmanship and materials throughout. Main-level owner’s suite is in a private wing along with the study. Also located on the main level is the living room, formal dining, wine room, chef’s kitchen, scullery, mud room, breakfast, family room, billiards with wet bar, game and music rooms. Three bedroom suites off main staircase. Back staircase leads to fifth bedroom suite and exercise room. Huge unfinished basement storage with garage door access. Four-car garage.
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|real estate trends
In a year of firsts, the Queen City celebrated the best in the home building industry in a new way by Christina Darnell
D
espite the challenges 2020 has posed, there are still reasons to celebrate. For the Home Builders Association of Greater Charlotte, 2020 marks 75 years of cultivating a community of builders, developers and real estate-related professionals from around the Queen City to advocate for environmentally responsible, affordable, high-quality housing. Each year HBGC celebrates the best in the home building industry with their Major Achievement in Market Excellence—or MAME—Awards. It’s the Academy Awards of home building to recognize people, places and spaces in the new home industry. Normally held in
April, the MAME Awards gala is a smashing event held in Uptown’s finest venues, boasting hundreds of guests in designer finery and a charismatic MC. The COVID-19 pandemic forced HBGC to cancel the 35th annual awards gala, but the competition itself went on. Instead of an in-person review, out-of-state judges pored over the entries online and volunteers delivered awards to each winner personally. The judging panel was comprised of out-of-market real estate professionals who reviewed the detailed entries for various categories. The categories included group awards, such as Builder of the Year and Community of
the Year, and individual awards, such as Sales Professional of the Year and Marketing Professional of the Year. In total, 24 awards were distributed. “This is by far the best of the best in each category entry,” says Kathryn Lewis, executive vice president of HBGC. “All entry participants spend countless hours compiling their entries.” She said the 35th annual MAME Awards was a stand out. “Recognizing this year’s winners was a true honor. These professionals stepped up to doing something for the first time in a big way. This year was a year of a lot of firsts, MAME included. Congratulations MAME winners 2020!”
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COMMUNITY OF THE YEAR, ACTIVE ADULT
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COMMUNITY OF THE YEAR, MASTER PLANNED
Winner: Regency at Palisades, by Toll Brothers
Winner: McCullough, by PulteGroup, LLC
DEVELOPER OF THE YEAR Winner: Landeavor
SALES PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR
MARKETING PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR
Winner: Donna “Frankie” Franklin, Kolter Homes
Winner: Chris Ashley, True Homes
BUILDER OF THE YEAR Winner: Arcadia Homes, Inc.
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Photos provided by FourHands.
|design instyle
Room refresh Small ideas to make a big impact by Vicki Donatelli
This time of year we shift into “redo” gear. All of us are spending more time in our homes than ever before, forcing us to rethink some of our décor. Before you start an inside project, make sure the changes you make meet three requirements. First, tackle the project or room that’s causing you the most
anxiety—you know what I’m talking about. That messy back hallway where there’s no storage or hooks to keep daily items tidy. Or the master bathroom where the tile grout is missing and the faucet is loose. Second, take care of you. Don’t redo your kitchen or bed-
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room because you think it’s dated. Do it because you can’t stand using that old wall oven one more time or you have no place to store dishes and boxes of cereal. Some of the most charming kitchens I’ve had the pleasure of visiting had features like handpainted Mexican tiles on the counters or pale yellow painted cabinets. If it is pretty and functional, leave it alone.
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Third, make sure what you do will last. Renovations, sizeable or slight, are costly. It is better to attack a smaller project and do it well with quality materials and details than a huge overhaul on a restrictive budget. Houses, just like gardens, are developed over time. Always show progress that speaks to the final goal. Here are some easy decor trends to
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get you started. Dark walls with matching woodwork is back. Consider painting everything the same color. Don’t believe the old myth that dark walls and ceilings make a room look smaller. It is just the opposite—it adds drama and elegance. But don’t stress, white walls are still hip. You can update that all-white look by painting your interior window’s grilles and sashes black. While you’re at it, paint your doors black to boot. These are classic looks that are as fashionable now as ever. It’s a quick and affordable DIY project that will transform your room. Lighting looks totally different now than 10 years ago. Crystal chandeliers are still in vogue, but now the hardware is dark and the crystals have been shaped into circles or hollow balls suspended on dark wire or chains. Lighting that looks like sticks stacked together with exposed lights are trending as are white lamp bases with white shades. Kitchen wall cabinets are being replaced with floating shelves. Chefs now like to display their tableware, favorite casserole dishes and barware. Today’s kitchen
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cabinet tops meet the ceiling. If yours don’t then update them by clearing off the tops of your cabinets and add LED strip lighting instead. It will give the cabinets height and a clean spacious appearance. Global influence is key when adding interest to a room’s décor. Wicker tables, baskets and wall hangings are good options as are textured pillows constructed from antique rugs or hand woven pieces. Shaggy rugs in nomad patterns can be placed over your existing carpet or sisal room to create a more layered decorating scheme. Fringe is also making a big comeback. Not the silk fringe of the 1990s, but cotton and sisal. It is being used on
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pillows, rugs and shades. Hand-fringed edges on bedding and throws offers a mellower appeal. These are a few of the easy updates you can carry out at your home without spending a bundle. Most of these ideas are DIY projects that can easily be completed in a day, a weekend or a little time shopping.
Vicki Payne Donatelli is an interior designer, project coordinator and popular speaker for renovation and new construction projects. She is the host of the national PBS series “For Your Home.” Visit her blog at ForYourHome.com.
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Photo by Mcquillyn Smith
|design trends
Still in vogue Florals fresh and in print by Bethany E. Starin
F
lorals are still on trend. And that’s a good thing, says Charlotte home design guru Myquillyn Smith—because it’s foraging season. “This time of year, we are so lucky to be in foraging season and loving the color blooming out of the ground,” says Smith, best selling author and blogger of all things home decor and minimalism. “Adding natural items to our home adds the life that we are lacking, the green
that we are lacking.” Smith says a favorite exercise is to flip through favorite magazine shots of homes or designer pages on Instagram or Pinterest and count the greens. “It might be flowers, it might be plants, it might be branches—but it’s about three or four greens in every photo,” she says. “Imagine the room without those. It would be unfinished. It would be lifeless.” Jena Bula, owner of Charlotte interior
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“
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BRING IN LIFE EVEN IF IT MEANS WALKING OUT TO YOUR DRIVEWAY AND CUTTING A FEW BRANCHES AND PUTTING THEM IN A VASE.” - Myquillyn Smith
Photos by Catherine Nguyen Photography / Courtesy of Lauren Burns Interiors
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design firm Delphinium Design, says she likes to keep florals simple and fresh by putting them in an unexpected spot in the house, or a unique vase. “Display them in unexpected places to add interest—styled on an open shelf in your kitchen, in a built-in, on your nightstand, or an arrangement on your entry console,” she suggests. Container choice keeps your arrangements relevant says Karisa Pennell, owner of Nectar in Plaza Midwood. “Change your containers to give it a fresher look,” she says. “We are using a lot of polished metals and matte white containers with texture, so that gives it a modern feel.” Smith teaches online classes at Academy of Home and encourages her
participants that, most of all, your home doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful—and says that definitely applies to greens and flowers. “Bring in life even if it means walking out to your driveway and cutting a few branches and putting them in a vase. They will not last forever, but you have a whole tree to cut from. I think that’s the beauty of it,” she says. Smith says she loves the trend of growing a cutting garden specifically planned for clipping flowers, a movement away from your grandmother’s rose-garden mentality. “Our grandmothers all had a garden and you didn’t touch the roses. You enjoyed them in the garden. I love the movement towards planting a specific area to allow ourselves to cut from so we can bring them inside and arrange them imperfectly,” she says. “There’s no expectation to have this gorgeous arrangement, but you want it to look like a garden arrangement you pulled from your own property.” For herself, Smith says this gets her
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Photo by Tiffany Ringwald / Courtesy of Delphinium Design
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Photo by Tiffany Ringwald / Courtesy of Delphinium Design / Art by Patti Doyle, Art House Charlotte
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outside enjoying her 13 acres located in Midland, about 20 minutes outside Uptown. “A lot of times I take my basket and grab my shears and I will walk around our property and just see what looks interesting— sometimes that means seed pods, sometimes that is an evergreen, sometimes it’s a budding branch that hasn’t opened yet or something with pinecones or pecans on it,” she says. “What’s beautiful about that is it doesn’t mean that everything I pull from outside has to be a flower.” Smith says that while she would rather bring fresh flowers into her
home instead of incorporating it in decor, she recognizes it is very ontrend. The trick to incorporating floral properly into your decor is juxtaposition, says Lauren Burns, owner of Lauren Burns Interiors based in Cary. “Pair something with a floral pattern, such as traditional wallpaper, with a modern dining table or rug. The juxtaposition between the styles creates a beautiful mix and allows the use of something trendy yet traditional. Good design is when you can successfully design a space mixing something on trend like florals and something modern.”
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Photo by Mcquillyn Smith
Photo by Tiffany Ringwald / Courtesy of Delphinium Design / Art by Patti Doyle, Art House Charlotte
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Burns says if you want to try out a bold floral wallpaper, consider removable wallpaper. When the trend fades, you simply peel it off and it doesn’t damage the wall. The best way to bring florals into a space is to consider a focal point, Bula says. “If you’re worried that your love for florals may be overpowering, pick one focal point—a floral wallpaper, a piece of art, fabric etc.—then balance it with a solid color or pattern that compliments it. Geometric patterns typically pair well with florals.” Another way to keep florals updated is to not think pastels, Burns
says. “To keep it modern, use bold colors—black and white or navy— and that makes a big design impact.” Burns says a favorite recent floral project was overhauling a client’s powder bath. She combined a really wild blue floral wallpaper with a modern vanity, mirror and sconces for what she calls a high-impact result. Bula says she’s had great success incorporating floral artwork into spaces by selecting the perfect frame. “A great way to keep art from feeling dated and create interest is to juxtapose the art with the frame. For example, adding a great vintage
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Photo by Jessica Miccio / Courtesy of Delphinium Design
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frame to a more modern floral piece, or vice versa,” she explains. Pennell says another floral route is incorporating dried florals. Bleached items are really hot right now, especially contrasted with darker hues such as terracotta, she says. “They are decorative, a long-lasting look in your house, versus the fresh which comes and goes. We mix them quite a bit together, too, for a fresher look,” she explains. Smith says that while florals—both fresh, dried and in decor—are ontrend, she’d argue the trend never faded. “I would argue florals really never left as a trend, but I think it’s more accessible than before. I think people are thinking, oh I can grab a bundle of tulips from the store and cut some monkey grass from my front walk and I can put them in a vase that I got the other day,” she says. “I love it.”
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|straight talk
What you didn’t know you didn’t know The whats, whys and hows of utility poles by Allen Norwood
F
irst, those tall wood poles strung with wire beside the road are not telephone poles, no matter what you learned when you were a kid. (I still call them that. Old habits die hard.) In most cases, they’re owned by the power company that services the area. “They are probably more aptly named utility poles, because they often contain multiple utilities on the same pole,” said Duke Energy spokesperson Jeff Brooks. “Duke Energy regularly leases space on its utility poles to other services like cable TV and telecommunications companies.” And here’s something to remember the next time your cable TV or landline telephone goes out: Those utilities maintain their own lines, even though they pay to use Duke’s poles. Duke repairs downed poles. When storms or trees bring down those other lines, though, “it is the responsibility of the co-locating utilities to come and move or repair their line as needed.” You might have seen Brooks on television. He often appears on behalf of Duke. I caught him between emergencies, and he answered a few questions about the anatomy of a utility pole.
We might not think much about the poles that deliver all sorts of services to us—until there’s a problem. The power blinked off at our house the other day and storms have been forming over the South Atlantic, so this seems a good time to share what I learned. The lines that carry the most power, and are potentially the most dangerous, are at the very top of the pole. That means your cable TV guy doesn’t have to climb over high-voltage electric wires to get to low-voltage cable wires. “Electric lines are typically at the top of a utility pole to ensure safety for the public as well as to place the lines as high above vegetation and other potential hazards as possible,” Brooks said in an email. “Below that you will find any other lines also located on the pole (cable, phone, internet).” Those lines at the top carry a lot of power. A large transmission line—say, on a giant steel frame—could carry 230,000 volts or more. Main distribution power lines in a town or city might carry as much as 23,000 volts. As the line gets closer to your home, Brooks explained, the voltage is reduced until the final ser-
vice line delivers electricity to your meter at the 110/220 volts that your home uses. Transformers increase or decrease electric voltage along the line, he said, “transforming it” to the correct voltage for the next leg of its journey. Power from a high-voltage line goes through a substation, with many large transformers that reduce voltage significantly. Brooks likened the substation to an off-ramp from the freeway to a main road. Power is reduced again when it reaches your neighborhood so it can travel smaller power lines. Finally, it might go through another transformer on a pole at the edge of your yard, or a green cabinet on the ground, to make sure the voltage is correct for your family. You might hear someone say during a storm that they heard a big boom when the transformer blew. In fact, that usually means protective features are doing their jobs. “In most cases, it wasn’t the transformer that caused the boom, but a fuse above the transformer,” Brooks said. “Just like the fuses in your home protect the wiring in your house, fuses on poles help protect more expensive and essential systems from damage when a tree
falls on a line or other damage causes voltage to quickly change.” Secondary power lines might be strung below the primary lines at the top. Phone and cable/internet lines are below the power lines. They can be strung in any order. Ground wires run top to bottom, the length of the pole. They protect Duke’s equipment, and your home, when there’s a lightning strike or power surge. A conduit running down the pole usually signals a transition point where overhead lines are transferred down the pole to run underground to a home or business. You might spot all sorts of other stuff hung on poles. I noticed a meter on a pole near our house, and had to look twice to see the sleek LED streetlight amid the overhead wires. Those white PVC tubes on poles up and down our road used to hold laminated maps, Brooks said, before Duke equipped all its bucket and service trucks with links to digital diagrams.
Allen Norwood: homeinfo@charter.net
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