Life Changing
Author:Lindsey ShookFor Studio H Design Group’s Kelly Hinchman, design has the power to sculpt a great life
WORKING WITH PEOPLE you know can be tricky. “The first time is a courtesy hire,” says interior designer Kelly Hinchman of Studio H. “The second time you really have to prove yourself.” So when friends—and repeat clients—asked her to design their new abode, giving her complete creative freedom, she took more risks.
the home’s cherry floors in the transitional kitchen. Photography by Karyn Millet.
“Knowing them so well, I could really hone in on their personal aesthetic,” she says. The result is sophisticated and full of surprises: a gray and beige kitchen instead of the expected white box; bold wallpaper in the entryway; ethnic accents and a custom carnation pink coffee table in the living room; a yellow barrel chair in the family room; a gargantuan light fixture in the dining room; and a jigger of green in the bedroom.
performance fabric. Photography by Karyn Millet.
Hinchman, who set her sights on interiors at a young age—“My dad had business cards made up for me”—is conscious of the power she holds. “It’s a very intimate job. Really, when you think about it, we’re social engineers,” she shares. “We’re designing spaces that direct how we want people to live and function in them.” For the couple who lives here with their young children, that meant countering the seriousness of their day jobs. “The cliche is that your home is your sanctuary. That’s true, but it means something different for everyone,” she explains. “Here it meant a place that felt orderly and serene, yet also full of fun and energy and life.”
