California transplants reimagine a North Carolina home for their family of five, blending their west coast taste and creativity with a distinctive take on Southern style. Jenny and Josh Fuller had already waved farewell to their Southern California hometown when they boarded a plane to Italy for their honeymoon in 2004. As the trip came to an end, a bright new chapter of their life was just beginning in Charlotte, where the city’s signature charm solidified the couple’s decision to raise their family in the South.
The Fullers lived in several houses around town as their family grew, but it wasn’t until 2012, with their third daughter on the way, that the opportunity arose to make an ideal move to Eastover, one of the Queen City’s most venerated historic neighborhoods.
Outfitted in Italian-style frescos and grand marbleized columns, the house Jenny and Josh purchased required an extensive renovation to make the prized-locale abode reflect their taste, a mix of casual contemporary and classic Southern.
Jenny attributes her design inspiration to her work as a retail manager at Charlotte-based Circa Interiors & Antiques, where she learned to mingle modern flair with Southern style. A talented sketch artist who recently founded DoodleBee Illustrations, Jenny collected myriad light fixtures while at Circa, and she cherishes them as much for their sentimental significance as their timeless appeal.
“I love the juxtaposition of meaningful vintage and modern boldness,” she says. That notion is apparent in nearly every room, including the dining room, where a refurbished antique chandelier keeps company with a whimsical wave-patterned seagrass rug.
Although the couple liked the home’s informal layout and the existing office, there were personalized touches, in addition to the fanciful Italian elements, that did not fit their family’s laid-back lifestyle.
While much of the home’s palette is neutral and subdued, Jenny says, “I had to add some drama somewhere.” Wall-to-ceiling bold hues in Josh’s office and in the butler’s pantry not only reflect Jenny’s artistic character, but they also allude to the family’s playful approach to life.
“I don’t take anything too seriously, and I love to have fun,” says the illustrator, who cherishes time spent with her three girls, all under age 12. From slumber parties and movie marathons in the master bedroom to doodling and painting on the porch, the Fuller home is now a comfortable retreat fit for the family’s endless creative endeavors. “I think this is where we were meant to be,” Jenny says.
Text by Ashley Shaw Photography by John O’Hagan Styling by Tracey MacMillan Russell
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