HOME
August/September 2013
Triangle URBAN
CELEBRATING INSPIRATIONAL DESIGN AND PERSONAL STYLE
Jim Schmid Photography
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Jim Schmid Photography
style Classic
By Anne Marie Ashley
The resulting design of this home is a study in transitional style with a clean, comfortable look that is perfect for this family of four.
hen you walk into the house that’s perfect for you and your family, you just know. It feels like home. It speaks to you. It has a personality that matches yours and the layout only accentuates the way you already live your life. And so it was for the Whites when they bought their gorgeous Georgian home. “We’d looked at over 55 houses during the year-long home-buying process,” remembers Ashleigh White. “We made an offer within an hour of seeing this house. The layout was perfect and it required zero structural changes.” Ashleigh and her husband knew they wanted to start fresh with their new home, ditching the more traditional style they’d left at their home in Georgia and embracing a more modern approach with a neutral palette in North Carolina. “I am drawn to a more contemporary look
while my husband is very traditional,” explains Ashleigh. “Transitional style seemed like a perfect marriage of our tastes and we began searching for a designer that did that perfectly.” The couple met with Melissa Armstrong of Melissa Armstrong Interiors and realized that her unique design style was ideal for their home. “She didn’t fall into that broad category of transitional,” says Ashleigh, “and her type-A, super organized style made her easy to work with.” With no renovations needed on their home, Melissa and Ashleigh got straight to work on design. With two small children, the spaces in Ashleigh’s home had to be comfortable and functional, yet stylish and decorative at once. Every bit of wallpaper came down, all the surfaces were re-painted and the floors refinished for a rich, warm feeling. “I think first and foremost, a home must work functionally,” explains Melissa. “ I want clients to be able to feel like they can actually ‘live’ in their home and enjoy every space.” Melissa and Ashleigh worked together combining new pieces with refurbished pieces already owned by the Whites. Custom upholstered August/September 2013 Urban Home triangle 11
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pieces intermingle with cherished family pieces that were re-covered to complement, and custom window treatments, rugs from Stark Carpet and art from Hidell Brooks Gallery were brought in to round out the style. “When I first meet my clients,” says Melissa, “I ask them to tear out inspiration from design magazines and bring them to our meeting. The common threads I see help me pin down their style.” Melissa also says that sites like Pinterest have made this process even easier, with clients able to share their pin boards with the designer and collaborate on looks. “My advice is to create your pin boards, and make sure your house has an easy flow from room to room.” When asked what her favorite room in the house is, Ashleigh easily answers that it’s the living room. “I found a pair of Mid-Century sconces two years before we decorated the room,” she explains, “but
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When you walk into the perfect home. . . it has a personality that matches yours and the layout only accentuates the way you already live your life.
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I knew that I wanted them to be the focal point.” Melissa designed most of the room around the sconces and added an extra long sofa with no arms for ample seating. Functional as well as beautiful, this room might be the center of the congruence of traditional and contemporary for the Whites. The contemporary vibe of the sconces and design of the ottoman fabric complement the more traditional textures like linen and velvet. Classic books and candelabras are used in a contemporary way to decorate the mantle and the room comes together with accessories
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chosen by Melissa. “My favorite day is accessory day. I bring all of my favorite finds from local shops and try them out in the space – then I pare down from there,” says Melissa. “I like a clean, uncluttered look.” The resulting design of this home is a study in transitional style with a clean, comfortable look that is perfect for this family of four. “Melissa has a fresh style that I was really drawn to,” explains Ashleigh. “Really, every room in our home is my favorite.”v