A New Home's Old Character

A couple looks to keep a home’s charm in a Dilworth reno

- Kristen Wile

Stefanie Johnson, owner of local company SpaceLift Decorating, wasn’t so sure about this house. Her husband, Lee, brought her to look at a home for sale in Dilworth in spring 2013. They were a growing family and needed more space than their Elizabeth home had, but this new option had a choppy layout, and, typical of a house built in the early 1940s, the kitchen only had room for one to cook comfortably.

When Lee, who works for KimCo Realty, pulled out his graph paper and drew a to-scale drawing of what the home could become with a few adjustments and an addition, she agreed the home had potential.

“Once I saw it on paper, I started to see the vision,” she says.

They brought the designs to a good friend and general contractor, and he priced the plans. It was doable, they thought, so they bought the house, and four months later, construction was done and they moved in.

Stef, who is from Myrtle Beach, brought her love of the beach to her urban home, with neutrals and blues creating a relaxed ambiance  throughout. The walls are a warm shade of gray, Sherwin Williams’ Accessible Beige, accented with Shenandoah Taupe by Benjamin Moore. Touches of sea-inspired décor—a mirror made with oyster shells, for example—continue throughout the home. When these are combined with the blue accents, the décor is like a deep breath.

“My personality is such that I like a calm environment,” Stef says. “I like things Zen as much as I can get them.”