The designer Ericka Howill grew up in Kansas City, but she spent more than ten years to travel outside of her hometown. While she is now thriving as a designer, she has not started her career in the field. The first part of her career was devoted to storytelling and human experience.
“This time, which is moved in different cultures, houses and ways of life – has opened my eyes in the way our houses tell stories and shape everyday life,” says Howill. “Design is more than aesthetics. It is about creating rooms that contain memories, triggering emotions and reflecting life.”
Recently she completed a renovation of her customer Brian McCallister from Westwood, which made it possible for her to bend her design muscles and to recognize his interest in restoration and craftsmanship.
McCallister has known howill since she was in preschool with his son. He was thrilled to find out that she worked as a designer. “I always like to bend with emerging creative people, so I convened myself to Ericka to get her perspective on the house and I loved her ideas,” he says.
It fit well for customers and designers.
“He wanted to work with as many local craftsmen as possible,” says Hitill. “What was great when we worked at a craftsman at home, and the craftsman movement was about rebeling and celebrating against the industrial revolution.”
For this project, Howill was dedicated to the expression of the spirit of the house while creating a space that reflects the taste of McCallister.
“It is a historical home with incredible bones, so we have been very careful to preserve the original details – such as the brick fireplace from 1916 – and at the same time uncover elements that feel personally, tactile and unexpectedly,” says Howill.
McCallister was attracted to the house because of his deep appreciation for craftsmanship. Where more modern modifications were made, Howill was able to create quality and aesthetics for the old world through customer -specific design and cooperation with experienced local craftsmen.
Nevertheless, there were some challenges. The kitchen had been updated with a very contemporary feeling, and the living room had newer installations around the fireplace.
Hitill and McCallister agreed that removing these elements was a good idea. They had no indication of the happy surprise that they were expecting.
“After taking out the built -in, we discovered the original brick underneath,” says Hitill. “From there I designed a new coat and we had Peter Kohl, a local craftsman, build him.”
Nevertheless, the modern world was on tiptoe. A television over the fireplace made sense, but neither McCallister nor designer wanted this look.
“We decided to use a multimedia piece cut paper, ceramic flowers and oil pastels of the owner's farmhouse in Iowa, which was a special commission. He loved it when he saw it there,” she says.
In the dining room, McCallister was able to use his existing dining room chairs, but had no table that he was enthusiastic about. Here Hitill suggested making a custom piece. He agreed and the team entered to make the rest, with Howill disempowering the table and making Kohl made it.
Deep jewelry tones from Emerald and amber on the walls create a rich and intimate atmosphere. It is the cozy cocoon that brings out the best at a dinner party – an additional drink, another story. This is a great excuse for the starry wallpaper on the ceiling and the customer -specific chandelier by Linda Lighton. It's nice to have something so interesting when you throw your head back and laugh.
But McCallister is not just game and not a work. His home office reflects a commitment to compliance with deadlines in the best environment. A traditional carpet subfoot offers the basis for cozy leather chairs that look like they could organize secular friends, customers or colleagues. The formal crystal chandelier will face the vintage typewriter, the presence of which should trigger many interesting conversations.
The winter garden, part of a supplement created by previous owners, with its parked ceiling and the Roughhewn rays that have designed and added Howill, is filled with objects that begin with the conversations. “I added rays so that the room feels more historical, rustic and male,” says Hiill.
The next project is the main bedroom. In the least, McCallister does not suffer from draft tiredness.
He realizes that his trust in Howill has paid off in an unexpected way. “I really respect that she will encourage a client to think outside of her box. I would have left the kitchen cupboards as they were. Ericka encouraged me to paint her and I am overjoyed with the results.”
Howill's focus on how a room feels is just as important as the look. This improves the finished product. She has the feeling that this goes beyond fabric and paint colors.
“I always start with my senses,” says Hitill. “We read our surroundings through sound, fragrance, touch and light. We combine ourselves both physically and emotionally with our surroundings,” she says. “With good design, it's not just about what a room looks like, but how it feels and the rhythms of those who live there that live there.”
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