Sophisticated Home
Alabama

This classic two-story southern vernacular home, originally built in the 1930s, had undergone a major renovation in the late 1990s prior to being acquired by our clients. The previous owners took the house down to the studs, added a master bedroom suite, and finished the attic space to accommodate additional bedrooms. The existing floor plan and layout were satisfactory, but the finishes and wall colors had become dated. This motivated our clients, a young couple with small kids, to reach out to us about updating the interiors.  

We decided to retain nearly all of the existing floor plan and layout with only one exception. In an effort to create one long visual enfilade across the axis of the home, we installed a cased opening between the sunroom and formal living room. The majority of the home’s hardwood floors were refinished and stained a dark ebony color. However, the formal areas were bleached revealing the beauty of the original oak and highlighting the client’s dark wood antiques. The interior walls were repainted in modern colors, the kitchen cabinetry revamped and refreshed, and dated countertops were replaced with exquisite honed Calcutta gold marble. These improvements created a soft and serene palette revealing the beauty of the classic architecture and serving as a perfect backdrop for décor.  

We were fortunate that our client’s brought a small curation of beautiful mahogany French Empire antique pieces, some of which were family heirlooms. We embraced the exceptional collection and incorporated these pieces into the new design plan of the home. 

An unexpected selection of original artwork, including mixed media, black & white photography and antique prints were sourced from all over the world to suggest they had been accumulated over a long period of time. This facilitated our firm’s signature approach of mixing antique and vintage pieces, clean-lined modern furnishings, contemporary lighting and custom upholstery. The creation of this multi-dimensional design scheme focuses on comfort with a modern sensibility for how we live today.