It’s a beautiful thing when cross-sector partnerships and enthused residents collide in a common goal of revitalizing and rejuvenating their community. And as they say, beauty begets beauty. Nowhere is this more obvious than the Hargett Place Designer Showcase Home in downtown Raleigh, where a collaborative team of local designers and firms turned their unique talents and passion for the area into a benefit for the YMCA’s Southeast Raleigh Project, a Y initiative, seeking to create a YMCA facility, elementary school, and affordable housing on a 32-acre site in the southeastern corridor.
Hargett Place, developed by Hyde Street Holdings, is a new community of 19 luxury rowhomes that strategically links historic Oakwood to downtown Raleigh, offering residents all the amenities of city living with the distinction of historical appeal. The three-story rowhomes boast 1,700 – 2,300 square feet of interior living space with an additional 600 – 1,000 square feet of personal outdoor living space on the ground-level courtyard, as well as a kitchen balcony, two-car tandemparking garage, and a rooftop terrace with sweeping downtown vistas.
The Designer Showcase Home event, created by Trish and John Healy of Hyde Street Holdings, challenged seven local designers to create beautiful, functional spaces through each’s interpretation of the urban living theme in a Hargett Place rowhome. Curated by Kim Shirley, who is responsible for the selections in Hargett Place, the concept was to merge the area’s traditional southern elegance with downtown’s contemporary edge in one cohesive home. Trish Healy says the collaborative effort by neighbors is a positive step in creating a new history for Raleigh. “We wanted to build something that changed the landscape of this city and added to the neighborhood by focusing on local designers, vendors, and collaborators — our neighbors. Hargett Place is kind of likenew-old history, co-written by the people who live and work here.”
Au Natural
Judy Pickett, Design Lines Ltd.
Design inspiration for the open-concept living room, dining room, and kitchen was anchored in the rich tones of charcoal and cobalt of an area rug from Pakistan. Building on a color palette that varied from saturated blues to subtle shades of gray, the draperies and upholsteries were selected to showcase the dramatic black-painted windows, as well as accent the quality of natural light and sprawling urban skyline views. Finishes were kept light and natural with materials that impart practical luxury in the space. “I wanted the interior to embrace the feeling of old meets new, as if pieces had been collected by the homeowner over time. This truly exemplifies our mission of ‘Design That Tells Your Story.’”
History &Humor
Susan Tollefsen, Susan Tollefsen Interiors
Modern vintage was the name of the design game in the powder room and kitchen porch, two smaller areas that needed to pack a substantial, quick punch. She attacked the spaces in full black-and-white mode, adding in bright pops of cobalt, acid yellow, and orange. In the powder room, a bold, geometric print with a nod to Art Deco, white ceramic, lucite, brass, a vintage soap holder, and a bit of pop art give the space an edge. On the kitchen porch, sleek modern furniture is accented with vintage pieces, like a ‘50s-era blue horse planter with fresh succulents and the chrome bar cart and accessories. This mixture of eras is what Tollefsen calls an urban mashup. “I really hate everything to be all new in a space. There needs to be some history and humor present, something that mixes up time periods or even something a little inappropriate to wake up the lookers!”
Form + Function
Pam Blondin and Julie Schmidt, DECO Home
With DECO’s design, the laundry room is no longer a generic place to do mundane housekeeping tasks. Instead, the room kicks it up a notch, becoming a multi-purposed and highly-efficient space that is one-part function and storage and one-part art gallery. A blue sliding barn door makes the space easily accessible, and the bright color adds a happy pop of color to a neutral color palette. A distressed painted metal and natural wood shelving unit offers storage space, as well as a showcase for luxurious textiles and beautiful, unique art pieces from ArtSpace that fit into the small, unexpected places. A stacked washer and dryer maximize the laundry’s limited square footage and provides the needed capacity required to handle the homeowner’s needs. “We are constantly inspired by smart design and love pieces that are both beautiful and functional.”
Glam Meets Comfort
Martha Schneider, La Maison
“What is great style without great ease?” Martha Schneider’s formula for design success is where beauty meets functionality – a passion evident in the Showcase Home’s master suite, where a fresh color palette of neutrals, rich navy, and vibrant orange give the space an uber cool downtown feel. The ivory cable knit rug lays the groundwork for layers of textural details like the navy velvet headboard, navy grasscloth dresser and leather chair, beautiful Belgian linen bedding, orange pony hair bench, and glamorous gold light fixtures. Original artwork by American Master Marin Sumers and European artist Peter Kiel, displayed above the bed and dresser respectively, were handpicked to create a one-of-a-kind design. In the adjoining master bath, a soft blue paint color was chosen to compliment the Carrera marble used in the spa setting, and original art in the aqua nude watercolors imparts artistic flair for the homeowner each morning."
Urban Funk
Katherine Connell, Katherine Connell Interior Design
Clean lines and an efficient use of space was the basis of the guest bedroom and bath. Katherine Connell sought to embrace the theme of urban elegance, transforming the space into a stylish but funky retreat. “My main objective was to maximize the square footage, selecting pieces scaled to fit the room’s size that also offered the most efficient use of the space,” Connell says. The suite’s design was grounded in the bright orange overdyed rug and an overall neutral color palette, including a white low profile platform bed with built-in side tables. Two blue X benches at the foot of the bed offer a pop of color as well extra seating. Orange is carried through into the en suite bath’s artist-designed wallpaper, which imparts a whimsical feel in the space. The busy wallpaper offers guests a punchy wow factor against an otherwise serene décor. Pops of gold connect both spaces, appearing in both fixtures and accessories. “Employing hints of terrific colors throughout really allow the design to connect in with the homeowner’s vibe, keeping the design soothing but not wimpy.”
Layered & Lovely
Jeff Snyder, Simon’s House Interiors
For Jeff Snyder, there is a fine line between a well-curated space and a cluttered one, and designing to that truth is a challenge he readily accepts. In designing the studio and courtyard, Snyder wanted to create a warm room that was well-curated and eclectic, representing a mix of traditional and contemporary. “I wanted a space the homeowner would go at the end of the day to unwind so a bar and luxurious seating was a must,” he says. “Detail and depth of layering are important to me because these things can make or break a room.” Snyder began with a warm palette with the colors of sand, cork, champagne, and natural wood then added pops of orange. To enhance the warm colors, he selected brass accents and pieces with organic flow and then contrasted that with the placement of a few chrome pieces. Faux fur toss pillows and Venetian plaster wallpaper on the ceiling impart incredible texture in the design, while the velvet sofa covering offers a luxurious feel contrasting with the casual linen and leather on the accent chairs.
Transitional Terrace
Darren Brewer, Homebridge Design
"Homebridge’s rooftop terrace proves that downtown living doesn’t mean saying goodbye to the great outdoors. In fact, the design features multiple functional areas, including places to relax and soak up the sun, chat with friends, or enjoy an al fresco dinner, seamlessly brought together by a rooftop garden, which creates a natural separation between the chaise lounges and other areas. Several different materials were incorporated in the design. The dining table, chairs, and chaise lounges are teak accented with throw pillows covered in Sunbrella fabrics. And chairs in the conversation area are resin composite with Sunbrella cushions. The mostly neutral, earthen palette is accented with pops of color in the fabric choices. Metal and stone composite side tables, decorative planters, and a vegetable garden all add to the organic aesthetic of the terrace, creating an urban oasis high above the city streets with magnificent downtown views. “As in this space, Homebridge often works with neutral palettes, incorporating vibrant pops of interest in fabrics and accessories, in a transitional style that can be customized to any homeowner’s particular tastes.”