Lifestyle Page

ROOM WE LOVE: Open Book

Designer Lori Shaw has a reputation for bold, unapologetic use of color, but she made her biggest personal statement earlier this year inside her own 8,000-foot home. She transformed her sitting room into a library for her “household of bookworms.”…

PARENT TO KNOW: Jen Kraus Rosen

Jen Kraus Rosen is the Chief Advancement Officer of Moishe House, a global organization that facilitates engaging communities for Jewish young adults. When she’s not traveling the globe for work, the Indiana University grad devotes her time to family and…

PARENT TO KNOW: Esezele Payne

Esezele Payne has a refreshingly direct style, which might be out of necessity. Like most moms, she is very busy. Esezele is the Vice President of Operational and Environmental Services at Atrium Health and is active in several charitable organizations…

Best Haircuts for Kids

Updated February 2023 Denise Antonacci Salon This award-winning SouthPark salon counts many local celebrities and high-profile Charlotteans as clients, but you may not know that they offer kid's services, too.  Kid's cuts start at $31, depending on the stylist, and…

ROOM WE LOVE: A Neurodivergent-Friendly Space

In my book Our Neurodivergent Journey, I write about how important it is for your home to accommodate your child’s needs. Kids need a space that elicits feelings of calmness but also leaves room for rambunctious behaviors. Our library allows…

ROOM WE LOVE: Sweet Dreams

When Whitney Sturge’s clients hired her renovate their dated two-story colonial in Barclay Downs, they wanted room to entertain guests and host sleepovers for their three young children. For their 7-year-old daughter’s bedroom, Sturge had to come up with a…

How Does Your Garden Grow?

As parents, it's common to worry about what our children are eating. We want them to enjoy a wide range of nutritious foods and to develop a healthy relationship with food, but getting children to try new flavors and eat…

ROOM WE LOVE: A Polished Pantry

When Tamara Leicester’s clients hired her to design the interior of their two-story modern craftsman in Dilworth, they needed it to function for their growing family, which included three children under age 6. Just off the kitchen, they budgeted for…

PARENT TO KNOW: Neely Verano

Neely Verano’s lifelong passion for the arts led her to serve in various nonprofit leadership roles at the Mint Museum, McColl Center for Art + Innovation, and The Arts Empowerment Project. She’s also a co-founder of LaCa Projects, Charlotte’s contemporary…

ROOM WE LOVE: Tween Suite

Jacy Painter Kelly has designed plenty of children’s rooms over the last decade, but a recent project for a 12-year-old girl schooled her on an emerging design trend among tweens and teens. “She wanted her room to have a lot…

ROOM WE LOVE: In Living Color

Lauren Clement designed nearly every room in her client’s 6,000-square foot home in the The Enclave at Longview, a gated community in Marvin. “Their style is pretty modern, and you don’t get a lot of that in Charlotte,” she says.…

ROOM WE LOVE: The Pink Side

Alexis Warren’s client was pregnant with her second child when she hired the designer to transform a space above the attic into a bedroom for her 2-year-old daughter. She wanted it to be fun and youthful, but it also needed…

Consignment Shopping Charlotte in Summer 2022

(©Cottonbro/Pexels) Consignment Sales While most consignment sales take place in spring and fall, there are still a few you should know about this season. Tar Heel Kids Consignment returns to the Cabarrus Arena & Events Center July 27-31, and for…

ROOM WE LOVE: Bunked

When Traci Zeller’s clients bought their Myers Park home, they decided to turn an upstairs room, originally budgeted as a guest room, into a place where their two kids could have sleepovers. The sloped ceilings didn’t leave much space for…

ROOM WE LOVE: Role Play

When the owners of a lakefront home in Cornelius wanted a designated play place for their three young daughters, the team at Aguilar Design Studio in Cornelius came to their rescue. Aaron and Laura Aguilar, the spouses and owners behind…

ROOM WE LOVE: Big Kid Refresh

When her longtime clients wanted to update their children’s bedrooms, Hadley Quisenberry was already familiar with their Cotswold home. The owner and principal designer of West Trade Interiors had worked alongside her mother and business partner Lisa Britt to renovate…

ROOM WE LOVE: For Art's Sake

Designer Cheryl Luckett had worked with the owners of this Davidson home in 2018, not long after they moved in. The young couple, both in the medical field, didn’t have much time to focus on design. They left those decisions…