WHEN THEY BEGAN SEARCHING FOR HOMES, Jennifer Kerr and her husband, Josh Kmiec, knew what they wanted. Kerr’s grandparents’ home had been a beautiful midcentury-modern structure filled with antiques and other 1950s and ’60s pieces that she remembered fondly. So when a midcentury-modern home just outside of the Hayes Barton neighborhood came on the market, the couple snatched it up quickly.
Built in 1948, the home still featured much of its original defining architectural details, such as a flat roof, asymmetrical profiles, expansive walls of glass, streamlined angular details, and wood paneling. “So much of this home reminded me of my grandparents’ home,” says Kerr. “And it feels so nostalgic living in a home that’s so similar to theirs. It’s such a special thing.” While other homeowners may have razed the home or completely gutted the interiors, Kerr and Kmiec wanted to keep every original detail, making cosmetic changes only.
While Kerr has a notable eye for fashion and design, like many homeowners, she admittedly struggles to pull together a cohesive interior aesthetic. “In the beginning, I had a bunch of furniture and I was trying to do it all myself; but then I realized that to make it special, I definitely needed Lauren’s touch,” she laughs. The couple enlisted the help of designer Lauren Hood, who had previously worked with Kerr’s sister on her home. “Ironically, I’d driven past this home so many times and thought that it would be such a cool project to work on,” says Hood. “And Jen is super stylish; she’s worked in fashion, she knows what she likes, she has great taste, she’s edgy, and she likes color and pattern. Because they wanted to keep some of the original details of the house, I could tell they wanted to go midcentury funky.”
Hood began her work in the living room, which lies at the entrance to the home. “The room is extremely large, so designing it so that it doesn’t feel sparse was definitely a challenge,” explains Hood. “We really wanted it to be a welcoming adult space to entertain, have drinks, and relax.” Kerr’s mother made the stunning pinch-pleat draperies that hang from the expansive windows.
When coupled with the custom rug from Eatman’s, the room immediately feels cozy and welcoming. Hood utilized some of the couple’s existing midcentury-modern pieces, such as the vintage chinoiserie chest inherited from Kerr’s grandparents, and then she layered in newer items like the curved sofa by CB2 and the Jeanneret lounge chairs by France & Son that aligned with the home’s existing aesthetic.
“Jen had things stored down in her basement, like the Herman Miller desk chair. When I saw it, I was like, ‘This is beautiful! Why is this down here?’” laughs Hood. The interior design, though, did not come without challenges for Hood. “All of these rooms were very challenging because they were either very large and long, or very high,” she explains.
“So we had to create different seating spaces to make them flow, and we had to be very mindful of furniture placement to make sure each room flowed seamlessly from the other.” The family room was one such space where the furniture layout was crucial to the design. “It’s an oddly shaped room, so we had to be deliberate with how we arranged everything,” she says. On one end, Hood placed a Lee Industries sectional. On the other end she created a cozy seating nook by the fireplace, complete with a leather chaise by Acme, with the home’s original stacked stone wall as the backdrop—a perfect spot for reading. The creation of two separate areas made the room feel more cohesive while utilizing every square foot of the space for gathering.
The dining room, though smaller than the living room and family room, holds much of the home’s original architectural details as well. Hood kept the room white to balance the pattern and color of the adjacent spaces, and took advantage of the existing built-in bookshelves by lining them with a wallpaper by Cole & Son. The adjoining sunroom kept its existing stacked stone wall and wood paneling but was transformed into a lounge area, with a bar by Article that can easily double as a dining table for larger gatherings. “This room is our favorite in the entire home,” says Kerr. “We love having everyone there together, entertaining and hanging out. And now our eighteen-month-old daughter loves to play in there with all of her toys because it’s so cozy.”
Hood’s ability to mix and match Kerr’s family heirlooms with vintage finds from 1stDibs, Chairish, and local store Union Camp Collective helped keep the midcentury-modern aesthetic consistent from room to room. “I love and appreciate vintage furniture and unusual and quirky finds, so this project definitely fed that part of my soul,” explains Hood. “Jen and I worked together to strike a balance between modern comforts and staying true to the original character of the house.”
The home has been such a fulfilling project for both Kerr and Hood, who have always wanted to work on a timeless midcentury-modern home. “There are not a lot of midcentury homes in the Triangle, which makes me sad because I think they’re beautiful and we should respect the architecture instead of tearing it down.
So to work on this home, especially with someone like Jen and Josh, who appreciate this architecture, was just an amazing experience.” For Kerr, Hood’s ability to embrace the home’s existing midcentury personality and character and couple it with her pieces and style was just the thing she knew she needed (and got) from enlisting the designer. “Lauren knew my style and knew exactly how to weave that into this home without overshadowing its midcentury-modern personality,” says Kerr. “She really created the unique, comfortable home we always wanted.”