This Celebrity Designer's Home Is a Celebration of Natural Elements
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Imagine having two hours to decide if you want to buy a home–and only 15 minutes to tour it. No inspection. No contemplation. No time. Such was the case when designer Tanya Smith-Shiflett viewed this 1999 home in Marriottsville, Maryland. The house was up for auction, and as at any auction, the person who makes the most compelling offer when the gavel comes down wins. As the owner of Unique Kitchens and Baths, and with a husband who's a builder and cabinetmaker, she was able to plainly see that the home had good bones and felt confident in her speedy decision. But without the requisite examination, she didn't realize it was on septic and a well. That became "an issue" she prefers not to recall.
Offer accepted, they began their renovation journey, knowing they would keep all the walls in place but change everything within them. As a kitchen designer and avid cook, her primary focus was to create an open layout for the kitchen that would flow into adjacent spaces, but it became pretty difficult for her to decide on one. "Oh my gosh, I think we probably did six or seven layouts before we nailed one," says Smith-Shiflett. "I've designed kitchens for so many high-end designers, like Lauren Liess and Leanne Ford—I just did Emily Henderson's house and recently finished Bobby Berk's—but they have a very different look than me. So when I did my kitchen, it had to feel soulful and it had to be me, but I was like, 'How do I get all these elements in here that I haven't already used in other projects?'" And importantly, what would be the thread that held the design elements of this entire home together?
Because the property backs into woods, Smith-Shiflett decided to enlarge a small plant window over the sink (think small enough to have a sill for herbs and a bit of light), making it into a large picture window to really maximize the spectacular view. That decision to embrace nature was the impetus for her home's entire color palette, which is saturated in a multitude of greens. Literally. She used six different shades of green. "I did the lighter greens upstairs because I felt like that's springtime. And then I did the darker greens in the living room area, because in the wintertime you have your pines and the seasons are changing. I knew I wanted different greens, but I wanted them to be all times of the year. So I chose my palette from what the winter trees look like, from what the summer trees look like, just how they changed all the way through."
With color choices set, she turned back to the kitchen and created a plan that would work for her and her husband. She went with an English-inspired kitchen with delicate hardware, thoughtful cabinetry (for only the necessities), and a two-level working island with areas for food prep on one surface and rolling out pastry and bread dough on the other, an integrated marble top.
Furnishings throughout the entire home celebrate natural elements. She chose a linen slipcovered sofa, quarter-sawn white oak beams and an oak dining table, cotton canvas office chairs, and even a coconut beaded light fixture. Where it's not clear in materiality, it's clear in the artwork and wallcoverings. Many of the paintings she has were collected or commissioned to work with the design of the home, featuring landscapes or moody abstracts. She called artist Maria Trimbell to create a wraparound custom mural for her office that reflected a bit of the Tuscan vineyard landscape, with the addition of some olive trees and her signature green.
Smith-Shiflett's final nod to the great outdoors was a special room she created for her husband. In between two upstairs guest rooms is a little breezeway that she turned into their whiskey room. In an illustrative nod to her husband's love of hunting, the deep blue wallpaper features decorative filigree around large stag heads all set in metallic gold, with two modern club-style swivel chairs ready for an evening nightcap.
She ultimately wanted this home to be earthy, moody, and cozy. "We don't get to travel a lot because we work very, very hard, and we don't get vacation. My husband said we need to find a piece of property that we can move to that feels like an escape. So now when I go home every day—with the woods, a creek behind our house, a porch in the back—we feel like that…this is our everyday retreat," she says.
Exterior
With a traditional brick facade on the cape-like home, the exterior was in pretty good shape, but the original front door was solid wood with sidelights. To let in more natural light, Smith-Shiflett commissioned custom glass French doors with a beautiful arch shape that repeats throughout the house. The effect is the living area of the home is now filled with sunlight throughout the day.
Windows: Pella. Lights: Shades of Light.
Living Room
With the newly installed French doors in place, Smith-Shiflett highlighted the new and existing trim with Sherwin-Williams Ethereal Mood, a cool green with hints of gray. A linen sofa, white oak coffee table, and wrought iron chandelier keep the space feeling relaxed. The artwork was commissioned from Brittney Schulz. "I took pictures of the outside of our home with trees in the fall, and she was able to create that piece just for us," says Smith-Shiflett.
Sofa: Amber Interiors. Sconce: Arteriors. Chandelier: Currey & Co. Coffee Table: Lauren Liess. Art: Brittney Schultz. Rug: Passerine Rugs.
Kitchen
"I cook everything, and I bake! So everything in this kitchen was important to me," remarks Smith-Shiflett. Given that she's the owner of a cabinetry company and works in the kitchen design market, she had already tested every appliance and knew how she wanted the space to function. The key was narrowing down the design. Once she decided to expand the window in the kitchen into a picture window, she had a starting point to build out the rest of the space. She used Carrara marble on the perimeter and bakers island, and soapstone on the prep island. While many people shy away from marble in their kitchen, she says, "I love it because unlike some other natural stones or manmade materials, I can put a hot pot right on it, it's durable, and it's easy to clean with just Bar Keepers Friend."
For any kitchen designer, cabinetry and drawer organization is paramount to a successful design. She went with a single tall "tower" cabinet to keep her everyday dinnerware easily accessible and visible and house additional go-to items like cereal bowls and glasses. The lower drawers hold all of her napkins and linens, while the island's cabinet drawers have pegs (to stop her plates from shifting when the drawer is opened). She opted for an Ilve stove, citing "it's a gas cooker and cooks evenly," and a beautiful brass sink because honestly, why not!
Cabinetry: Unique Kitchens and Baths. Cabinetry paint: Figueroa and Nostalgia by Portola Paints. Pendants: Arteriors. Sconces: Visual Comfort & Co. Ceiling lights: Hudson Valley Lighting. Runner: Loloi. Fixtures and hardware: Devol. Range: Ilve.
A former closet got recast as an easy-access home coffee bar. She's traded in the more leisurely, posh French press for a Nespresso machine that gets her caffeinated quickly.
Cabinetry: Unique Kitchens and Baths. Art: Pamela Steuart.
Dining Area
Since the kitchen island is for prep and not for seating, Smith-Shiflett made a point of getting an expandable dining table that could easily work for her and her husband on any given date night or for entertaining friends.
"Because this room has a fireplace in it, and we're not formal people, we didn't feel the need to have a formal dining room. This table actually expands to seat 12. And we liked the fact that the doors to the patio are right off of this space. So we could cook our meals, go to the table, have a nice romantic dinner, or we could have a cookout off the back of the patio," she says.
Table: Lauren Leiss. Chairs: Arhaus. Chandelier: Currey & Co. Rug: Loloi.
Sitting Area
The "whiskey room" sits between two of the guest bedrooms and offers direct access to a previously unused attic space that's now their game room.
Wallpaper: King of the Wood. Chairs: Arhaus. Dresser: Lauren Liess. Flush-mount lights: Hudson Valley Lighting. Table lamp: Lamps Plus. Pillows: Hackner Home. Blanket: Amber Interiors. Paint: Railings by Farrow & Ball.
Primary Bedroom
One of Smith-Shiflett's favorite tricks is to use the same paint color on the walls, ceiling, and trim, just in different finishes. She says the flat paint on the wall absorbs color while the satin on the ceiling reflects light, so she uses both to set a moody vibe that feels bathed in color.
Paint: Ethereal Mood by Sherwin-Williams. Bed: Amber Interiors. Bedding: Parachute Home. Dresser and nightstand: Arhaus. Lamps: Visual Comfort & Co. Rug: Loloi. Art: Brittney Schulz and Chelsea Fly. Pillows: Hackner Home.
Guest Bedroom
Smith-Shiflett knew she wanted a wallpaper that nodded to the property in this bedroom, which is one of two guest rooms. She called up friend and designer Kelly Ventura and asked her to create a paper with "acorns or figs, and something very leafy…and with that earthy green I love." The result is just that: a paper that brings the outdoors in and is enhanced by the painted trim and bed frame with grasscloth panels.
Wallpaper: Kelly Ventura. Bed: Arhaus. Bedding: Parachute Home. Table: Visual Comfort & Co.
Vanity
An oversized closet that was too big for Smith-Shiflett's needs became a more petite version of itself. She utilized the room's built-in closet and turned the rest of the space into her dressing room, complete with a makeup table.
Wallpaper: Kelly Ventura. Desk: Lauren Liess. Chair: Sixpenny. Chandelier: Arteriors. Door hardware: Rejuvenation. Rug: Loloi. Paint: Peignoir by Farrow & Ball. Mirror: Target.
Bathroom
The other side of Smith-Shiflett's company is all about baths, and going into this remodel she was keen on using tile for both the shower and floors. To upend the classic, she went with a celery-colored ceramic subway tile and used a combination of brown penny tiles on the floor with a white outline. Rather than use white grout on the floor, she chose a coppery-brown color makes the white border pop.
Wall tile: Tile Bar. Floor tile: Merola Tile. Fixtures: Kohler. Shower door: Shower Door Experts.
Office
While Smith-Shiflett travels often to visit showrooms and check in on her Pennsylvania-based factory, she does love working from home. Her commissioned mural is now her ideal (and real life) Zoom background when she's onboarding clients.
Wallpaper: Maria Trimbell. Chandelier: Arteriors. Desk, chairs, and bench: Sixpenny. Office chair: Arhaus. Rug: Loloi. Console: Four Hands. Art: Chelsea Fly. Paint: Treron by Farrow & Ball.
Q&A
House Beautiful: What was the reason and inspiration for the new design? What are a few ways you achieved your vision?
Tanya Smith-Shiflett: We wanted the house to feel more natural since it's set in the woods. We wanted to bring the outside in.
HB: What are a few ways you achieved your vision?
TS: I wanted the kitchen to have that understated European flair and function as a true chef's kitchen. My home is nestled in a rustic wooded retreat. It was essential to bring the beautiful outdoor setting into our home. I accomplished this by using rough-cut timber for the ceiling beams and choosing a warm olive paint for the lower cabinets that accentuates our signature inset door style design. The tower cabinet and main island in a creamy warm white are the perfect contrast. A timeless natural white oak was used for my baker's island as well my built-in bar nook. Every detail in this space has been carefully considered. The elegant gold hardware, soapstone countertops, statement-making plaster range hood, and exquisite lighting all work together to make every inch of this space sublime in every way.
HB: Did you encounter any memorable hiccups, challenges, or surprises during the project? How did you pivot?
TS: One comes to mind. The front door was in need of repair; we thought we could just paint it. But we learned there was wood rot and had to completely replace it. We ended up opening the front area to extend the full arch and had a custom door made with all glass, allowing light to come into the space.
HB: Where did the majority of the budget go?
TS: Kitchen, bathrooms, wood flooring, and that custom front door.
HB: Any other memorable details?
TS: The wallpaper in the office makes it feel like being in an Italian villa.
HB: Because you're in the design business, you're probably less afraid than other people, but committing to a full wraparound mural is true commitment, financially and spatially. You don't want to get tired of it. How did you know that you could live with it and be happy with it for a long period of time?
TS: That's a great question. I knew with that huge window plus an open doorway that goes into the living room and then another pocket door going into the kitchen, there would be enough relief. I also made sure the top of the mural and area around the windows stayed a more plastery white so it wouldn't allow me to get tired of it.
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