TRINITY HOLMES has a penchant for cottagecore aesthetic. “I really love a country living look—lots of antiques, pattern, color,” the designer says. “I’m very big on cozy and collected and making it look like somebody’s lived there. I love antiques. I love to make something feel like it’s not run of the mill.”
When the designer and owner of Circa 34 was presented with the opportunity to assist with the restoration and interior design of her friend’s early 1930s home located on a former tobacco farm outside of Raleigh, she did not hesitate. “I love old homes, things with innate character,” she says.
One of five properties on the land, the home was particularly special to the homeowner. “It was his grandparents’ house and he used to visit them there while growing up, so he really wanted to make this space as special as the memories he has of it,” says Holmes.
Though the home would not be the primary residence for Holmes’s client but rather a charming Airbnb, the goal was the same: salvage the character and existing architectural details of the home while modernizing it with cottagecore interior design elements. “I made some tweaks and changes to the floor plan that was originally designed by my client’s architect,” says Holmes. But she knew that as a short-term rental (and possibly her client’s eventual primary residence years down the road), it needed modern-day amenities such as a separate owner’s suite and a downstairs powder room.
The upstairs attic was cramped, “like a dungeon,” laughs Holmes, who suggested taking the roof off and building up the second floor for a more bright and airy living space with two bedrooms, a full bathroom, and a loft lounge area. Downstairs, the one-time tiny and cramped laundry room was transformed into the kitchen, and the home’s original wood ceilings were either salvaged or repurposed. And for the ultimate farmhouse aesthetic, a large wraparound porch was added to the home’s exterior. “Those changes really transformed this home into something special,” she says.
The interior design, though, is where Holmes went to work pulling together a classic modern country living aesthetic with various plaids and ginghams coupled with antiques, millwork, and reimagined pieces that feel rustic and charming at once. The kitchen showcases Holmes’s knack for reinvention; the dining table is a place to gather for meals and entertaining, but it also doubles as a kitchen island, where she transformed an old barn door into the surface. A weathered bench from SuzAnna’s Antiques in Rolesville slips underneath, allowing for more space. A gingham wallpaper by McGee & Co. coupled with the beadboard backsplash and oversized farmhouse sink add to the cottagecore vibe.
Throughout the home, small touches of old with new, antique with modern, are subtle but combine for massive impact. Now updated, the home imparts a cozy, charming feel and is the ultimate welcoming place to gather— exactly what Holmes’s client wanted for his guests at the property. “That’s easily the best compliment my client keeps getting—that the house feels like a home,” she says.