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So calming and inviting - if you love blue you'll love this design.

This very sweet, smart and sophisticated couple contacted me from Maryland where they were currently living at the time and told me they were moving into the lovely Cambridge Senior Living Community in the Brier Creek area of Raleigh.  The apartment floor plans are well thought out and spacious but they wanted to put their personal touch on the place with help by a professional.
    We started by meeting on site and listening to their desired vision of their spaces as well as how it would need to flow and function for their lifestyle. Their view of and years boating on the Chesapeake Bay inspired my design for the entire space.  From there I helped them come up with a color scheme that was dynamic yet calming, like the pale blue/greens and dark blues of the water.  A small change to their lighting design was made to illuminate the space in key areas to create a little more drama as well as task lighting.  A floor plan and design was developed that would incorporate their older yet beloved treasures such as art pieces and photographs that fit in seamlessly with updated furnishings in fresh yet durable fabrics perfect for their lifestyle and bright pops of color, patterns and textures in accents, rugs and window treatments that reflected their energetic and fun personalities.  We had such a pleasant experience with them every time we met, they became true friends.  We are so happy they found their forever home here in Raleigh.  I'd like to mention that the majority of the furnishings were found at Ethan Allen of North Hills by collaborating with a lovely design consultant there, Jennifer Alexander, she is so fabulous!  The new lighting design installation was done by Harrison Peacock of CCS Triangle Electricians, Window treatments were purchased and custom trimmed by Printer's Alley and all our wall hangings and window treatments were installed by wonderful Keith Pearce!  This truly was a smooth flowing project...which never happens!  The people of The Cambridge at Brier Creek were more than hospitable and accommodating when needing some assistance here or there.  Thank you to everyone!!  Especially my priceless friend and assistant Lori Fesler, I could not do life with out you! 

Brier Creek Luxury Senior Living Apartment for the Gellene's

Dining room AFTER which is now the office/lobby area

      A 100+ year old quasi-Craftsman style house set in historic Cameron Park, of Raleigh, NC was offered to us in a grand opportunity to transform the old and worn interior to a bright and refreshing space to stay. This included redesigning and changing the purpose of some rooms to accommodate the business traveler as well as a place for leisure or both!  I was asked to change the entire interior and some of the exterior, including updating the tired and dull lighting design throughout the home, upfitting the kitchen with color, charm and all the modern amenities you need, reconfiguring the once formal dining room to become an inviting and ergonomic work space and entry way, redecorate the TV lounge area or media room, the main living room, bedrooms and baths.  

        This charming house has now become an elegant and oh so comfortable Airbnb who's guest list is booking up fast!!  I went into this project with the history of the house and area in mind but also wanted to really wow the guests as they entered so I decided on a colorful paint palette to accentuate all the original molding detail and decorative features starting with the front door, as you can tell by the fiery orangey/red paint color, vermillion really.  We wanted to begin with offering an inviting and vivacious front entry.  From there I found gorgeous wall coverings to compliment our palette and add a fresh and exciting moment around every turn.  Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" so I wanted to incorporate acorns or oak trees in some way.  As you will see,  on the Primary Bedroom's feature wall I've chosen a wall covering with an abstract design of oak tree branches and acorns behind the bed.  The home's exterior landscape of flowering trees and shrubs and all the birds visiting the yard inspired my choice for the wall covering for the front office, or "the green room" as we knew it,  the sunroom (off the back of the kitchen) and the guest room or "The Canopy Room" entry hall.  The proprietor and I wanted to offer the most comfortable setting for his guests so coziness, ease of use and low maintenance were always top of mind.  We envisioned this house to be a place for the business traveler or to gather for out of town guests with their loved ones, parents in to visit their children at nearly adjacent NC State University for games and other events or people curious to see what Raleigh and it's surrounding areas have to offer.  I am thrilled with the final results!  
  Traditional, historic elegance mixed with fun, modern touches makes for an inspiring, yet relaxing and comfortable stay.  

Forest Park House Airbnb

Entry Way Design

My very good clients decided to move out of their nearly brand new house that I took a year to help them with and downsize.  How dare they?!  Ha!

They were finally empty nesters and they have a lot of local friends who they love to entertain so this lovely town home was chosen.  However, it was a little plain for their taste.  They wanted to add more detail and to reflect their personalities which are classic yet dynamic flair to their new home.  They turned the design over to me and I went to work.  The large, potentially, very inviting foyer needed a coat closet, so to start we decided to nix the original mudroom type bench and hooks and I designed a custom coat closet that looked more like a large detailed cabinet.  This couple has such beautifully colorful artwork by a local artist that was the inspiration to create a lively yet elegant entry way for the many guests and family members that they would greet here.  There was nice tall wainscoting so I wanted to accentuate that detail by adding a stark contrast of deep rich black grass cloth over the bright white of all the trim.  The rest of the space was defined by a black/white diamond weave durable area rug, a new exciting contemporary light fixture, a bird leg small table for mail, etc and a large fig tree.  
The rest of the house we kept fairly neutral to again accentuate the colorful art throughout the home but I added a lot of brilliant pops of color for interest and delight.   The furnishings all have an either interesting curve to them but with clean lines.  I continued to add pops of color such as the rich olive green in the small hallway towards the front of the house, the office features a deep but calming blue/gray, dark charcoal gray in the powder room, a beautiful soft, light gray for the main hallway into the kitchen. I decided to add to the drama by painting the built in bookcases in a slick shiny black while adding a pretty off white grass cloth to the back of the bookcase.  
The home was so deep and you have a clear view from front to back that I wanted to bring the living area towards you visually by choosing to paint the back wall of the home in a very dark gray.  This also showcased the beautiful deep coffered ceiling which is bright white and the modern crystal chandelier I hung over the dining room table.  

Wakefield Luxury Townhome

Sittin' Pretty Interiors

Kennedy Project

Full Home- Interior Design and Space Planning

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INTERIORS BY MELISSA

Over 20 Years Experience of Design, Consultations, & Space Planning

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