Farmhouse Fresh

The first unit of the 2017 Serenbe Designer Showhouse makes an impact with streamlined style and eye-catching elements

Kitchen  //   Jena Salmon, Kay Design Studios and Mathews Furniture + Design

This unit’s kitchen was designed to be “a soft take on contemporary,” explains Jena Salmon, the interior designer who selected the finishes for the showhouses. For this unit, she collaborated with Kay and Jamie Chung of Kay Design Studio to create the room’s many attractive components: Tall, narrow cabinet doors and deep drawers, for instance, are outfitted with the award-winning German Hettich system, which helps users get the most storage and efficiency out of the space. Nickel bar hardware offers a streamlined silhouette, and the island is topped with durable Neolith. The space was dressed up further with white-glass ceiling pendants, bamboo barstools and antique paintings added by Don Easterling and Nina Nash. In a final stroke of genius, Kay Design Studio installed a flat-screen TV against the vent hood, creating a the ultimate convenience in keeping with the kitchen’s streamlined style.

CUSTOM CABINETRY Kay Design Studio CABINETRY SYSTEM Hettich ALL APPLIANCES Jenn-Air ISLAND COUNTERTOP Neolith PERIMETER COUNTERTOP Compac COUNTERTOP FABRICATION Miami Circle Marble ALL TILE AND PLUMBING Porcelanosa BAMBOO BARSTOOLS McGuire through Mathews Furniture + Design BRONZE AND WHITE-GLASS CEILING PENDANTS Xavier by Ralph Lauren through Mathews Furniture + Design PORCELAINS Mathews Furniture + Design


Living Room  //  Don Easterling and Nina Nash, Mathews Furniture + Design

The living room started with the designers’ shared love of textiles and travel, melding global influences. Nina Nash and Don Easterling of Mathews Furniture + Design took cues from Kit Kemp’s bohemian English boutique hotel concepts. “It’s about blending timeless pieces with daredevil design,” Nash says. “We wanted an eclectic rendition of a classic English style.” Easterling was eager to accessorize with his collection of English antiques, including a gilded sunburst clock, framed pastoral paintings and blue-and-white porcelains. The room is defined by its mix of old and new, from the reproduction French Moderne coffee table and faux-palm floor lamp to a colorful antique Turkish kilim and an Indo-British armchair draped with a sumptuous sheepskin. Sister Parish window treatments and indigo Christopher Spitzmiller gourd lamps frame a green velvet sofa, which inspired the abstract commission by Nashville artist Kayce Hughes. The bold fabric reappears on pillows in the dining nook, where a fringed Oscar de la Renta settee (topped with an indigo Bunny Williams Home throw) sidles up to custom Hickory Chair table with metal-wrapped legs.

SOFA Hickory Chair, upholstered in Schumacher, through Mathews Furniture + Design ANTIQUE TURKISH KILIM Moattar, Ltd. DRAPERY FABRIC Sister Parish through Travis & Company PAINTING ABOVE FIREPLACE Kayce Hughes through Mathews Furniture + Design COFFEE TABLE Suzanne Kasler for Hickory Chair OSCAR DE LA RENTA FRINGED SETTEE AND CUSTOM HICKORY CHAIR ROUND TABLE AND LEATHER CHAIRS Mathews Furniture + Design


Master Suite  //  Chris Holt, Holt Interiors

For a master bedroom with a vaulted ceiling and modest proportions, designer Chris Holt created a showstopping canopy by draping a bed from his retail store, Noah J. & Co., with an S. Harris fabric in a serene blue. “I took sort of a fresh country approach,” says Holt, who was heavily influenced by Serenbe. The Lee Jofa chintz of the pillow fabric informed the color scheme of this layered, sophisticated space, and every design decision relates back to nature, be it through patterns, artwork or plenty of fresh greenery. Located just off the bedroom is a covered porch boasting pair of “big, comfy chairs” woven from a weather-ready polymer, plus an easy-care Couristan rug. Anchoring the retreat is a chartreuse-stained cypress cabinet by Kay Design Studio.

ALL FURNITURE AND ACCESSORIES Noah J. & Co. WOOD-LOOK SHOWER WALL Neolith PLUMBING Porcelanosa FRAMED PHOTOGRAPH Noah J. & Co.  CABINETRY Kay Design Studio APPLIANCES Jenn Air ACCESSORIES Noah J. & Co. WOVEN OUTDOOR CHAIRS St. Barts by Kingsley Bate GLAZED GARDEN SEATS Emissary INDOOR-OUTDOOR RUG Couristan VINTAGE AFGHAN POTTERY Scott Antique Market


Guest Bedroom  //  Jennifer Healey, J. Healey Interiors

Jennifer Healey had previously visited Serenbe for a family trip, so she was well poised to interpret the needs of a visitor to the bucolic destination. “I really connected to the site, how natural and relaxing it felt,” says the designer, who knew immediately she wanted to incorporate one of Charleston artist Lulie Wallace’s feminine fabrics into the space. A wildflower print (coincidentally named Georgia) was canopied over a rattan daybed. An antique writing desk and lightweight stools and tables can be easily moved around as needed. The color palette stemmed from the clay pigments in a Karina Gentinetta abstract, and while the array of oranges gives the room a welcome vibrancy, these hues were a departure for Healey, who ordinarily opts for neutrals. To keep the overall look earthy, she employed shades of forest and Kelly green. Old and new intermingle via an antique planter atop a Lucite pedestal, while Healey’s go-to animal prints, such as the zebra-print carpet, ground her space in the classics.

CANOPY AND SCONCE SHADE FABRIC Georgia by Lulie Wallace through Travis & Company CANOPY TRIM Samuel and Sons through Ainsworth-Noah WORKROOM Hope Arbery Interiors RATTAN DAYBED Serena & Lily ANTIQUE MIRROR A. Tyner Antiques ZEBRA-PRINT RUG Eve and Staron Studio CHANDELIER Stray Dog Designs BRASS-AND-MARBLE DESK LAMP Arteriors CASHMERE BLANKET Hermès FAUX BOIS IRON TABLE B.D. Jeffries ARMCHAIR FABRIC Kerry Joyce through Grizzel & Mann EYELET SHEET SET, Anthropologie


Office  //  Anna Wooten Loggins, A. Wooten Interiors

With its neutral palette, clever combination of curves—coming from the dark cowhide rug and swooping linen armchair—and straight lines seen in the collection of framed art and striated grass cloth walls, Anna Wooten Loggins’ concept for the office easily accommodates both masculine and feminine leanings. The choice of wall texture was a natural one for the designer, as it lent depth to the small room. An oversize lantern grounds the tall ceiling, while a Schumacher textile with a slight nod to ’70s Bargello adds oomph to the window treatments via the wavy motif. These shapes are repeated in a pair of ceramic lamps accenting the Holland & Company antique table, where stylish accessories range from a shagreen box to an artful iron bowl the designer filled with paper clips. Perhaps most intriguing is her choice of lumbar pillow textile—a mix of zigzags, lines and dots from Quadrille. Says Loggins: “I liked that it was tone-on-tone, kind of a play of lines within itself.”

GRASS CLOTH Thibaut ANTIQUE TABLE Holland & Company FRAMED ART Townhouse by Robert Brown DESK ACCESSORIES B.D. Jeffries and designer’s own WINDOW TREATMENT FABRIC Richter by Schumacher LARGE ABSTRACT (NOT SHOWN): Holly Addi through Gregg Irby Gallery PILLOW FABRIC Tie Dye  by Quadrille WHITE CERAMIC LAMPS & HANGING LANTERN Circa Lighting


Rear Porch  //  Three Coins Cast  

Susie Powell of Three Coins Cast cultivated a communal retreat on the townhome’s rear porch, which overlooks the treetops of Serenbe’s Mado neighborhood. “I created an entertaining and dining area where homeowners could enjoy eating a meal, having a cocktail or gathering for conversation,” says Powell. Inspired by Mado’s European leanings, she outfitted the area with the company’s Outdoor Windsor Collection, which includes the historical chairs in solid cast aluminum.


Ground Floor Powder & Hall  //  Patrick and Meghan Sharp, Mister + Mrs Sharp

Tackling two of the home’s tiniest spaces was, for husband-and-wife duo Patrick and Meghan Sharp, about making maximum impact. The eye darts almost immediately to the Schumacher Iconic Leopard wallpaper wrapping the hall’s walls. “Navy is a little wild for us—definitely our boldest color,” Patrick explains. “But we found it worked really well with the gray.” After turning a built-in niche into an elegantly appointed bar, they poised a carved-wood knife holder from William Word Fine Antiques upon a simple white pedestal, giving the room its pièce de résistance. The adjacent powder room proffered an equally chic foundation for the pair’s style, with its Jena Salmon–selected striped Porcelanosa tile that takes on the appearance of grass cloth. The Sharps accented this motif via a mirror with the perfect proportions for the sink beneath. “We loved the traditional nature of taxidermy against this modern tile,” notes Patrick, who loves the nod to the wildlife beyond the French doors. “You can’t drive out of this neighborhood at 7 o’clock in the morning without seeing deer.”

POWDER ROOM PLUMBING AND TILE Porcelanosa MIRROR Hollywood Queen Anne mirror by Miles Redd for Ballard Designs SOAP AND LOTION Little Barn Apothecary WALLPAPER Iconic Leopard by Schumacher ANTIQUE ENGLISH MAHOGANY KNIFE HOLDER William Word Fine Antiques ACCESSORIES ON BAR Bungalow Classic and B.D. Jeffries DECANTERS AND UTENSILS Dixon Rye BARWARE Williams-Sonoma Home ABACA RUG (NOT SHOWN) Patterson Flynn Martin


European Elegance

The second unit of the 2017 Serenbe Designer Showhouse is a study in warm textures and sophisticated touches, borrowing influence from its European-inspired neighborhood

Written by Claire Ruhlin

Guest Suite  //  Michele Gratch and Julie Montgomery, Montgomery Gratch Interiors

Julie Montgomery and Michele Gratch cultivated a sense of sophisticated ease in this comfortable guest suite, which encompassed a hallway, a bedroom and bath, and the home’s laundry room. “We wanted the space to feel gender neutral with an eclectic mix of items that would appeal to anyone,” says Gratch. Organic and vintage elements such as antique books mix with touches of glam, including a custom daybed upholstered in a jewel-toned crushed-velvet fabric. Riding boots and landscape artwork nod to Serenbe’s pastoral landscape.

WOOD BENCH, MARBLE TRAY, PERSIAN RUG & APOTHECARY JAR SET Montgomery Gratch Interiors BOOTS Westside Market HALLWAY RUG Dash & Albert through Codarus FRAMED ANTLERS Holland & Company EASEL & OWL ARTWORK Mathews Furniture + Design LOUNGE RUG Moattar, Ltd. GOLD CHAIRS Selamat Designs at Steve McKenzie’s 


Master Suite  //  Teri Duffy, T. Duffy & Associates

Interior designer Teri Duffy borrowed elements from the European style of Serenbe’s Manor Homes at Mado for the master suite, which blends antique treasures, contemporary artwork and rich textures for a look that’s layered yet fresh. “Mado’s architectural setting of a European countryside guided the design towards a collected look reminiscent of the French laissez-faire style,” Duffy says. The designer juxtaposed contemporary artwork with antique finds, including a pair of corbels, a kudu skull and a cast-bronze eagle head. A black-and-white color scheme anchors the space and allowed Duffy to sprinkle in pops of rich blue via a Pakistani rug from Moattar and Benjamin Moore’s Prussian Blue paint on the bathroom cabinets.

BED David Iatesta through Ainsworth-Noah PAKISTANI RUG Moattar, Ltd. BLACK THROW Baker THROW PILLOWS Custom through V Rugs & Home TABLE LAMP Circa Lighting FLOOR LAMP JDouglas KUDU SKULL Jerry Pair TASSEL THROW Kate Spade through T. Duffy & Associates ALL TILE AND PLUMBING Renaissance Tile & Bath CABINETRY Mast Custom Cabinetry COUNTERTOPS Levantina FABRICATION Top Shop Stone LIGHTING Circa Lighting WOOD STOOL B.D. Jeffries  19th CENTURY ENGLISH LANTERN Parc Monceau


Living Room  //  Buffy Ferguson, Elizabeth Ferguson Design, and David Frazier, David Frazier: Architecture + Interiors

Designers Buffy Ferguson and David Frazier envisioned the light-filled living room of this townhouse as a multifunctional space that would allow for entertaining both large and intimate groups. “Our goal was to achieve a space that felt understated yet luxurious,” says Frazier. The design duo broke the room into three distinct areas: one for lounging, one for conversation and one for dining or drinking. With a well-traveled homeowner in mind, Ferguson and Frazier incorporated natural touches such as a vintage zebra-hide rug, an African gemsbok mount and an alpaca throw.

VINTAGE TRIPOD FLOOR LAMP & AFRICAN GEMSBOK Beaux Arts Home BLACKENED-STEEL CONSOLE & HOOP-FRAME LOUNGE CHAIRS David Frazier Collection DRAPERY FABRIC Duralee OUSHAK RUG Persian Point Rugs VINTAGE HIDE RUG The Grinard Collection UPHOLSTERED SOFA Up Country Home ARMCHAIR Holland & Company SCREENS McAlpine Home for MacRae


Kitchen, Breakfast & Ground Floor Powder  //  Jena Salmon, Jena Salmon Designs

Designer Jena Salmon infused the kitchen, breakfast and powder rooms with old-world flair. In the kitchen, Salmon selected a hand-painted tile for the backsplash and hood, and the dark Dutch styling of the kitchen cabinets, created by Mast Custom Cabinets, were influenced by a door the designer had spotted on a trip to Florence, Italy. “I looked at the warmth that [Europeans] have in all of their homes; they all feel very warm and inviting,” she says. Salmon extended this warmth into the breakfast area, cozy nook to enjoy a meal. A comfortable sitting area includes a desk and a pair of plush club chairs, so homeowners can “check emails or sit with a glass of coffee or wine,” Salmon says.

TILE AND PLUMBING Renaissance Tile & Bath COUNTERTOPS Levantina FABRICATION Top Shop Stone APPLIANCES Jenn Air LIGHTING Circa Lighting COUNTER STOOLS Thibaut SHEERS Clarke & Clarke FARM TABLE Roundtree Designs DRAPERY FABRIC Bailey & Griffin CHAIR FABRIC Duralee RUG Stark WALLPAPER Thibaut MIRROR Currey & Co. 


Guest Bedroom  //  Jenn Balcos, Swoox

“My inspiration for a room always begins with the love of a special art piece,” says Jenn Balcos of luxury consignment shop SWOOX. She used artist Todd Alexander’s “I Came to Dance” as her muse for this bedroom. Balcos infused the room with plenty of tactile touches, including a Turkish Ceyhan rug, a mohair stool and a fluffy throw. Anchoring the room is a forged-iron canopy bed by Dessin Fournir, which creates a striking statement alongside a collection of various artworks. “I wanted to show potential clients that you don’t have to have a huge home or tall ceilings for a large, one-of-a-kind piece to look balanced and perfect,” Balcos says.

ALL ITEMS & ACCESSORIES available THROUGH SWOOX


Architectural Design  //  Edwin Rhinehart and Robert Pulliam, Rhinehart Pulliam & Company

Edwin Rhinehart and Robert Pulliam, who have designed a few single-family residences at Serenbe, set out to create a center for the community’s Mado neighborhood that also seamlessly connected its townhouse spaces to the outdoors. The pair drew influence from Swedish architecture, evident in the building’s steeply pitched roofs, dark gray casement windows and white-brick exterior. “European architecture factored into everything,” says Pulliam. “Not only in style, but at a deeper level in how the building functions.”