White kitchen with polished chrome pendants, a black-painted island and dark wood counter stools at Durham Transitional, Durham, North Carolina, interior design by Alexandra Peck Design

Durham, North CarolinaPrivate residence

Durham Transitional

Creating a sophisticated and cohesive atmosphere by complementing the homeowner’s foundational pieces with new furnishings, accessories and artwork.

Project info
Location
Durham, North Carolina
Scope
New furnishings, accessories and artwork
Status
Completed, May 2021
Project stats
5,300 sf two-story single-family home with four bedrooms and five baths
Remote design
All interior design work carried out remotely from our NYC office
Photography
Cat Wilborne (opens in a new tab)

The brief

After moving in the fall of 2019, our clients were anxious to enjoy their new home and entertain; however, they had very few furniture pieces to inhabit all 5,300 sf of the house.

They knew they wanted to keep the sofa they had just purchased for the living room, as well as their family room set and their king bed for the main bedroom. However, they weren’t sure what other pieces, fabrics and finishes would help them achieve a pulled-together, polished-looking space.

The clients wanted to ensure the design was harmonious and sophisticated throughout, yet relaxed and comfortable to match their lifestyle.

Amidst the pandemic in 2020, the clients came to us looking for help to make their empty home feel complete, beautiful and lived-in. Starting with a blank canvas, we helped them build a dreamy and elevated environment matching the grandeur of the home’s architecture.

Kitchen

A twist on the classic farmhouse style, this kitchen features integrated appliances, crisp white cabinets, countertops and tile, as well as a sleek, black-painted island and polished chrome fixtures.

Kitchen island with white countertop, fresh greenery and black-painted base with counter stools, integrated white cabinetry beyond at Durham Transitional, Durham, North Carolina, interior design by Alexandra Peck Design

Living room

Using the clients’ white linen sofa as a jumping-off point, we took into account their love for Charleston, South Carolina, and neutral tones to set the foundation for the room, then accented everything with pops of blue.

We wanted to make the space functional for entertaining many guests and to connect the room to their outdoor patio, so we provided plenty of seating as well as an oversized coffee table, great for enjoying aperitivos with friends, which can easily be taken outside to enjoy alfresco.

Living room with a white linen sofa, navy pillows, a marble coffee table, a blue velvet ottoman and a white stone fireplace between arched built-ins at Durham Transitional, Durham, North Carolina, interior design by Alexandra Peck Design

Living room details

With contrasting wool, cotton, linen and velvet textures, as well as varying finishes of stone, metal and wood, the living room has a balanced and elevated feel. We pulled together a collection of furnishings, art and accessories to create a bespoke look that’s truly tailored to the clients’ desires for aesthetic and function.

White linen sofa with navy velvet and banded pillows, an arched doorway to the breakfast room beyond at Durham Transitional, Durham, North Carolina, interior design by Alexandra Peck DesignAlexandra Peck seated on the blue velvet ottoman by the white stone fireplace in the living room at Durham Transitional, Durham, North Carolina, interior design by Alexandra Peck Design
Gray velvet armchair with a patterned pillow beside a turned wood side table, white tulips in the foreground, in the living room at Durham Transitional, Durham, North Carolina, interior design by Alexandra Peck Design
Alexandra Peck arranging greenery in a black vase on a beaded tray on the marble coffee table in the living room at Durham Transitional, Durham, North Carolina, interior design by Alexandra Peck DesignHand-stitched satin-banded throw pillow with blue embroidery and a navy velvet pillow on the white linen sofa in the living room at Durham Transitional, Durham, North Carolina, interior design by Alexandra Peck Design

I strongly feel that accessories in the home say everything about a person and really tell a client’s story. Do they travel often? Do they like to be bold, or are they more laid back? More debonair or playful? I love helping my clients to share their unique story.

Alexandra Peck

Breakfast room

Our clients knew they would be starting a family and wanted an informal yet stylish setting for casual dining. To meet their desire for relaxed sophistication, we had the dining chairs upholstered in performance chenille from Sunbrella, which is not only soft but cleans easily, eliminating the fear of stains.

Breakfast room with a round dark wood table and blue chenille dining chairs beneath a nickel chandelier, bay windows and an arched opening to the living room at Durham Transitional, Durham, North Carolina, interior design by Alexandra Peck Design

Family & breakfast rooms

We enriched our clients’ existing family room setting with polished nickel reading lamps as well as new throw pillows, tying in the blue accents seen in the rest of the home.

We then completed the look of the breakfast room with a pair of asymmetrical vases.

Family room with a wood-paneled tray ceiling, white fireplace, the clients’ sofas with new navy and ivory pillows and a polished nickel reading lamp at Durham Transitional, Durham, North Carolina, interior design by Alexandra Peck Design
Alexandra Peck arranging white flowers and eucalyptus in a glass vase on the breakfast table at Durham Transitional, Durham, North Carolina, interior design by Alexandra Peck Design

Main bedroom

Because the main bedroom is located on the ground floor, our clients loved our idea of keeping their bedroom’s design homogeneous with the other ground-floor rooms we designed for them.

While the bedroom features more warmth, pulled in from their existing bed frame and complementary new dressers, the feeling our clients have when walking from their family and breakfast rooms through their living room and into their bedroom is the same: one of chic tranquility.

Main bedroom with a wood bed, deep blue velvet throw and tufted velvet bench, a boucle swivel chair and three framed prints at Durham Transitional, Durham, North Carolina, interior design by Alexandra Peck Design

Main bedroom details

The rich, deep blue velvet and mohair fabrics we selected as accents in the room vibrantly pop and lure you in when paired with the crisp white bedding and warm wood and brass furnishings.

Main bedroom with a wood bed dressed in white bedding and a deep blue velvet throw, a fiddle-leaf fig and three framed prints at Durham Transitional, Durham, North Carolina, interior design by Alexandra Peck DesignAlexandra Peck styling a navy velvet pillow on the bed in the main bedroom at Durham Transitional, Durham, North Carolina, interior design by Alexandra Peck Design
White tulips and a candle on the wood nightstand in the main bedroom at Durham Transitional, Durham, North Carolina, interior design by Alexandra Peck Design
Deep blue velvet throw pillow and gray herringbone wool blanket on an off-white bouclé swivel lounge chair in the main bedroom at Durham Transitional, Durham, North Carolina, interior design by Alexandra Peck DesignNickel vases with dried stems on the vanity beside a large brass-framed mirror in the main bedroom at Durham Transitional, Durham, North Carolina, interior design by Alexandra Peck Design

Details