Modern Embrace: Expansive Interiors Balance Modernity with a Sense of Warmth

Just outside of Charlotte, North Carolina, designer Susan Hill worked with a couple on a new build house, but they barely had to move since they bought the lot next door. While they stayed physically close, they traveled far outside their style comfort zone. “They came from a very traditional space,” Hill says. “The wife asked for a house that was light and airy, and the husband only asked that it not feel cold.” Hill, who owns an eponymous design firm in Charlotte, leaned into clean lines and lots of white but also texture and wood so the house felt warm and inviting.

In the kitchen, Hill started with the cabinet design and layout to ensure that the space worked for entertaining as well as when it was just the couple at home. Once she’d decided on white oak for the cabinetry, using Cambria’s Ironsbridge quartz design was an easy decision. “Cambria is probably my go-to because it’s such a high quality product,” Hill says. “And Ironsbridge works with a lot of different colors. It’s warm, but it’s not really gray and it’s not really brown; it’s a nice neutral that works with a lot of different aesthetics.”

The quartz stone backdrop rises uninterrupted from counter to ceiling with open shelves and sconces symmetrically placed on either side of the range hood. “I didn’t want that space to feel cluttered,” Hill explains. “As much as I love tile, it just didn’t work with this design concept of light, airy, and modern.” In the nearby butlery, Hill did use tile for a smaller backsplash, and then complemented the peacock-blue painted cabinets with Cambria’s White Cliff design for the countertops.

Because the homeowner’s previous house was chock-a-block with family photos, art, and accessories, the wife asked that the new home’s design include only a minimum of artwork. To keep the house from having too many bare white walls, Hill used textured wallpaper in powder rooms and bedrooms, and added softening custom-made drapes throughout. “We used art sparingly, but I did use a lot of mirrors,” she says. “In their primary bedroom, we put mirrors behind the table lamps that are on the nightstands and those mirrors are huge.” It’s an effective trick that bounces light and adds interest to the walls, while emphasizing the spaciousness of the room.

The light fixtures that Hill chose also add decorative flair throughout the house, while still feeling open and not overly ornate. “I made sure that we had a nice mix of fixtures,” she says. “And that there was a juxtaposition between masculine and feminine elements.” That interplay of straight lines with curved and rounded shapes also works in the furnishings Hill chose. The couple didn’t bring anything from their previous home, so in each space, Hill was able to add softening textures, curved lines, and plush seating to the contemporary rooms.

The resulting house is a space where the couple can relax when it’s just the two of them or entertain a houseful of guests. As requested, it’s airy and light but still warm and cocooning—that perfect mix that results in a perfect house.

Read this article as it appears in the magazine.

Layer Chromatic Moments

Amplify a restrained color palette with textiles, wall coverings, furnishings, and finishes along with geometric forms to add depth and visual interest. You can create a similar aesthetic in your home with some of our favorites for interiors from Stoffer Home.