All in the details: Interior designer Susan Hill gives the homeowners better flow, while showcasing moments for personality.
by Andrea Nordstrom Caughey
photographs by Dustin and Susie Peck
As a former commercial designer, Susan Hill is adamant about always putting function first. The CEO and principal of Susan Hill Design Group insists that good design is not just about aesthetics, but also “curating the way you live, feel and create memories.”
When she tackled Gabriella and Daniel Zemach’s circa-1966 Lansdowne remodel, focusing on their daily routines came first. Extra space was a priority, with 2,000 square feet added through a new second story and a lower-level expansion.
Style came next.
“The layout and storage were designed with intention, focused on functionality and flow,” homeowner Gabriella Zemach says. “[The kitchen’s] size allows all our family and friends to join us without crowding; even our dog can eat with us at his custom feeding station in the island.”
“The couple was drawn to a warm, sophisticated, classic vibe, but also color-infused in bold and subtle ways,” says Hill. “We immediately embraced blush pink for the kitchen cabinets — a jumping off point for the rest of the home.”
As in any couple’s home, Hill sought a balance of masculine and feminine through a mix of materials, textures and colors.
“Many of these colors are inspired by nature, a nod to the home’s lush yard. We also opened the back of the home to flood the spaces with natural light,” the designer says. “Certain rooms, like the lavender dining room with the wine wall, royal blue powder room and moody green mudroom, called out for rich colors without impacting common areas. These small moments create great personality.”
Designer Susan Hill helped fine-tune the swoon-worthy emerald-cloaked mudroom, with its ample open and closed cabinetry.
Fortunately, the homeowners were open to adding dashes of color.
“Our starter home was all-grey everything, so we wanted to incorporate our personalities more into this home and tried to do that through color,” says Gabriella. “I wanted my office to feel like a cozy library, but since it’s a smaller space I also wanted to keep it light and airy, so the sage green really gives me the best of both worlds.”
The dining room presented a different kind of challenge.
“Our dining room doesn’t have any windows, so we leaned into the lower light with a moody, darker purple wall color, extending the paint to the ceiling,” Gabriella says. “The floral chandelier and the lighter wood in the wine wall balance out the moodiness, and it’s fun and fitting that the paint color was named after grapes — Pinot Gris!”
Each spouse also guided the renovation of several hardworking spaces, including the mudroom and the butler’s pantry. Here, Susan insists cabinetry decisions and their storage possibilities were paramount.
“Storage is the first thing I look at, and, if well-planned, can make up for not having a lot of closet space,” notes Susan, who worked with Seth Wofford of SW Residential Design & Construction on the project.
“Our goal was for everything to have its own place, and we definitely accomplished that with the amount of storage,” says Gabriella. “My husband loves to cook, but having clean kitchen counters was important to me; I didn’t want to look around at the end of the day and see clutter. We were able to clear countertops with the walk-in pantry for bigger appliances and lots of drawers and cabinets for all his kitchen tools and toys.”
The same was true in the mudroom.
“I wanted shoes, beach towels, jackets and all the odds and ends that you need to grab by the back door to be easily tucked away. Finding areas to incorporate storage in each part of the house was a priority — what’s been more challenging is filling the empty spaces,” Gabriella says. Gabriella also helped drive the laundry room’s design, requesting a pet bath to streamline chores.
The couple even mindfully planned for the future.
“We designed the house in anticipation of growing our family,” Gabriella says. “We did the best we could to predict how our children will live and play in each area of the house, from soundproofing the walls of the future nursery to leaving plenty of homework space at the kitchen island. And as they get older, the upstairs bonus room should provide a perfect place to hang out — and (hopefully) keep their mess out of sight.” SP
Right: The butler’s pantry has a mix of hidden and “everyday accessible” niches.
