A charming South Hill home built in 1936 needed an update—but how do you mix a modern, on-trend style with the traditional details of an older home? Designer Shaleesa Mize of Little Pacific Design Studio shows us her approach in blending timeless and trendy in her Post Street Residence renovation!
When pulling together the design for this client, we wanted to strike a balance of old and new style. Preserving the architectural character of the home was important. We wanted to do this while still updating the style to match the client’s tastes. In the beginning, this took a lot of planning, but by the end, these decisions came so naturally.
The Kitchen
Striking a balance of old and new was easy to achieve in the kitchen. We selected an inset cabinet door style, which is popular in more traditional homes. We ordered the cabinets in an on-trend, muted green color. Natural white oak accents softened the kitchen and brought back that traditional warmth. Because we went with such a bold color choice for the majority of the cabinets, we chose to go more timeless with the backsplash. A basic subway tile was too bland for a space like this! We found a tile with some tonal variation and imperfections in the shape, which was a subtle way to bring interest to a classic backsplash.
One of my favorite details was the use of the modern edge pull hardware. Inset cabinets are usually combined with hardware applied to the door fronts. Using the edge pulls was a detail that felt right for bringing a modern style to the space.
On the cabinet doors, we used knobs instead of edge pulls to keep the space from feeling too modern. For the pantry door hardware, we combined a sleek pull with a traditional back plate to create a focal point. The variety in hardware offered a more collected, casual feel.
The Entry
The entry was another space where fresh meets traditional. This space had a closet that made the room feel small and lacked functional storage. We removed this and designed a built-in, to offer a variety of storage solutions. A pastel, whimsical wallpaper brought in color and beautifully framed the arched window. We added a cove ceiling to match the kitchen, as well as other traditional details like bead board. Classic brass hooks ran the length of the back wall, and brass cabinet knobs tied things back to the kitchen.
The front door added contrast by having a slightly darker stain over white oak. As a result, this made the brass handleset really pop. Beveled details on the backplate and an egg shape knob was the last fixture selected. It was the final nod to charming details in this playful entry space.
Overall, it seemed the entire home was a pendulum, swinging back and forth of “modern here, traditional there.” Striking the perfect balance while keeping the home cohesive was an incredibly fun challenge. In the end, the results were nothing short of trendy, yet timeless, perfection.
For a full reveal of the Post Street Residence, you can head over to the Little Pacific Design Studio blog and see part one and part two of this project reveal. These include a source list of hardware, plumbing fixtures, lighting, and more!
