Coley Home Spotlight: Kate Hutchison

Meet Kate! Based in Raleigh, NC, she designs the most amazing spaces. Recently, she designed Caroline Chambers home and filled it with our favorite Coley Home pieces! Read the blog to learn all about Kate, her design tips, and how she dreamed up Caroline's home.

Tell us about yourself!

I am a High Point, NC native, which happens to be the furniture capital of the world, so I am a big fan of NC-made furniture like Coley Home! Growing up in the furniture/design industry definitely encouraged my affinity for all things interiors. I live in Raleigh, NC with my husband, Wylie, our 7-week old(!) James, and 2 dogs, Macy and Minnie.

How would you describe your design style?

I definitely lean toward traditional, but fresh! Clean, classic and timeless with a side of fun - and it has to be practical!

If you had to pick one, what is your favorite project to date?

I recently completed a project in my hometown of High Point that will be hard to beat. It was a new build, but we were very intentional with the floorplan and selections, so it feels like it could have always been there. This was the third home on which I have worked with these clients and we just have a really great, easy working relationship, and now friendship. They are the loveliest people - and very importantly, they are trusting! Anytime a client wholly trusts your vision it always results in the most successful outcome possible.

Favorite areas to splurge when designing a home, and favorite places to save?

I think first impressions are important, so any space that your guests will see as they enter your home is a good place to spend your money! If you have an office or study off of your foyer, don't throw your old computer chair and standing desk in there! Invest in quality pieces that serve your needs but also feel welcoming and put together. Powder rooms are a great place to splurge on wallpaper and plumbing fixtures since they're typically smaller in size and you only need one faucet. Splurge on light fixtures in high traffic areas, save on tile in secondary bathrooms. Splurge on pillows, save on accent pieces like end tables. Splurge on anything you really love, and save.... your money until you can afford more of what you love! Living with an empty room for a little while is better than filling one with junk that doesn't make you happy.

Favorite paint color at the moment?

Benjamin Moore Sagebrush

Wallpaper you are dying to use in a project?

I am dying to use so many wallpapers from artist Claire de Quenetain - her motifs and color palettes make me smile! And Lee Jofa just introduced their classic Grand Althea fabric as a wallpaper - I'm lusting after the Blue/Leaf colorway, which would be perfect in a traditional dining room or primary bedroom. It is so sophisticated, but the colors feel young and current.

Go-to places for design inspiration?

I love taking in the architecture and stumbling upon interesting design choices when traveling, but when I'm at home, my collections (read: a bordering-on-hoarding-disorder-number) of old design magazines and vintage coffee table books never fail to get my creativity flowing when I've hit a wall.

3 favorite Instagram follows at the moment?

Custom cabinet maker Jon Hilgenberg out of Charleston, SC @jchcabinets

Master builder and historical millwork expert Brent Hull @hullmillwork_hullhomes

Sisters and inventors of a life changing duvet system, Kate Howey and Maddy Conroy @pippenhouse - They created a genius product that allows you to change your duvet in under a minute, and their banter is hysterical. And they are Caroline's cousins!

Favorite coffee table book?

One Man's Folly: The Exceptional Houses of Furlow Gatewood by Julia Reed

Dream travel destination?

I would love to go back to Cambodia at some point, it was unlike any other place I've been!

Favorite book or TV show at the moment?

Book: At Home by Bill Bryson / TV show: Severance

From a design perspective, how were you able to incorporate the California/Carmel aesthetic?

Caroline's house is a post-adobe home, which is a building style that's unique to the Carmel area, so we really wanted to honor the original architect's plans as much as possible. We were very authentic with our selection of materials and finishes, and we made a point to let the quirky elements of the house shine instead of trying to cover them up! In general, the aesthetic in California is pretty different from what it is here in the South. It's much more organic and casual in CA, and that made this project a lot of fun for me.

Did Caroline have a few staples that she wanted to work around to help you create your design?

Other than a few lamps and accessories, we pretty much started fresh! Because her husband served in the military and they moved around quite a bit, Caroline didn't have a lot of furniture that she was really attached to. She did have some non-negotiables, but those mostly pertained to the home's functionality and livability. The kitchen, of course, had to serve her needs as a cookbook author and recipe developer, so I really tried to make use of every inch we had in there with the layout and cabinetry! Maxing out counter space, adding as much storage as possible and situating the appliances in a way that flowed naturally, but still allowed her to film cooking content was a must. Her list of priorities was definitely in the right order - function first!