Marie Matthews creates a playful home for a young professional with a maximalist style.
by Andrea Nordstrom Caughey | photographs by Dustin and Susie Peck
“Life’s too short to live in a boring home,” says Ali Kaufman, a 29-year-old Charlotte software professional who gravitates toward a maximalist style. “I always dreamed of creating a space that reflects who I am and the life I want to live — happy, bold and unapologetically colorful. I feel most at peace, and most inspired, when I’m surrounded by vibrant hues, playful patterns and meaningful objects.”
When tackling a revitalization of her formerly neutral, circa-1977 Foxcroft digs, it was a no-brainer for Kaufman to flag Charlotte designer Marie Matthews Interiors.
“Turns out, Marie doesn’t just set the bar — she drastically raises it,” Ali explains. “I simply told her I wanted a home that felt like me (colorful, layered and funky), and then I gave her full creative freedom. She dreamed up a space she loved, and I’m just lucky enough to live in it.”
At its most basic, this is a color story, says Matthews, who launched her own firm in 2022 after a decade working for other local designers.
“We started by falling in love with a teal chinoiserie wallpaper for the dining room, the first thing that catches the eye from the entryway.” A lacquered ceiling adds a touch of Hollywood glam, says Matthews, who updated an old credenza with high-gloss paint to use as a sideboard. “Then, mixing old with new, I married vintage Hollywood regency chairs with modern hostess and host chairs upholstered in performance velvet.”
The brilliant guava-colored living room came next.
“Pink is Ali’s favorite color, so repeating it from the dining [room] wallpaper was a natural,” Matthews says. “Our star is the luscious dragon print drapery by Ferrick Mason, trimmed in a playful but traditional bead edge.” To complement the Benjamin Moore “Sharon Rose” walls, the designer insisted on painting the ceiling blush. “[It’s] a design secret that never fails!”
Matthews is also a believer in happy accidents. After the painter misread the instructions and painted the white fireplace pink, Kaufman and Matthews decided they actually liked it better. “After the shock wore off, Ali and I both agreed that the surround was always meant to be guava.”
Kaufman also needed a combo library and work gathering space — here, she encouraged Matthews to not hold back. The designer responded with a colorful array of wallpapers and fabrics, layering pinks and lavenders inspired by a beloved Windy O’Connor lampshade from Kaufman’s former workspace. A knockout drapery fabric drove the deep blue walls.
“I also turned to the centuries-old luxe tradition of upholstering walls in fabric, offering quiet enclosure and sound insulation,” Matthews says.
Relaxed and restorative, the primary suite’s multicolored Old English hunt scene drapery fabric repeats blues, greens and pinks from other rooms, but on a neutral background. The custom bedding is fashioned from pink and cabernet plaid with velvet piping, while green bedside tables echo the adjoining bath’s heron wallpaper.
Kaufman’s breakfast room, now dubbed “The Happy Room,” is anchored by two paintings by local artists. The drapery fabric is Windy O’Connor Home’s “Mardi Gras,” paired with a lighthearted Missoni floral rug from Stark.
Beyond color, pattern held its own in the home’s design.
“I love mixing patterns,” Matthews says. ”The same way mixing musical notes produces harmony and structure, plus emotions, the right mix of patterns has the same effect on our brain. Using different patterns needs connectivity — not matching perfectly, but working together like those notes.”
Kaufman credits Matthews for bringing boldness and joy into her home.
“In my work, I aim to bring passion, precision and heart to every client interaction, so when I hire others, I look for the same.” SP
