Text: Alice Welsh Doyle
Photography: Emily Jenkins Followill
“I wanted a house in the mountains, not a mountain house,” is what Carolyn Kendall’s client announced at the beginning of the renovation and decoration of his family’s Cashiers getaway. Nashville-based Kendall, head of Alcott Interiors, answered the call by sending the heavy references to the location packing and adding fresh paint, smart changes to the layout to improve flow, lively wallpapers, and comfortable upholstery in pretty shades of greens and blues.
“The house before was very lodge-like in spirit,” says Kendall. “We gutted almost the entire house to lighten and brighten it, bring in color, and give it a more sophisticated presentation. We also took the attic space to create a charming bedroom with an attached bath for more sleeping options.”
7. Carolyn Kendall Designs Home with Refined Mountain Style
6. Carolyn Kendall Designs Home with Refined Mountain Style
5. Carolyn Kendall Designs Home with Refined Mountain Style
4. Carolyn Kendall Designs Home with Refined Mountain Style
3. Carolyn Kendall Designs Home with Refined Mountain Style
2. Carolyn Kendall Designs Home with Refined Mountain Style
1. Carolyn Kendall Designs Home with Refined Mountain Style
The designer kept light rustic brushstrokes and added a few new details that speak to mountain style, such as a patchwork hide rug and runner, hide headboard, leather-covered pendants, twiggy mirrors, and a two-tiered iron chandelier, while the stone fireplace, the antler chandelier, and pair of distressed dark cabinets remained. “The house leans a bit more masculine compared to their primary residence, but I think it bridges the two sensibilities with plenty that appeals to the feminine,” says Kendall.
Injections of color truly transformed many spaces—the two kitchens were completely reworked by Highlands, North Carolina-based Ann Sullivan and include Benjamin Moore’s bold Garden Cucumber green cabinetry in a high gloss finish; the main bathroom’s soaking tub was painted a peacock blue; a deep red vanity was added to one powder bath and a happy blue for another, while dark shiplap walls received coats of neutral paint. “I’m not sure I would want green cabinets in my primary home, but I love them here, and they are perfect for the location,” says the homeowner.
“We also took other rooms with wood walls in existing secondary spaces, such as the vestibule and baths, and added some character with wallpaper,” says Kendall. The selections include nature-inspired prints—a dogwood pattern for the main bath, an oversized fern design for the vestibule, and a bird and branch print for a powder bath. The designer also used grasscloth wallcoverings to bring in welcome texture and warmth. As a departure from the clients’ Nashville home, which is more traditional with an abundance of period antiques, Kendall only used a handful of antiques for this project and instead employed more transitional and streamlined pieces, such as clean-lined glass top cocktail tables, and an infusion of edgier lamps, chandeliers, pendants, and sconces. “We really wanted this house to feel different from our primary residence and be a little more lighthearted and playful,” says the homeowner. “We used a lot of green on the first floor as a nod to nature, and when everything is leafy outside, we feel like we are in a treehouse.”
Kendall took a forgettable space off the entry and turned it into a fashionable destination, with facing Edward Ferrell sofas in a lively green geometric and an old wooden chest converted into a liquor and accoutrements cabinet along with a series of small drinks tables giving the feel of a cozy salon. Past this area is a double-height family room, which the designer filled with generous upholstery and a mélange of prints, stripes, and solids, all brought together with a custom Stark carpet in a green faux bois cut pile treatment that speaks to the woods beyond. “One family room wall has folding glass doors that lead to an enclosed porch with a fireplace, so when those are thrown open, these areas become one big space ideal for entertaining almost year-round,” says Kendall. “My favorite spot is the green chair by the fireplace that looks through the accordion glass doors—it’s transporting,” adds the homeowner. The whole house is a testament to a fresh take on a mountain aesthetic and a beautiful send-up for thinking outside the lodge.
