CINDY AND GREG WELLS had one request: windows. Lots of them. “It was easily our biggest criteria,” says Cindy of their new home on the coastline of Lake Norman. “We wanted windows, floor to ceiling, throughout the home.” The couple was moving from Texas, and with the home being their first new construction build, they were a bit like fish out of water. So they hired architect Mara Ludwig of Mara Ludwig Design to draw up the plans for their new home.
The Wellses, though, knew they would also need help with the interior design, and after an exhaustive online search, they enlisted designer Amy Lee of Artistic Interiors to bring their vision to fruition. Lee hit the ground running, utilizing her innate eye for design to tweak the plans to create a more pleasing overall aesthetic. “The architect had drawn up the plans, but they were still in the phase where I could come in and rearrange some of the interior architecture,” explains Lee. “I got involved heavily with that.”
A change to the kitchen layout was the designer’s first task, along with smoothing out the ceiling transitions from space to space so it was less choppy and more seamless. The addition of custom cabinetry on the side wall coupled with a hidden entry to the scullery was just one such edit that transformed the kitchen into an elevated, modern space for everyday living and entertaining.
When it came to the interior design, though, Lee looked to the Wellses for inspiration. “They really gave me the ability to start from scratch,” explains the designer. “Their previous home had more of a rustic vibe. But Cindy is a spunky, classy lady. She has such great energy and is so fun, so I wanted to create a space that reflected that a bit. I wanted to give her ‘refined bling’ but still make it feel classic and sophisticated and not overdone.”
Lee set to work incorporating subtle details such as metallic touches and gold accents throughout that provide just the right amount of “bling” for her fun-loving clients. With the expansive windows already providing ample light in each space, Lee was able to capitalize on that by incorporating delicate touches that modernized the home. In the kitchen, she added a glazed clay brick with gold accent by Soho Studio Co. as well as an antique burnished brass chandelier, which offers a more rustic metallic touch. In the owner’s bedroom, an Oly Studio chandelier boasts a gold finish.
But Lee’s design was as much about color as it was about bringing in modern touches via metallic accents. Though not omnipresent in the home’s design, small but powerful pops of color are layered throughout, adding just another level to the already playful but contemporary design. “I tried to keep it to one true pop of color in each room,” she says. In the piano room, there are the turquoise draperies, while the owner’s bedroom features a flocked wallpaper by Romo. “That color just gives it that fresh and light feeling, too.”
The home has become a gathering place for the couple and their grown children and families, all of whom come to visit for a family gathering every Fourth of July. Not only is the home a reflection of the Wellses, but it also provides them with a space that’s comfortable and livable yet sophisticated in its design. “We can gather here as a large extended family and be comfortable,” says Cindy. “You always hear that when you build a home it can be one of the most stressful times. But with Amy, it was seamless and so easy. Whenever we didn’t know what to do or what to choose, she stepped in and helped. This home turned out beautifully!”