JEWLERY DESIGNER Erin McDermott White has collected tear sheets and clippings from various shelter and fashion magazines for as long as she can remember, placing them safely in a binder of inspiration. McDermott White was constantly searching for new visions of her next line of jewelry but also for her own home. “I’m an old school magazine girl,” she laughs. “Anytime I have a moment to myself, it’s all about thumbing through magazines. For years, each time I’m inspired by something, I have torn it out and put it in my binder.”
After McDermott White and her husband Bryan had their third child, the couple began looking for a larger home that could accommodate their gowing family while also giving McDermott White space for her eponymous jewelry brand. A stroke of luck and a call from a friend led them to a home underway in Myers Park built by Gerrard Builders and designed by architectural designer Frank Smith. The home was in its infancy, allowing the Whites to choose finishes and put their personal touch into the design. It was McDermott White’s opportunity to open her beloved binder brimming with interior design, art, and architecture ideas, and bring them to life.
Having worked with designers Erin Dougherty and Bryn Dunn of Isabella on her previous residence, McDermott White knew she wanted them to design her new interiors. Unbeknownst to her, McDermott White would be getting triple the design help, as designer Amanda Swaringen of Carolina Design Associates (CDA) was already working with Gerrard Builders on the home. Swaringen soon teamed up with Dougherty and Dunn to bring the couple’s dream home to fruition with the CDA designer heading up the architectural details and finishes and Dougherty and Dunn leading the interior design efforts. “The partnership with Amanda was amazing,” says Dougherty. “We really collaborated to bring this beautiful, modern home to life for Bryan and Erin.”
McDermott White’s binder spilled over with inspiration for the designers, all of whom came to the same conclusion about the home’s interior design after seeing the jewelry designer’s tear sheets, swatches, and more: a modern, casual California vibe with pops of color and lots of artwork. “With three young children and my business, my life is busy and chaotic,” laughs McDermott White. “I wanted my home to be a place of calm so when I finished work I could come home and feel relaxed.” Serene white oak floors and white walls gave way to striking pieces of art by artist and dear college friend of McDermott White, Kiki Slaughter. When Dougherty, Dunn, and McDermott White chose a wallpaper, Swaringen was able to color coordinate the cabinetry color for a seamless look. Likewise, as Swaringen chose tile for spaces such as the bathrooms, Dougherty and Dunn were able to coordinate wallcoverings. “The teamwork was on point throughout this entire project,” says Swaringen.
“With this house I really wanted to flex my creativity,” says McDermott White. “I’ve been collecting art, fabric swatches, and pieces of paper since high school, from traveling or things that reminded me of our travels, and I wanted this home to be a place where I could display those things I loved.” In the kitchen, a niche was designed to prominently display a piece of art depicting the California coast. A swatch of wallpaper by Rebecca Atwood that McDermott White had saved for more than a decade was eventually hung in the dining room. Her parents’ tickets from Woodstock are matted and framed in a unique tortoiseshell frame on her bookshelf. For McDermott White, her binder not only inspired the interior design choices but also gave meaning to every piece.
As two years have passed since the couple moved in, McDermott White smiles at how chaotic her home is most days with three kids under the age of eight. “Our home had to be very kid-friendly,” she laughs. Ultimately, it is, but it’s also a beautifully designed space where she and Bryan can relax, their kids can cuddle on the couch, and they can all feel at ease. Looking back through her binder, McDermott White beams. “Our house is exactly what I was collecting for all of those years.”