When Teddy and Pete Hornsby started down renovation road on their lakeside home in Hallmark Shores, they were thinking a simple remodel and updated décor were all they needed. Then they met Linda Burnside of LGB Interiors, and all that changed.
“I had been working with someone for a while, and we just couldn’t seem to bring everything together the way I wanted,” says Pete. “She suggested that we talk with Linda, and when she came in, it was a whirlwind of ideas. It wasn’t what I was expecting at all.”
(L to R) Heather, Pete and Teddy Hornsby
The Hornsbys built their home just over 25 years ago and had done one remodel to convert a screened porch into a living area. After spending several years growing their business – they own seven Subway stores in Lexington, West Columbia and Columbia – it was time to tackle the next remodeling project. “We had built some stores and decided we could put something else on our plate,” says Teddy.
This renovation would take them to new level – one they weren’t sure they wanted to tackle in the beginning. Linda’s first recommendation was to take down a main wall that separated the formal living area from the rest of the house.
“I think they thought I was crazy!” Linda laughs. “After I met with them and reviewed the existing furnishings, it dawned on me that the whole first floor needed a change. My first thought was to open up the kitchen to the living room, and while we’re at it, let’s knock out the wall from the dining room to the kitchen.”
“We didn’t think we wanted to knock walls down again,” says Teddy. But Linda saw something that they hadn’t, and she had to convince them she was right. “She talked about the flow of the house,” recalls Pete, “and she said we’d have a better view of the lake. Everything we originally said we weren’t going to do, we ended up doing.
She said ‘trust me’, so we did.”
As it turns out, Linda was right. Teddy and Pete now have a view of the lake from every vantage point in the main area of the house. “It definitely opened another view that we had but never used,” says Teddy. “Once that wall came down, the space opened up, and it was amazing!”
That renovation then led to what Teddy refers to as the “domino effect.” “We couldn’t make all these changes in this area and not do the bathroom,” he says. “And then it was the foyer,” adds Pete.
The railing in the foyer is painted Caviar black, contrasting against the off-white shade of the balusters.
A patterned Berber carpet on the stairs provides a quiet walk up to the landing.
The entire project moved along quickly. The construction portion of the renovation took around four months and was completed in December 2010. “It didn’t take long to do it, once we decided to move ahead,” Teddy says. “It just took a while to decide what we were going to do.”
The Hornsbys accompanied Linda to High Point to select many of their new furnishings. “I like to take clients to market with me,” Linda says. “It allows them the opportunity to see the spectrum of price points and quality.”
Pete readily admits that she can’t describe what her style is. “We’d been working to pull a look together for so long that I’d gotten away from even defining a style,” she notes. “We just wanted a home that was comfortable and livable, that we could enjoy and that our friends could enjoy as well.”
The completed renovation has brought to the house an aura of calm, with natural hues that reflect the colors of the lake that Pete and Teddy love so much. The living room features sea foam green walls and a wrap-around sofa of leather and woven fabric. Matching accent chairs and an oyster shell lamp add to the feel of the lake, while the breakfast table is flanked by alternating wooden and wicker chairs. A stacked stone fireplace provides contrast between the wet bar and entertainment center.
In fact, it’s the wet bar and entertainment center that became major points of discussion for the Hornsbys and Linda. “I came in one day to find them painted what I call ‘battleship gray,’” says Pete. “There’s no way I would have gone into a paint store and said, ‘This is what I want,’” adds Teddy.
The kitchen features warm stained cabinetry surrounding a center island finishedin a crème paint and glaze.
The granitefor the countertops is the perfect complement,with swirls of gold, gray and black.
This was an instance where Teddy and Pete truly had to put their faith in Linda’s recommendation. “After the glaze was added, it was obviously a great choice,” Pete says.
Moving a wall meant a complete makeover for the kitchen as well, including relocating the refrigerator, cooktop and sink. The u-shaped kitchen now features warm stained cabinetry surrounding a center island finished in a crème paint and glaze. Leather panels with furniture rivets accent the bar area.
The granite for the countertops is one area where Pete held firm. After traveling to several shops and searching through slab after slab, Pete found what would turn out to be the perfect fit – Golden Crystal. The swirls of gold, gray and black serve as the perfect complement to the cabinetry.
To update the foyer, Linda proposed painting the railing Caviar black, leaving the balusters a shade of off-white. A patterned Berber carpet on the stairs provides a quiet walk up to the landing where guests can pause to admire themselves in the large driftwood-framed mirror.
Another wall came down to combine the guest bath and powder room into one large bathroom. Removing the wall opened the space and allowed for the addition of a large walk-in tile and stone shower.
Though they originally questioned what the end result would look like, Pete and Teddy couldn’t be happier. “We were looking for some younger eyes to give us fresh ideas,” says Teddy, “someone who could go with the trends that we could enjoy but also that the next person who lives here could enjoy.”
“Linda had the vision to see it all come together,” adds Pete, “and there’s nothing that we wish we would have done differently.”
