This Designer’s Home Was Overwhelmed by Wood Trim—Now It’s Like a Cool Hotel

Meghan Shadrick, founder of Meghan Shadrick Interiors, undertook the redesign of a guest room within a 1970s-era Brewster home, aiming to infuse seaside charm without resorting to typical preppy or clichéd coastal aesthetics. The central element of her design strategy involved curating a gallery wall adorned with vintage stormy seascape paintings. These artworks served as the primary inspiration for the room's color palette, which features a range of moody blues. This intentional selection of art and color was chosen to evoke a sense of calm and to reflect a "kitschy-cool Cape Cod of a bygone era," as described by Shadrick. The design incorporated several key elements to achieve its intended atmosphere. A significant feature is an arched mirror, strategically placed to break the monotony of rectangular windows and to soften the room's angular lines. The mirror's dark brown frame harmonizes with other dark tones present in the space, creating a cohesive visual. Complementing this, a textured navy dresser with silver and gold hardware was chosen to introduce a sophisticated, boutique hotel-like coastal feel. The drapery fabric, The Vale London’s Lily Stripe, offers a contemporary interpretation of a traditional botanical pattern. Shadrick specifically chose lilies over hydrangeas to provide a fresh and distinctive New England character, diverging from more common floral motifs. For the walls and trim, Benjamin Moore’s Floral White paint was selected. This particular shade was chosen for its subtle yellow undertones, which effectively warm up the dark, north-facing room and balance out the cooler color scheme. The collection of vintage paintings, sourced from locations such as the Brimfield Antique Flea Market and Ramble Market, depict 17th- and 18th-century ships on the high seas. These pieces, framed in woodsy brown, were acquired for under $300 each and serve as immediate focal points upon entering the room. Lighting fixtures include lantern sconces from Rejuvenation, which subtly reference the maritime theme. These are paired with distinctive stone side tables from CB2, an unexpected yet fitting tribute to the home's origin. The flooring is anchored by a Nordic Knots flatweave wool rug, featuring a classic yet contemporary checkerboard pattern that adds both stability and energy to the space. An Indian wool blanket from Koredecor introduces a bohemian touch with an Americana-inspired color palette, serving both as a decorative element and a practical item for guests to place luggage on, thus protecting the white bedding. The overall design successfully integrates a unique coastal vibe that avoids common stereotypes, resulting in a restful yet engaging guest room. #InteriorDesign #GuestRoom #CoastalDecor #BrewsterHome #VintageArt #ColorPalette #NewEnglandStyle #HomeTransformation

This article details a recent remodel project undertaken by Studio McGee in Maryland, focusing on transforming a client's childhood home to better suit her young family. The project involved a comprehensive renovation of a Cape Cod-style house, aiming to synthesize the client's long-held dreams for the space with the design team's expertise. The scope of work included significant structural changes, such as moving interior walls, along with the installation of new finishes and the selection of furniture tailored to the client's unique aesthetic. The core challenge and opportunity lay in respecting the home's inherent character and 'good bones' while introducing modern functionality and style. The article emphasizes the collaborative process between the client, who brought a deep personal connection to the house, and the design team, who translated those sentiments into a cohesive design plan. It highlights the importance of balancing preservation with modernization in heritage remodels, ensuring that the updated space feels both fresh and deeply personal. The remodel aimed to create a home that not only accommodates the practical needs of a growing family but also resonates with the client's nostalgic attachment to the property. The project serves as an example of how thoughtful design can update a home for contemporary living while honoring its past. The successful integration of new design elements with existing architectural features demonstrates how interior design can evolve a space without erasing its history, offering valuable insights for individuals considering similar renovation projects. The transformation showcases how a well-executed remodel can breathe new life into a beloved family home, making it suitable for future generations while retaining its cherished heritage. The article implicitly suggests that such projects require careful planning, a deep understanding of the client's vision, and a creative approach to problem-solving, especially when dealing with pre-existing structures and personal attachments to a space. #HomeRemodel #InteriorDesign #HeritageHome #CapeCodStyle #FamilyHome #DesignProcess #ArchitecturalPreservation #Modernization #StudioMcGee

This article features an interview with Betsy Moyer, an interior designer and co-founder of Retreat, where she shares her career journey and five actionable tips to enhance joy in living spaces. Moyer, a serial entrepreneur with a background in creative design and digital content strategy, co-founded The Estate of Things and The Blissfield Acres before launching Retreat in 2020. Retreat specializes in elevated, experiential design for short-term rental properties in the Joshua Tree area, offering services from real estate consultation to interior design. Her professional journey also includes roles as director of digital content strategy for NPR affiliate KCRW and The Design People, and she holds a Bachelor's of Art in History and is pursuing a master's in interior architecture and design. Moyer's passion for home, renovation, and real estate began early in life, leading her to co-launch her interior design and real estate blog, The Estate of Things, in 2008 with Sarah Farrell. This partnership chronicled their efforts in buying, renting, building, renovating, designing, and staging properties, and even included a brick-and-mortar shop. Her collaboration with Kate Shaw, founder of Riley Properties, an Airbnb Investment and Property Management company, naturally evolved into Retreat. Moyer recounts the rapid success of Retreat, noting that they quickly received more inquiries than they could handle after a weekend website launch, indicating a strong market demand for their specialized design services in Joshua Tree. A key lesson Moyer learned early in her career was the importance of balancing client satisfaction with personal well-being, moving from overcommitment to strategic project selection. She emphasizes focusing on enjoyable projects and creating a positive work environment for her team. Currently, Retreat is engaged in an interesting consulting project for new Airbnb construction and an exciting landmark project involving Kate Shaw's latest property, which will serve as a showcase for Retreat's capabilities. Moyer shares a deeply personal life lesson derived from a Rupi Kaur poem, reflecting on the transformative period of experiencing her daughter's birth, her mother's death from cancer, and her own cancer diagnosis and treatment. This period reshaped her perspective and intensified her drive. She credits Sarah Farrell for significantly influencing her design style and her husband for supporting her pursuit of a master's degree in interior design. The five recommendations Betsy Moyer provides for sparking more joy in a living space are: organizing the kitchen with beautiful storage, investing in high-quality bedding and mattresses, thoughtfully considering lighting, ensuring every item has an assigned place, and developing a cohesive space plan, 'vibes guide,' and color scheme. She believes these elements contribute significantly to creating a healthy and joyful home environment. Moyer concludes by proposing a movement centered on wellness in home design, advocating for spaces that support mental and physical health. She also expresses a desire to meet or work with Elon Musk, admiring his innovative spirit and skills, and jokingly suggests he hire her for his vacation home in Joshua Tree, CA. #InteriorDesign #HomeDecor #Entrepreneurship #Lifestyle #WellnessInDesign #AirbnbDesign #RetreatHome #SmallBusiness #JoyfulLiving

The Designer Show House, a biennial event sponsored by the Village Improvement Association in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, showcases diverse interior and exterior design inspirations across its 6,000 square feet of space and nearly an acre of outdoor areas. This event serves as a platform for regional designers to present their expertise and offers visitors a wealth of ideas for their own homes. One featured space is a sunken living room, designed by Kate FitzGerald-Wilks of Timeless Design in Landenberg, Pennsylvania. This room embodies a West Indies aesthetic, characterized by bold lines, soft sandy hues, and rich textures. Key elements include vintage stick bamboo chairs painted black, adorned with Kuba cloth and Ralph Lauren zebra-stripe pillows on a slipcovered camel-backed sofa. A mid-century hutch is repurposed as a cocktail bar, complemented by sculptural metal and glass console tables flanking the fireplace. Wood mirrors with faux tortoise shell lean against textured wallpaper, while modern sculptures and art blend with antique books and global treasures. FitzGerald-Wilks also designed the dining room, aiming for a dramatic effect with a backdrop of 200 wine bottles and a striking Dolcetti chandelier crafted from shells and crystals, evoking sea glass. An 8-foot-long reclaimed wine rack sits atop a buffet. The room's color palette consists of soft creams and tans, punctuated by emerald green accents in the chandelier and wine bottles. Windows are framed with woven ikat print panels. An airy sunroom, conceived by Alfred Wolf Home (a new venture from Design Center of Rehoboth or DCOR), was designed to create a light-filled, contemporary transition between the house and garden. This involved removing existing French doors and window grills, painting the room in various shades of white and French gray-green, and incorporating textural elements of white canvas, iron, and marble. The family room, also by DCOR, maintained the warmth of its original paneling and fireplace stone, setting the foundation for a soft khaki and cream palette. The room is furnished with herringbone, tweed, and leather fabrics, offset by tortoise shell wood finishes and local tidal scene artwork. Mary Stewart of M. Stewart Interiors in Bear designed the upstairs hobby room, named "Just Us," intended as a shared family space for various pastimes like painting, photography, reading, chess, and Lego building. The room features updated cherished family heirlooms and is painted simply white to highlight paintings by Nadia Zychal. Nile Johnson of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, designed the second-floor paneled library, drawing inspiration from Rehoboth's laid-back yet cosmopolitan atmosphere. This space offers an updated interpretation of a classic library, decorated in layers of sandy tans. Cyndi and Ron Oronzio and Cathie Sheetz of Dreamweaver Interiors of Rehoboth Beach decorated a bedroom and bath, inspired by vibrantly patterned fabrics. They utilized Robert Allen fabrics as wallpaper for an accent wall, building the room's design around this print. The team selected fabrics for their depth, crisp patterns, contrasting textures, and detailed embroidery, incorporating a bright coral pink accent color and rhinestone embellishments for a feminine touch. Brenda Carder of blcINTERIORS of Rehoboth Beach designed a small guest bedroom, combining natural cotton and linen fabrics with metal and reclaimed wood. Crown moldings add formality. To compensate for limited sunlight, the room was kept light and bright, with a deep navy blue accent wall and touches of bright yellow for warmth. The second floor features art by Libby Zando of Zando Designs and Art Affects in Milton, alongside works by award-winning regional artists. Boardwalk Builders of Rehoboth transformed a hallway into a gallery space by adding wainscot paneling, creating an updated cottage aesthetic that visually broadened the hallway. Mark A. Polo of The Urban Dweller in Boonton, New Jersey, designed the master suite, aiming for comfort with soft textural colors ranging from taupe to blue. The furniture is upholstered to enhance the room's softness, featuring taupe draperies of embroidered sheer linen and silk edged in leather and freshwater pearls. Blonde floors are softened by a long-fiber rug. Outdoors, Erin Walls and Justin Bartels of Bella Terra Landscaping in Lincoln repurposed existing flagstone patios and walkways, adding new stones to create a Celtic-inspired design. The layout divides the space into a grand area for social gatherings and secluded nooks for quiet retreats. Creative Concepts Furniture of Lewes and Ocean View furnished the patios as outdoor rooms with bright coastal colors, including a sectional, loveseat, dining area for six, and lounge chairs, inviting visitors to envision themselves in the setting. #DesignerShowHouse #InteriorDesign #HomeDecor #RehobothBeach #DelawareDesign #LuxuryInteriors #OutdoorLiving #DesignInspiration

This article showcases a single-storey corner terrace house designed by Atelier M+A, which features a distinctive architectural language, particularly a pitched-roof-inspired design that extends from the exterior to the interiors. The design intentionally deviates from the common three-storey structures found in the neighborhood, presenting a minimalist aesthetic. To introduce visual interest within the simple architectural forms, the designers incorporated brick flooring, laid in a herringbone pattern, along the corridor that spans the length of the house, and also on the facade. This material choice adds texture and visual depth to the overall design. The pitched roof design is a central element, emphasized in the living and dining areas through the strategic use of wood outlines that frame a feature wall, display cabinet, TV console, and storage spaces. The combination of white and wood materials contributes to a clean and simple appearance while simultaneously imparting a sense of warmth to the living spaces. The house benefits from abundant natural light, which significantly reduces the need for extensive artificial lighting. As a result, only spotlights are installed to provide illumination during nighttime hours, maintaining a clutter-free and streamlined interior consistent with the minimalist design philosophy. The incorporation of softscaping is another key feature, with strategically placed spots of greenery along the corridor. These elements introduce a calming ambiance and provide subtle splashes of color against the predominantly white interior palette, enhancing the overall living environment. The bedroom is designed to maximize natural light, positioned adjacent to an air well in a corner of the house. This placement ensures ample light without compromising privacy, eliminating the necessity for curtains or blinds. Functionality is also a priority in the bedroom, where full-height wardrobes have been integrated to offer extensive storage solutions. The continued use of a white palette in this area reinforces the bright and minimalist aesthetic observed throughout the house. The design successfully combines architectural uniqueness, material details, natural light optimization, and practical storage solutions to create a cohesive and tranquil single-storey home. #Architect #Architecture #HomeTour #InteriorDesign #Minimalist #Renovation #WhiteAndWood