Native Charlottean Berkeley Minkhorst, half of House of Nomad design studio, has grown up around the beautiful and classic older homes midtown has to offer. The walkability and charm are irresistible, and the plethora of homes begging to be updated or redesigned is just icing on the cake. So when Minkhorst and her husband, Diek, decided to move from uptown to Myers Park, they charted a marathon day looking at seven available homes. Feeling a little discouraged by their search, they pulled up to the last house of the day and, upon walking in, knew it was the one.
“We looked for something that was approachable, something smaller, and wanted a yard because we had planned on getting a dog,” Minkhorst recalls. “When we walked in, we fell in love with the old bones and immediately had a vision for opening up the space. We put an offer in that night.” Aside from some updated appliances and flooring in one bathroom, the home was just as charming and original as it was in the 1940s—which meant choppy rooms and very little light. The first order of business for Minkhorst was removing a tree in the front yard that was blocking all the potential light that could pour into the home. In the new, brighter spaces, Minkhorst chose airy grays and whites to reflect the light and make it feel more open.
From there, the small half bath was modified to be part of a bigger master bathroom. “We extended the small bath into the kitchen nook to create a large bathroom as well as a closet,” Minkhorst explains. “We love to travel and cook together,” she continues, “so the kitchen was the next obvious update for us.” Subsequently, the walls between the kitchen, dining room, and sunroom were all removed, and a lower, outer floor was raised to create a bar space. “Since we lost the kitchen nook for the master bath, we wanted to add an area where we could have a casual meal and something that was functional for entertaining,” Minkhorst says. With the help of a contractor, the couple took an old screened-in back entrance and transformed it into a dining area surrounded by windows, and it’s now one of their favorite rooms in the home. “What were four smaller rooms became our airy, open kitchen and dining, and we just love it.”
With an aesthetic that is both modern and eclectic but with a global influence, Minkhorst filled their new home with things they loved. As co-founder of House of Nomad, her design influence can be seen in most of their projects. “House of Nomad was founded on the idea that travel fosters the best kind of creativity and brings a fresh approach to interior design,” she says. “The result is authentic, inspired spaces at the intersection of love of home and love of travel.”
After living in the home for five years and identifying the things that make their daily life function, the Minkhorsts are still designing pieces here and there. The kitchen and bathroom renovation was completed in 2016, and the primary design phase was finished this spring. “The most challenging aspect of the project was trying to figure out how to best combine the weird kitchen space with four small rooms,” Minkhorst says. “That was also the biggest reward, because it works beautifully for entertaining, has good storage, and is the perfect space for cooking together.”
Minkhorst laughs, saying, “Maybe the more challenging part was living in the home during renovation—three months of no kitchen and adapting to bathroom situations in a small home. We wouldn’t recommend that again!”
When it came time to layer and accessorize, the couple was on the same page about creating a relaxed, functional, and well-traveled space. It didn’t hurt that Minkhorst’s husband was at ease, trusting her opinion. “In the living room, you can see both of us,” she says. “He got an oversized coffee table and sofa, and I went for the black and white console—one of my faves!” The pair incorporated a few family heirlooms as well, including a pair of demilunes that belonged to her parents and two burl-wood tray tables from her mother-inlaw’s home in London.
Purchases from global travels dot every corner of the home, reminding Minkhorst of corners of the world as well—including design trips with her partner, Kelley Lentini. The dining room rug, for example, took hours to find in a shop in Marrakech—she knew what she was looking for, and when she came across the green Moroccan, she knew it was the perfect piece. Minkhorst and her husband brought the collection of baskets on the wall home after a trip to Zimbabwe. And since her favorite element of design is texture, you can be certain her home is full of it.
How refreshing to see a home so closely personal and authentic to the ones living in it—a goal we can all agree is worth striving toward.