Melissa Lee’s clients’ two-story Matthews home was built in 1972, and the kitchen had gotten a refresh in the early 2000s. The homeowners had changed a few paint colors and light fixtures since moving in five years prior, but now, they were ready to modernize the choppy layout and make it more functional for their growing family. “We went from a small kitchen with a breakfast nook and a formal dining room to this open concept,” Lee says. “She loves a coastal look, and they were starting to sprinkle some of those elements in—they just needed that extra layer.”  —Taylor Bowler

MAKE ROOM

Lee and senior designer Ashley Sussman oversaw the yearlong renovation, which also involved the powder room, mudroom, and pantry. They removed the wall between the kitchen and dining room, replaced the large window with two smaller ones, added an island, and relocated the sink and range. They also converted the formal dining room into an everyday space with a kid zone that’s visible from the kitchen. “(The homeowners) wanted to replace the floors once that wall came down,” Lee says, “but we patched it up and managed to find a good stain, which is always a challenge with red oak.” 

SECRET INGREDIENTS

The wall paneling is a unique architectural detail, but it serves a practical purpose, too. “They wanted a hidden laundry room off the kitchen, so it was a lot of math, trying to map out the trim to hide the door,” Sussman says. “We wanted it to be a peek-a-boo area, not a focal point, so we installed a hidden swing door. The millwork hides the seams.” 

KITCHEN AID

The kitchen got new appliances, semi-custom cabinets, a scalloped backsplash, and quartz countertops. They painted the island a custom shade of blue and worked with a Denver-based company called Hoodsly to make the range hood. “I knew I wanted to tie in the blue island, so we did an unfinished cabinet hood and had painters match white cabinets,” Sussman says. “Then we pulled in the blue from the island for the trim work. It made a non-custom piece look extremely custom.” 

LIGHT TOUCH

Above the island, Sussman hung brass pendant lights from Hudson Valley. “The client loves brass,” she says. “The hardware, from Top Knobs, has a honey-bronze finish that’s a perfect match to the plumbing fixture, which is a Champagne bronze. If we can match two golds or bronzes, it’s OK if the third is a little off. Brass is tricky.” The cerused-oak barstools from Worlds Away add a natural element to the space. “They’re textured,” Lee says, “but not to where it’ll be extremely hard to clean.”

DINE IN

They carried the paneling from the kitchen into the dining area and wallpapered the remaining three walls in a spa-blue Akari pattern from Thibaut. “It’s a performance wallcovering, so it can stand up to kids, and it has a little texture,” Lee says. “It looks like grass cloth, but it’s actually vinyl.” The blue indoor-outdoor rug, from Erin Gates Collection, has an elongated diamond-trellis pattern. The table and chairs are from Universal Furniture, and the Hudson Valley chandelier has a gold leaf finish and woven shade that complements the kitchen barstools. For a statement piece, Lee had an upholstered banquette custom-made. “It was a splurge,” she says, “but those are the things that make the room so special.” She completed the space with orange, patterned Thibaut pillows to pull in the coral trim on the drapes.

FLEX SPACE

“We were going to go more formal,” Sussman says, “but once we figured out their family life, there was a bit of a switch.” The homeowner opted to put the kids’ toy kitchen in the dining area so they could “cook together” while she prepared dinner. On the wall above it, they hung bulletin boards from Pottery Barn to display artwork and added gold gallery lights from Visual Comfort to add some dimension and ambience. “We thought maybe we’d give them a storage piece there, but right now, bringing some sort of toy in was better,” Sussman says. “Eventually, they can turn it into a homework area.”