Lucie Cohen resides in Forest Hills, a tranquil, meticulously planned neighborhood listed as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places. After an extensive renovation, the finished home, expanded to 3,000 square feet, offers a pleasing array of old and new items blending harmoniously with the fresh decor.
Before the extensive renovation of Lucie Cohen’s 1939 Forest Hills bungalow was completed, the Columbia attorney and her interior designer, Erin Rasmussen, could virtually finish each other’s sentences. The two had never met before but found they shared kindred tastes and compatible personalities. Both women also were curious and refreshingly adventurous, eager to entertain new ideas.
Having worked affably with Erin on several projects in the past, Lucie’s renovation contractor, Ray Matthews of Matthews Brothers Builders, suggested that she consider retaining Erin for the design work. “I called her, and we hit it off. She had such great suggestions about things. I loved working with Erin,” Lucie says. “It was just serendipitous how it worked out.”
In 2017, Lucie and her son, Thomas, now 11, moved into the then 2,000-square-foot home along with Maggie, a lovable Airedale terrier. They lived there for a few years before beginning the renovation in 2021. Lucie wanted time to get a feel for the spirit of the house, collect magazine tear sheets of looks she loved, and thoughtfully plan its transformation.
Growing up the daughter of a foreign service officer, Lucie lived in multiple countries, primarily Zambia, Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire), and Swaziland. During those formative years abroad, her parents collected art and signature pieces from a variety of cultures. She also acquired many striking furniture items and beloved family heirlooms over the years to warm and personalize the home. “Even though it was hard to move every few years, I made wonderful friends overseas, several with whom I still keep in touch and have seen in the past few years,” Lucie says. “It was an amazing childhood, and I am so grateful for it.”
Now retired, Lucie’s father lives in Cape Town, South Africa. This past summer, she was delighted to share her childhood experience by bringing Thomas on his first trip to Africa for time with his grandfather and to visit some game parks. “It was such a special trip,” she says.
The finished home, expanded to 3,000 square feet, offers a pleasing array of old and new items blending harmoniously with the fresh decor. Subtle global-inspired design influences, including classic geometrically patterned fabrics and wallpapers, pull everything together. A large carved wooden piece flanked by four equally sized prints of Victoria Falls on a wall in the master bedroom room is actually an antique door presented to Lucie’s father while they were living in the Ivory Coast.
“I have been the lucky recipient of many pieces from my parents. We also have several African masks and baskets in the house,” she says. “Erin was great finding ways to mix and blend everything.”
For her part, Erin enjoyed incorporating Lucie’s eclectic collection of African art into the design scheme. “The front two rooms are very traditional and more formal. Lucie collected many things during her travels. She had so many good pieces to work with and to make part of our overall plan for each space. She really wanted the home to be comfortable, open, and very relaxed.” While not large in size, the dining room is rich in character and intrigue. The center table once belonged to Lucie’s grandmother, who had it crafted in the 1950s by a Columbia furniture maker. It was modeled after a table from Mount Vernon.
“I can’t remember what happened to my grandmother’s chairs, but we found these at auction. They fit well with the space. They are not too large,” Lucie says. Her grandmother’s spirit also is represented in cherished pieces throughout the house. “I took my old bed that I had since middle school — a four-poster rice bed that my grandmother had given me — and put it in the guest room.”
Small touches lend charm and personality. The fresh tulips on Lucie’s dining room table are an example of that. “I try to keep some fresh flowers in the kitchen and dining room,” she says. “I think it adds so much to the house.”
Over a doorway leading from the kitchen into the pantry, a series of natural handcrafted baskets from Zambia grace the wall. They were gifts from a childhood friend’s mother. “Those are very special,” Lucie says. “I love the intricate and interesting designs on them.”
It seems only fitting that Lucie resides in Forest Hills, a tranquil, meticulously planned neighborhood listed as a Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places. Its fastidiously kept homes represent architectural styles spanning the 1920s to the 1950s, with ample, verdant green spaces maintained for residents’ enjoyment.
The land that is now Forest Hills was the location a century and a half ago of “Diamond Hill,” a country home built by Wade Hampton III. The home was destroyed during the Civil War, and today a stone pillar marks the site in the neighborhood.
As one who appreciates historical themes and is on the lookout for “new” old treasures, Lucie delights in adding quirky pieces she purchases herself. Two unframed oil portraits in the dining room are impossible to miss. Erin and Lucie jokingly called them “the angry couple.” While working together, they made up amusing stories about why the subjects might be angry.
“Lucie loves portraits. When she comes across a portrait that speaks to her, she buys it!” Erin says. “We had fun with giving them names and back stories during our install and photo shoot.”
Lucie found the “angry couple” portraits on a home furnishing and accessories website called Chairish. “They are from an antique dealer in Bath, England,” she says. “I kept coming back to them and, during a special sale, put in a low bid. I love them. They remind me of something from a Jane Austen novel.”
“I think Lucie really appreciates mixing the old with the new,” Erin says. “That was really important, especially for this house.”
What had been a plain white staircase has been transformed in darker shades of warm gray and natural red oak to establish the primary color palette for the rest of the house. A series of bird prints once prized by Lucie’s late mother flank the facing foyer walls. “They are reproductions of Audubon prints,” she says. “My mother loved birds.”
The renovation enlarged Thomas’ bedroom, and he was encouraged to put his own touches on the space. “He got to pick a funky light fixture inspired, I think, by Star Wars,” Lucie says.
Figuring out how to employ the bedroom’s dormer area as a study space took some time, but now Thomas can do his homework in the cozy nook, which is bathed in natural light. “I waited until I could find a desk that was the right size,” Lucie says. “It’s hard to take advantage of dormer areas in old houses. I think it worked out well.”
With the exception of the bathrooms, all floors throughout the home are red oak, with those original to the house freshly sanded and refinished. The newly renovated bathrooms are contrasting studies in originality. The pièce de resistance, without a doubt, is the master bathroom, a dazzling retreat exuding luxury and elegance, replete with marble flooring and tile paired with gold toned hardware. Twin frosted glass doors on either side of the tub access the private shower and commode areas. “Erin had great ideas on the way to present the marble and the colors,” Lucie says. “She went with a herringbone pattern for the marble wall behind the tub. It’s fantastic. And I loved her suggestions on lighting.”
Erin characterizes Thomas’ bathroom as the “fun bathroom” due to whimsical design choices that include effervescent whale-themed wallpaper and a framed shark’s tooth painting, a nod to Thomas’ early shark-fancying days.
“We completely redid Thomas’ bathroom, which gave him more space. He loves it. It’s a very playful, sweet room to go into,” Lucie says. “Erin picked the perfect color shades to go with it that don’t detract from the wallpaper.”
One of the most dramatic additions to the property is the addition of a sleek backyard pool. “Because it’s a small space, we primarily wanted to do something proportional. We wanted the pool to feel cool and tailored and not overpower the small backyard,” she says. “Erin and Ray had really great suggestions on how to do the stone decking.” Together, they chose travertine.
Erin says the entire project was a perfect partnership. They were constantly of like minds, and the process went very smoothly. She also was impressed by Lucie’s lightning-quick decisiveness.
“She was so open to my ideas and so trusting of me that she made the process easy, pretty effortless really,” Erin says. “She and I curated all of it together. I would pull options and present a few to her. She was confident in her first choices. For the butler’s pantry, I found six or seven wallpapers for her to see, and she just pulled one out right away and said, ‘That’s it!’ Lucie loves mixing patterns and colors and textures. She is like a dream client because she was not afraid just to go for it!”
Indeed. Lucie seems absolutely fearless in trying new or unconventional ideas.
“Most of my friends would think I am not a risk-taker. I am very cautious,” she says. “But as you get older, you realize you want something that is fun to come home to.”
