Since this is my first blog post, I should probably begin by explaining why I named the blog “My Modern Tudor”. When my husband and I decided to build our forever home, I started calling our new project our Modern Tudor when what looked like a traditional Tudor from the outside looked far from a traditional Tudor on the inside. While I love classic and timeless things, I also have a flair for sleek and modern blended with rustic elements as well. While I love dark woods, I wanted my home to feel light and airy on the inside, which is opposite from a traditional Tudor home.
When my husband and I decided to build our forever home, we wanted to make sure it represented our style. We both loved the look of a traditional Tudor but also wanted to put our spin on it, hence the grey tones instead of the traditional reds that you see in the brick of most Tudor homes. Growing up I always loved traditional Tudor homes with their fireplaces, arches and diamond pane windows. This door that I found from Door Clearance Center here and pictured below is what inspired the exterior look of the house.
I fell in love with the look of the knotty alder wood and all the knots that give the knotty alder its character. Also, the speakeasy windows were an extra touch that I absolutely adored.
After finding the door that inspired the exterior of our Tudor, we enlisted the help of Architect Kenneth Rowland and owner of 8 Twenty One Home Design. From there, Kenneth turned our vision into a reality by creating this front exterior elevation.
I cannot say enough good things about our experience working with Kenneth. If you are in North Carolina and are looking for a residential home designer, I cannot recommend Kenneth and 8 Twenty One Home Design enough.
Once we finalized how we wanted the outside of the house to look, it was time to turn our attention to the inside. I absolutely love all things marble. I know, I know, marble is porous, stains and etches, but I love it and how it ages and patinas over the years. I also love all things metallic mixed with rustic elements like reclaimed wood. So, I did what other busy professionals do… I looked for a designer to assist us and I was very surprised where that took me. I met with over six designers to discuss helping me design our home and pick finishes. Most of the designers were out of my budget, but none of them really understood my point of view and how I loved to mix old with new, rustic with glam and a neutral palette with pops of color. So, I decided I would do it myself. I have always loved designing a new space and I think I get it honest. My dad ran a furniture store and always designed the layout of the store and the room set-ups himself. I had a love of solid wood accents growing up in a furniture store and knew I wanted to incorporate lots of wood elements in our home.
The design of the interior started with the kitchen, which I believe is the heart of any home. My inspiration for kitchen came from wanting a vent hood cover made of reclaimed wood. So, for that I enlisted the help of our cabinet maker and master carpenter, Preston, owner of Riverside Designs. I showed Preston this inspiration photo that I found on Pinterest:
Preston found some wormy walnut from a barn in Tennessee and using that wood, he ran with my idea to create this handcrafted reclaimed wood vent hood cover for our kitchen
I could not have been more pleased with the final product. Once this piece was finished, I wanted to make sure to incorporate more rustic wood elements in our open concept home. More to come on that topic…my next post will be about how I carried this rustic element into the family room that adjoins the open concept kitchen/family room area.
Thanks for reading and cheers!
– Lauren
Beautiful!
Thank you!