These days, just like in fashion, homes don’t always need to fall into one particular style or another. Mix and match is where it’s at, as long as the design is thoughtful. Interior designer Katie DeRario, of Hart & Lock Design, took on a redo of this Milton, Georgia home outside of Atlanta. The goal: Remodel the first floor of this circa-1986 Colonial house for builder (and homeowner) Corey Regan of Trademark Building Company and his family. “We modernized the house, but it’s not a typical modern farmhouse,” says Katie. “We kept some of the more intricate moldings throughout but also added modern molding in the dining room and family room, for instance.”
Reflecting the family’s love of the outdoors, rooms have a lot of wood and nature-inspired colors. The living room is an eye-catching example, with green accents, painted windows, leathered granite fireplace surround, and buffalo artwork. “The homeowners connected with the subtle strength and calming feeling of the buffalo, and we never looked back,” says Katie. “We started referring to her as Beatrice, and we would say, ‘The fabric on the windows will complement Beatrice nicely.’”
Buffalo artwork from Wendover Art is just one focal point in this lively family room, distinguished by a new custom mantel on the fireplace and cozy window seats. Designer Katie DeRario chose Cascade Green by Sherwin-Williams as an accent color to play off the brass accents.
Window sashes are painted a deep bronze color to give them dimension. “We softened the space with relaxed Roman shades and velvet box cushions,” says the designer. “The rest of the family room has lots of textures, such as a rich brown leather sofa, custom linen deep-seated chairs, cowhide ottomans, metal tables, and an ultra-rich plush rug.”
The team started from scratch in the kitchen, gutting existing cabinetry and moving elements around for better space-planning. Its off-white cabinets may share a look with modern farmhouse style, but this project went beyond white. “We incorporated stained doors on the pantry/oven area, as well as the legs on the island and band around the bottom of the hood, to keep a rich, warm feeling,” says Katie. “The sink isn’t your traditional white ceramic farm sink but rather a dark concrete apron front that added another layer of texture.”
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As part of the smart space-planning in the kitchen, barstools (made of rope to introduce an interesting texture, from Orient Express) are facing each other along the island, rather than all in a row.
Kitchen cabinets painted a warm white (Westhighland White by Sherwin-Williams) are accented by wood accents on the hood and pass-through shelf.
Sconces rather than pendant lights allow the kitchen to have uninterrupted views.
Gray subway tiles bring in another layer of interest at the kitchen windows.
White oak cabinets were stained rather than painted on one side of the kitchen as a natural feature.
For homeowner — and builder — Cory Regan’s home office, sliding doors with “chinchilla glass” (full of curvy lines) allow the light to come in, but still offer privacy.
“To continue the rich, natural theme in the house, we painted the wainscoting and grasscloth in Cory’s home office navy while leaving the crown molding and window casing the original mahogany,” says Katie. One side of the shelves includes a wet bar with an aged-brass faucet and sink. The desk and chairs are from Four Hands.
A map of Milton (a suburb of Atlanta) is both decorative and practical for the homebuilder. A nubby rug from Loloi fits the masculine space.
The sunroom has been an Instagram hit. It retains some formality of the old colonial house (such as the arched, fluted doors) but has a lighter color palette and plenty of texture in the form of a hide rug, leather chair and brick floor. The designer gets why people are charmed by a modern farmhouse look but feels like that’s just the beginning. “People are drawn to a modern farmhouse style because it’s simple and approachable, yet nostalgic,” says Katie. “Fortunately, it’s easy to mix other styles into the design and still have a uniform canvas.”
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New box trim in the dining room accentuates the whimsical bird wallpaper from Milton & King. Katie furnished the room with a large farmhouse table, velvet green chairs along with chairs in a mix of fabrics. The chandelier is by Arteriors.
“It was so much fun to brighten and design this porch,” says Katie. “We went with Snowbound by Sherwin-Williams to paint the brick walls, and then steamed and scrubbed the brick floors to get them back to their original beauty.” A sofa by Four Hands and hide rug from Loloi warm up the brick floors.
See more Hart & Lock projects and meet Katie’s team of talented designers at hartandlock.com. All photography by David Cannon Photography.
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