Coast to coast: A globetrotting family of five relocates from California to Carolina and fills their modern home with vintage treasures and family heirlooms.
by Cathy Martin | photographs by Dustin and Susie Peck | production by Whitley Adkins
West Coast natives Annie and Jay Totten have traveled the world on thrill-seeking excursions, from surfing in Indonesia to heli-skiing in Canada. Their move from Manhattan Beach, California, to Charlotte in 2018 marked a different kind of adventure.
Jay’s company was building an office in the Queen City, offering an opportunity for the family to relocate. At the same time, Annie was seeking a less frenetic environment to raise the couple’s three children, now ages 10, 13 and 16.
“We just felt like we were ready to try something new with our young kids, that maybe was a little slower-paced,” says Annie, founder of Generation WE, a nonprofit providing inclusive literature and workshops for children. “Also, I was very attracted to the idea of going somewhere where I don’t know one person, I don’t know why.”
Left: A light-filled breakfast nook is repurposed as a game room filled with art and travel mementos.
The couple’s first visit to Charlotte made an impression. “We were like, this is really beautiful,” Annie recalls. “It felt very calm.”
Annie first visited the two-story home in the Wendover-Sedgewood neighborhood while it was still under construction. She immediately was drawn to the home’s open floor plan and abundance of natural light.
“It just fit our family perfectly,” she says. The home seemed distinct from others in Charlotte, and she asked the builder, Benham Builders, about the vision for the design.
“He said that their inspiration was a family of five from California… I don’t know if he was messing with me and he knew, or if that was a magical statement,” she says, laughing. But from that moment, she knew it was meant to be. Six months later, they moved in.
MAKING IT THEIR OWN
Fortunately, the Tottens purchased the home in time to customize many of the finishes, including flooring, lighting and paint colors. They kept the main living areas light, bright and airy, while incorporating bolder colors in the adjacent spaces, including the graphite-gray dining room and the scullery, where terra cotta walls contrast with emerald green cabinets and a black-and-white tile backsplash.
Left: In the foyer, a mixed-media collage by LA artist Jackie Leishman depicts Yosemite National Park. Annie’s father sent her the stack of surf magazines, a reminder of her love for the ocean and growing up in San Diego. Center & right: The powder room is filled with vintage art and accessories sourced from various flea markets and shops.
One unique feature that helped seal the deal was a cozy upstairs guest suite, a little “nest” as Annie describes it, with two bedrooms and an en-suite bathroom.
“Being from California, we wanted to be able to have people come visit us and be comfortable, and not have to send them to a hotel,” she says. “That gives them their own little nook of the house.”
The home’s open layout effortlessly blends indoor-outdoor living, with the family room flowing to a large, covered patio overlooking a pool. When the family isn’t spending time outside, a game room adjacent to the kitchen has become a central hub for playing board games or tackling jigsaw puzzles. The room also serves as a casual hangout for adults to gather for drinks before dinner.
Originally a spacious breakfast nook for casual dining, the family quickly discovered they weren’t optimizing the space.
“I felt like we weren’t using it,” Annie says. “I love mahjong, I love games — I wanted almost like a more playful version of a formal living room.” Now, a sleek banquette runs the length of one wall, while four plush barrel chairs surround a pair of wooden game tables. Annie found the chairs for $8 each at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore, then had them recovered in a mossy-green velvet.
Left: In the living room, two charcoal sketches of indigenous people by Peruvian-born artist Guillermo Acevedo previously belonged to Annie’s grandparents. Center: A cozy upstairs guest suite with two bedrooms and an en-suite bathroom. Right: The not-too-formal dining room is open to the kitchen. Annie, shown here with her daughter Maeve, found the carved wooden doors at Gibson Mill in Concord.
On the walls, art of all shapes and sizes — including works by Annie’s mother, children, goddaughter and a close friend who passed unexpectedly — are displayed alongside collectibles from the family’s global travels, such as beads from a trip to Africa when Totten ran the Kilimanjaro Marathon.
“I love mixing all that in there — it brings that travel and that energy home with me,” Annie says. “This room surrounds me in art of all places and people, and that makes me happy to my core.”
VINTAGE-MODERN
While Annie single-handedly designed her family’s home, her interior-designer mother was an early inspiration. Her mom — whom Annie describes as a guru at mixing old and new — was constantly sourcing items from vintage and antiques markets, including the Paris Flea Market and other European locales.
“But she would also collect things from the local thrift store and was able to curate and find the gems. That’s definitely something that I picked up from her and is in me, too.”
Art abounds in the Tottens’ home — in every nook and cranny, there’s something new to discover. Some are flea-market finds, while others carry more meaning.
Left: In the primary bedroom, Annie had her great-grandmother’s sofa recovered in a vintage mudcloth that she ordered from Europe. The fabric on the lumbar pillow came from chairs that belonged to her other grandmother. “So it’s got both sides of my family history all in that couch.” Right: While the primary bathroom was mostly completed when the family moved in, Annie personalized the space by adding details like wallpaper on the ceiling and a Moroccan light fixture. “The layout is phenomenal — the space is so comfortable and conducive to a couple.”
One piece, displayed prominently in the foyer, represents a place particularly close to Annie’s heart.
“I grew up backpacking in Yosemite with my dad,” Annie recalls. “I went to summer camp right outside Yosemite — I climbed Half Dome I don’t know how many times with that camp and with my dad.” Her grandmother loved it too; some of her ashes are scattered there. So when Annie came across a multimedia-collage piece by Los Angeles artist Jackie Leishman depicting Yosemite Valley, she had to have it. “The colors, the perspective of the valley is exactly how I remember it.”
HOME AWAY FROM HOME
While the Tottens are far from their West Coast roots, the family has created a home filled with mementos of family, friends and the adventures that have shaped them. From the surf photo by Annie’s father in the dining room (“I love the ocean more than anything”) to heirlooms passed down from grandparents and great-grandparents, the family is surrounded daily by reminders of the people and places that matter most to them.
“We wouldn’t have moved [solely] for a job, but the fact that all these things sort of aligned at the right time made it really serendipitous,” Annie says. SP
