When interior designer Amy Lee first met her clients, their 3,500-square-foot Winston-Salem house was practically new. Built in 2023 and tucked into a neighborhood near a lake, the home was in excellent shape. It just didn’t feel like theirs yet.
That became the focus of the nine-month renovation overseen by Lee, founder of Artistic Interiors. Working mostly within the existing footprint, Lee reimagined the modern farmhouse with richer colors, more textures and a moodier aesthetic.
She took inspiration from the homeowner’s Pinterest boards, who came armed with a clear sense of what she liked. She also had a collection of artwork and accessories she wanted to keep.
“She had some existing pieces that we added throughout the house, but almost all of the furniture we added,” Lee says. “We integrated the old with the new.”
In the kitchen, Lee softened the bright-white cabinetry with Benjamin Moore’s Classic Gray and swapped the sterile white countertops for dramatically veined marble from Ann Sacks. The homeowner wanted something with pattern and loved the subtle hits of burgundy.
Lee also reworked the pantry with custom cabinetry, replaced the cabinet hardware, and added tile around the kitchen window. Two oversized pendants above the island made way for a long, slender fixture from Visual Comfort, giving the kitchen a more tailored look.
In the family room, Lee redesigned the fireplace wall, building it out to accommodate two built-in cabinets and a sleek new hearth. Slatted wood paneling adds texture, while black paint gives the entire composition a graphic edge.
“People are afraid of black,” Lee says. “But it doesn’t stand out as much as you think it will.”
A Palecek chandelier with woven shades and antique-brass accents adds softness overhead, while a Verellen sofa and black Eichholtz console echo the fireplace’s wood detailing.
In the foyer, grasscloth wallpaper from Mark Alexander sets a more polished tone, while an Urban Electric fixture with opal glass shades and burnished brass hangs above. The powder room continues the mood with mocha-colored wallpaper, Visual Comfort sconces and a natural-wood vanity from Anthropologie.
The study was inspired by a Manhattan apartment, with built-in bookcases, Hudson Valley lighting and walls painted Farrow & Ball’s Deep Reddish Brown.
Upstairs, Lee transformed a bonus room into a speakeasy-inspired retreat. She combined Arte wallpaper with Sherwin-Williams’ Sealskin on the walls, then designed custom wood shelving with metal bars.
The guest rooms each have their own personality. One channels a classic Ralph Lauren look with plaid wallpaper, a leather Four Hands bed and Sherwin-Williams’ Fairfax Brown on the ceiling and molding. Another pairs Thibaut grasscloth with a boucle-like Four Hands bed and warm wood accents.
In the primary suite, Lee traded the original bright-white palette for something decidedly moodier. Sherwin-Williams’ Prelude, a deep brown with gray undertones, covers the ceiling and beams, while coordinating York Wallcoverings wallpaper wraps the walls.
“We had such tall ceilings, and I didn’t want to hang anything over the bed, so it had to make a statement,” Lee says.
The result is a home that is both polished and relaxed—and, most importantly, theirs.
“This was a different style than I’d done before,” Lee says. “She likes to mix old looks with new, and I think we pulled it off really well. These were some of my favorite clients to work with.”