MA Allen has a knack for combining beauty with functionality, so when her close friends recently completed a remodel and addition project of their home in the Wayland Heights neighborhood of Raleigh, they enlisted her talents to achieve a stylish space suited for both entertaining and everyday life. “The goals of my clients were to use interior decorating as a vehicle to make the rooms functional, while also elevating the style,” says Allen, founder and lead designer of MA Allen Interiors.
Allen’s first goal was to better utilize their main living spaces—a series of adjoining rooms—to create a sense of welcome and entry in the absence of a traditional foyer.
With the front room of the home serving as the main entry for both the owners and their visitors, she opted to define it with a more feminine and decorated look, delineating the entry and sitting areas with an antique chest purchased from one of her favorite dealers in Savannah.
“I let the window treatment fabric drive the color scheme. It was love at first sight with this print,” says Allen of the feminine yet edgy Schumacher curtains with a mid-intensity lilac hue and bright pops of pink. She had the couple’s antique chairs painted, reupholstered, and lacquered by Steins Furniture & Lacquer Studio, and commissioned a vibrant piece of custom artwork by Renee Bouchon to energize the space. Blush table lamps by Circa Lighting, custom throw pillows, and soft gray walls continue the feminine colorway.
With the master bedroom just off the living room, Allen pulled pale lavender paint and fabrics to continue the flow, completing the inviting look with ready-made bedding by Peacock Alley, a pair of table lamps by Circa Lighting, and a vintage rug. “I wanted to create a haven, adding warmth through warm wood tones, beautiful burl bedside tables, custom bedding, hand-knotted carpet, and embroidered-print Roman shades,” says the designer.
Part of the addition was the family room with a covered porch off the back. “We explored various furniture plans to achieve balance and allow for traffic flow and openness between indoors and outdoors. The sofa length was critical, so a custom sofa was necessary,” explains Allen. With neutral paint colors already in place, she added color through commissioned pieces of artwork by Laura Deems and Adele Yonchak, bold printed throw pillows, and an upholstered ottoman. Pale aqua drapery with bronze accents, by No.9 Thompson, complements the antique brass hardware and the textured bronze ceramic lamps, creating unity in the space.
“The benefit of knowing someone well is that you already have a sense of their likes and dislikes,” says Allen of the pair, who share their home with their trio of chihuahua-mixes. The result of the friends’ collaboration was a polished yet livable space where the fun-loving couple can both entertain their guests and relax in private. “And the living room is definitely a favorite space,” adds the designer. “If those curtains go missing, they should have an idea where to look!”