When designer Hadley Quisenberry of Perch Collective met with homeowners in Dilworth about renovating their nearly 20-year-old Craftsman-style home, it needed a refresh. The couple wanted a brighter color palette, a more energetic feel and better function for their family of five.
They wanted to stay within the existing footprint of the 4,000-square-feet home—and especially their neighborhood.
“They go to the local school,” Quisenberry says. “They walk to school and play with neighbors, so while the home was no longer functioning for the family, and they were a little bit intimidated by renovation, they really didn't want to leave their community.”
Quisenberry enlisted the help of builder Cameron Cooke of Ethic LLC, who had completed a personal renovation for her, only to find out the homeowners’ children had attended the same preschool as the Cookes’. It was a good fit.
Cooke’s team completed the project in five months, finishing in October 2024.
“Even though from the outside it doesn't look like much was done, except for a few refreshed areas, when you come into the home, it has this warm and inviting, updated appeal that it was probably lacking before,” Cooke says. “It's a statement when you walk into the home that this is beautiful.”
Quisenberry oversaw the project from start to finish, from advising on architectural plans to choosing fixtures and finishes and overseeing construction.
The main points of focus were renovating the kitchen, enlarging the cased opening to the living room, updating the primary suite, adding a bathroom upstairs, and making the entire home more family-friendly and comfortable.
She blended painted and stained wood cabinets in the kitchen to set the tone for contrasting light and dark colors throughout the home.
“We love to create interest with contrasts but yet repeating tones throughout the design so it still feels cohesive and connected,” Quisenberry says. “The same wood stain is used in the kitchen and in the family room, since those spaces are connected.”
Quisenberry’s design featured form and function throughout. The countertops are quartzite, which is as durable as granite with the look of marble, and the low refrigerated drawers give kids easy access to snacks and drinks. The Made Goods barstools were made with performance fabric to complement the wood detailing.
“We love that they have the natural caning detail with the stained wood perimeter because that really ties into our cabinetry color,” Quisenberry says. “It brings the warmth up to eye level.”
The stained wood continues into the living room around the fireplace, which was transformed from its previous stone rustic veneer. The new surround, streamlined in cast stone, was made by WoodCrete Designs.
The Charles Stewart sectional sofa was covered in a chenille fabric, providing comfortable seating for watching movies and football games. Its frame is eight-way hand-tied, rather than made with springs, which “I tell clients, these pieces will last forever.”
In the dining room, Quisenberry matched Aegean blue from the painted cabinetry in the family room with modern, floral drapery vegan-leather upholstered chairs by Charles Stewart, which are wipeable with a sponge.
“We love Charles Stewart because they’re in North Carolina and they hand-make everything to last,” Quisenberry says.
The showstopper in the room is the chandelier.
“Because there wasn’t much wall space, I wanted the light fixture to feel like a piece of art,” she says. “To me, the blown glass globes have that artistic feel. Since it’s not a big space, I like that you can see right through it, and it doesn’t close you in or obstruct the eye visually.”
She anchored the room with a pair of demilune, or half-round, cabinets, where the homeowners could store placemats and other accessories. They’re a gray-washed wood to blend in with the wall color.
Perhaps the most functional space in the house used to be the husband’s office, located by the front door. Quisenberry converted it into a kids’ “flex” space, which is part drop zone, part homework space, part hangout room. Behind the cabinet doors are cubbies for kids' coats and bookbags.
“They have a separate playroom upstairs, but this is for when they need access to mom to answer homework questions and when they need to drop their junk after school,” she says.
Dad’s office was moved to a quieter space upstairs, adding all the more function to the home.
“It really was a complete transformation,” Quisenberry says.
She blended painted and stained wood cabinets in the kitchen to set the tone for contrasting light and dark colors throughout the home.
“Because there wasn’t much wall space, I wanted the light fixture to feel like a piece of art,” she says. “To me the blown glass globes have that artistic feel."