When Jean Johnson and her husband first began dating in New York, they never intended to end up back in Charlotte. Her husband, a native Charlottean, grew up on Canterbury Street, but New York was the new norm and the new hometown. When he was offered a job at Bank of America, however, the pair couldn’t say no, and back to Charlotte they came.
They enlisted the help of Johnson’s mother-in-law for their home search, and as crazy luck and circumstance would have it, a home became available – on Canterbury Street. Johnson fell in love immediately. “I admit I walked through the home with rose-colored glasses the first time,” Johnson recalls. “I remember finding gum and writing on the walls in a walkthrough after we signed the contract and realizing it was in pretty bad shape. But I saw the potential and was really excited to get to work.” With a background in fashion and textiles and an MFA from SCAD, Johnson knew she could make this run-down house a home fit for their family . . . in time. “The first couple of years, sadly, were spent fixing things you don’t see,” she laments, “electrical,
facia, insulation, etc.”
|Two years into the new home, and newly pregnant with their first child, Johnson worked with contractors to renovate their kitchen, knocking down a wall and adding cabinets. They removed tiling and replaced it with hardwood floors. At the same time, they updated one of the two master bedrooms and bathroom, ripping it out entirely and starting over. “The house was built in 1951, with the second master being added in the ’60s – and it was so obviously done in the ’60s,” Johnson says.
“There was a huge vanity in the middle of the room along with a small toilet and shower on a separate but raised level just beyond it. It was completely strange, and we used that room as storage for the first full two years we lived here.” They gutted the space, creating a separate bedroom and bathroom, and adding a closet perfect for the room.
The remainder of the home, as Johnson puts it, has been a work in progress and still has things to be done. “We want to work on the backyard, and I am constantly editing as I go along.” Most of the things in Johnson’s home are inherited or found locally in consignment shops with some treasures found in the Lowcountry as well. “I have a booth at Cotswold Marketplace, so I am partial to it being an incredible resource, but I also love Slate Interiors and Sleepy Poet, and I make a habit of visiting the Habitat ReStore,” Johnson says. “I can almost always find a gem or, at the very least, get inspired.”
Her in-laws lived in Argentina for a time and have passed down many things that make Johnson’s home interesting. “All the brightly colored pieces no one wanted, I loved, and I wanted,” she says. When asked what influences Johnson’s style, her response comes as no surprise because it’s so clearly represented at every turn: textiles, natural found objects, animals (especially turkeys, bugs, and sea life), music, travel, worldly pieces, family keepsakes, and, of course, color. “My secret to making your home look layered is to buy what you love when you see it – doesn’t matter if it has a purpose yet, you will always find a place for it,” she says. “Style with objects that are meaningful, and make comfort a priority.”
She also suggests calling in help if you’re stuck, using herself as a perfect example. Last year, Johnson called friends Angie Perrson and Merrin Lowe from Swell Décor to help her design her office space and bring her vision to life. “Designers can get stuck, especially with personal spaces, and I was definitely stuck,” Johnson admits. “They gave me the exact ideas I needed to move forward, particularly help choosing the most perfect green for my walls: Gecko by Sherwin-Williams. They also suggested lots of functional IKEA pieces that keep it all organized but fresh.” She found the ideal navy-blue antelope rug to complet
the room and, alas, it all came together.
The kitchen and den are Johnson’s two favorite spaces. “I love all the light in the kitchen. We have no rules on messiness, so it’s easy to use and a true outlet for us as a family,” she explains. “I love the den because it holds so many memories. I love the layout with a view into our ‘backyard jungle,’ the vaulted ceiling, and the Stark rug that I snagged for $250 at the outlet.”