Vital links to the past are intermingled with new treasures in the family room. A stunning oversized coffee table that the wife stresses is “indestructible—necessary when you have three children” shares the space with richly embroidered draperies that frame verdant views of the landscaping, patio and pergola. Four botanical prints by an artist friend of the wife, based in her home state of Tennessee, adorn the wall. Ceiling beams—which extend to the kitchen—were added to offer textural detail and rhythm.

Open to the family room, the kitchen was completely redesigned (except for the range hood, which was salvaged and then modernized by Metal One metal fabricators) to reflect how a young family functions. Quartzite, with its durability, beauty and warmth, was chosen for the countertops, the island—where the kids gravitate for meals—and a separate bar with three fixed green leather barstools. Vintage Audubon magnolia prints passed to the wife from her grandmother hold court on the walls. “They hung in the primary bedroom at our old house but found an unexpected home in our new kitchen,” she says.

Located off the main kitchen is a smaller support kitchen, equipped to handle entertaining overflow with a second dishwasher and refrigerator. A door leading to the outside grill also offers a quick path to the carriage house and its mother-in-law suite, an addition during the renovation.

Also flowing off the main kitchen is a cheery hearth room, a casual gathering spot for the family to eat dinner, do puzzles and play games. The long table has a vinyl leather bench on one side and chairs covered with kid-friendly sheepskin on the other.

“This room was dark and dreary in the old house and had a door, which cut it off from the family room, and a small window,” Sarah says. “We removed the door to open it up and added a large window to usher in natural light.”

Lighting indeed plays an integral part in the home’s design. Sconces, pendants, lamps and well-placed ambient lighting were discreetly automated to create the appropriate atmosphere for time of day.

“One afternoon I was visiting,” Sarah says, “and about an hour before sunset, the lights came on—setting just the right mood for the golden hour.”

Her design finesse and synchronicity with the homeowners’ preferences have created an inspiring, soulful and stylish home equipped to embrace a very twenty-first-century family.

“Design enhances a home and reveals a story,” says the wife. “Not designing just to design—but designing with a purpose.”

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