Valley Lo

Designer: KitchenLab Interiors (KLI)

Architect: GTH Architects

Builder: John Carey

The minute you look out the living room windows, you feel as though you're on a lakeside vacation in Wisconsin or Michigan. We wanted to help the homeowners achieve this feeling throughout the house - merging the causal vibe of a vacation home with the elegance desired for a primary residence.

This project is unique and personal in many ways - Rebekah and the homeowner, Lorie, had grown up together in a small suburb of Columbus, Ohio. They were both heavily influenced by the style of the late 70's and early 80's boho/hippy meets disco and 80's glam, and both credit their moms for an early interest in anything related to art, design, and style. Back in the early 1980's, their moms were unique among their peers - Lorie's mom was an art dealer and Rebekah's mom owned a clothing store that carried the likes of Joan Vass and Norma Kamali. Lorie had studied art history while Rebekah studied fine art. They consider themselves a bit on the rebellious side when it comes to style - if everyone else is doing it, they want to go the opposite way and an almost visceral reaction to wanting to avoid being trendy. It was a match made in childhood :)

That said, "one of the biggest challenges of doing a new construction project is that it takes so much longer to plan and execute and by the time tile and lighting is installed, you might be bored by the selections of feel like you've seen them everywhere already" says Rebekah. " I really tried to pull myself, our team, and the client away from the echo-chamber of Pinterest and Instagram. Rebekah and Lorie hunted for one-of-a-kind pieces that would be totally unique. Timeless design often means that the individual pieces go out of style and come back into style again and again, and it's the mix that matters.

Lorie's willingness to take risks, and to trust the design team was something that Rebekah holds dear and does not take for granted. The best projects come from a team slightly outside their comfort zone.