CLAIRE AND DAVID POWERS were on the same page about a lot of things when they moved from Washington, DC, to Wilmington, North Carolina, but the one thing that was most important to both of them was to be closer to family. The couple was ready to embrace a slower pace and to build a home for their three young children in a quiet, safe neighborhood. They longed to be near the water, and they wanted their new Craftsman home to vibe with the geography.
As decor goes, however, they needed help merging their two different design styles. That’s where Sara Swabb of Storie Collective entered the scene. “David has more of a classic, contemporary, modern aesthetic, whereas Clare really veers toward the traditional,” says the designer.
Swabb’s solution was to let their new home’s natural environment inspire the materials and color palette. “When picturing our home, my initial inclination was to have a much whiter space, but I am surprised how much I love all the color we used throughout,” reflects Clare. “It is very subtle and may look all white to someone else, but the color palette is so intentional and brings so much depth to each space.”
Swabb knew that by looking to the outside to lay the decor groundwork, they’d find balance in their design preferences. Their dining room is a perfect example. Swabb chose a wallpaper by Serena & Lily with a repeating palm-leaf motif, “a natural pattern with a strong graphic appeal, and we used a linen floor-to- ceiling drapery that adds a subtle softness to the space.” In the family room, the built-in incorporates a weathered oak stain meant to mimic coastal driftwood—an aesthetic repeated throughout the home, both in the kitchen and in the beams in their bedroom and hearth room. “Clare really wanted a kid-friendly home,” says Swabb, “so we paired high and low price points to make it budget- and kid-friendly.”
In the family room, for example, a plush sofa with a charcoal fabric is paired with a midcentury-modern chair from Target. “And instead of a sharp-edged coffee table, we chose a soft, rounded ottoman,” she says. As a designer, Swabb always strives to balance two principles—honoring the function of each room in a home and honoring the lifestyle of the families who live there. She explains, “Clare and David’s three children are five and younger, and Clare wanted to be able to stand at one point and see all the kids at the same time. To do that, you need quite an open floor plan. There are ways to achieve that while creating defined,
intimate spaces.”
Instead of traditional rectangular doorways reflected in the builder’s original design, Swabb incorporated high arches that delineated spaces while allowing for easy visibility and movement. “The arch separating the kitchen and dining room serves as an architectural detail that gives the mind and the eye a clue that the spaces are separated,” she explains. Additionally, an arched doorway from the mudroom to the laundry room, where a graphic wallpaper by Rebecca Atwood hangs, made the rooms feel distinct, even though there’s a smooth transition with the slate flooring.
Throughout the home, particularly in the mudroom and the kitchen, Swabb helped Clare identify storage challenges and solutions. In the mudroom, each family member got a locker, complete with lots of upper and lower storage for out-of-season clothing and equipment. “That way she could keep it all in one central location,” says Swabb.
And to design the kitchen, Swabb and Clare walked through a typical day-in-the-life of the Powers family. “We talked about her inventory—the things she has and the things she actually uses. We tweaked the builder’s design based on how Clare wants to live in the space, drawer by drawer.”
Swabb helped Clare conclude that lower drawers could be stocked with storage tools—things like peg mechanisms, spice storage, drawers for cups and spacers—so that she could forgo the upper cabinets for open shelving, allowing her to display special items and have a sense of openness that would add light and air to the space.
Without upper cabinets, the counter-to-ceiling backsplash, hand-formed from a glazed terra-cotta tile, takes center stage. “The finish reminds me of seashells,” says Swabb. It’s the perfect amount of richness and depth that ensures the coastal vibes are respected, but not overwhelming—exactly what the Powers wanted to achieve when they enlisted Swabb’s help. “The kitchen is probably my favorite space, and really, the general open first level where we spend all our time,” says Clare. “While living the wild reality of raising three little boys, I love being in such a beautiful and calm space.”