Stone House Sanctuary - Part One
REBECCA McALPIN Photographer
VESTIGE HOME Stylist
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Hello friends.
The reveal that we have for you today is a little bit different than our usual interior design projects and I know that you are going to be VERY into this particular project. Despite the many requests, for the majority of our interior design projects, we are unable to share any sources out of respect for our clients - after all, they are hiring us to produce one-of-a-kind spaces! But this particular home belongs to Sara, our very own Director of Operations and Marketing, so we are able to share all of the juicy details! In fact, I’m going to let her take you through the reveal - take it away Sara!
Hello vestige HOME fans! I’m Sara, and I’m excited to share our home with you! Located just outside of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, our stone ranch house, that we are affectionately calling #StoneHouseSanctuary was built around 1950. The finished project has been a long time in the making - I’m talking YEARS. When we first purchased this home seven years ago, it was in pretty rough shape. It had been sitting on the market for quite a while due to its condition but the generous interior spaces, layout, and 1/2 acre with a pool had us overlooking the obvious drawbacks of the property.
When we took ownership of the house, we had to spend the first few years focusing making the home safe and habitable for our family of four, this included putting in all new floors, replacing the majority of the windows, a new roof, removing about a dozen dead trees, and updating the majority of the systems - it was a lot.
Finally, after a few years of hard work, the bones of the house were in good shape and we got to the point that we were ready to start making the interior spaces our own. I asked Nicole if she would be willing to help us design our family room because even after living here for a few years, I was at a bit of a loss of how to get started. The photos below are the original listing photos from when we purchased the house followed by a few “in-progress” photos from before we began the design.
The room itself is large and open, and I needed help coming up with a floor plan that would make the most of the generous square footage and the views to the backyard. We wanted to lean into the original Midcentury features of the home like the floor to ceiling windows and interior stone walls, while still bringing in a modern perspective. We asked Nicole to include a sofa large enough for our whole family as well as additional seating for when family comes around for holidays. We wanted the flexibly to have a space for entertaining and for television watching - the finished space had to be inviting and comfortable.
The original Moodboard for the Family Room
“Create a warm and comfortable living space for family relaxing and entertaining with soft, warm colors and a blend of mid-century and traditional elements.”
— Project Design Statement
We began the design process with a Moodboard and Design Statement - using imagery to hone in on the conceptual direction for the project. I wanted a space that was filled with warm colors and textures. I love that Nicole pulled an image of one of my own ceramic pieces (at that time I was working as a ceramic and fiber artist) as inspiration for the space, immediately making it feel very personal. The floor plans that Nicole came up with called for one generous seating area with a large sectional and plenty of additional seating for friends and family. Grounded with one large area rug and flanked with plenty of storage options, Nicole had cracked the floor plan puzzle. To get a feeling for the new layout, we moved our existing furnishing into place and we knew that this layout was perfect.
With the approved plans in place, we had to get the structure of the room ready before we could bring in the new furnishings and finishes. We began by removing the old, painted-over paneling, adding support beams where necessary, and patching in the existing floor. Next came the HVAC upgrades (we removed unnecessary returns) and new wiring for sconces, recessed lights, and switches. Instead of simply adding drywall, we brought in soft color and texture with custom-milled, v-groove white oak paneling throughout the room.
This modern interpretation of the original paneling sets the tone for the entire space. We had the boards milled to our specifications at a local lumber supplier, as well as all of the trim, crown, and casings. Each piece was individually finished by hand on-site using a very light white stain and a matte sealer from Bona. It was a labor of love but worth every single hour! The natural variation really shines in the finished paneling giving the space an easy, organic feeling that connects so perfectly with the stone walls and to the garden outside.
In the front of the room, we were able to remove the top of the original built-in and rework the bottom portion as part of the new design by adding concealed hinges and updated hardware. The finished credenza is painted in Revere Pewter by Benjamin Moore and the hardware is unlaquered brass from Rejuvenation. I was able to reuse the original laminate top by skim-coating it with a white concrete feather finish.
Scale was such an important part of getting this project right. Everything from the rug, to the sofa, to the TV had to be large enough to balance the generous footprint. If you can believe it, that’s a 65” The Frame TV above the credenza. The big TV is perfect for family movie nights and throughout the day, we get to enjoy an ever-rotating collection of artwork. If you aren’t familiar with The Frame, it sits completely flush to the wall and looks so sleek that we source them whenever possible for our client projects.
The vintage teak rocker came from Nicole’s own stash and couldn’t be more perfect for this space. At vestige HOME, we love adding vintage elements to our designs when possible, creating unexpected and personal moments. The black side table is a find from the Crate and Barrel Outlet in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The pillow is hand-dyed by textile artist Chanee Vijay. The 10’ x 14’ rug is from the Chris Loves Julia X Loloi Rosemarie Collection in Sand/Lagoon.
This view! Sometimes I still have a hard time believing this is our space! Overall, the finished space feels warm, inviting, and wonderfully connected to the history of the house and to the backyard and pool. The large seating area is anchored with an oversized Sloan Sectional from Interior Define. We made sure to add extra depth and length when we selected our the sectional so that the scale felt proportional to the large room. It’s wonderfully cozy and large enough for the whole family. To pair with neutral sectional, the deep berry-colored swivel chairs can easily face towards the television or toward the backyard and pool.
Sectional - Interior Define
Rug - Chris Loves Julia X Loloi
Teak Rocker - Vintage
Swivel Chairs - Trade Resource
Side Tables - Home Goods, Crate and Barrel
Floor Lamp - Crate and Barrel
Coffee Table - Target
Pillows - Jolie Marche
Hand-dyed Pillows - Chanee Vijay
Terrarium - Terrain
Textile Art - Thompson Street Studio
Brass Switch Plates and Push Button Switches - Rejuvenation
One thing that was always important to me when designing this space was to include original artwork. When I found this modern quilt from Thompson Street Studio (a vestige HOME favorite!) I knew that it was a perfect addition to this space. The colors and textures help to bring the space cohesiveness and softness, and I love how it is unexpected with the arching graphic layout.
The large canned-front credenza is actually three cabinets from Target placed side-by-side to form one larger piece. With plenty of room for books and games, the credenza helps this spot to feel less like a passthrough, and the sconces provide the perfect amount of soft light in the evenings. The large vintage mirror helps to bounce light back from the windows on the opposite side of the room while reflecting the views of the pool and garden.
Sconces - Visual Comfort
Original Painting - Kelly McGee Curran
Mirror - Vintage
Ceramic Vase - one of my own original pieces
Candlesticks - Vintage
Blue pillow - Jolie Marche
Terracotta print pillow - Jolie Marche (no longer available)
Hand-painted stripped pillow from Chanee Vijay
Finally, we made sure to consider even the smallest details throughout the design process. Traditional switches were changed out to push button switches and dimmers with brass plates. It’s like jewelry for your walls! We were also able to source white oak outlet covers that are stained to match the paneling. It’s these seemingly small touches that can absolutely elevate your home and give you a completely custom look. You can also catch a glimpse into our kitchen but we’ll save that for Part Two! Coming your way soon!
If you’ve made it this far, thank you for coming along for this reveal! I’m so grateful to Nicole for helping us to create this special space in our home. The finished space is exactly what I always wanted but just couldn’t quite envision on my own.
