INTERIORS
Mid-Century
W
WRITTEN BY Aida Saul PHOTOGRAPHY BY Brianne EDITED BY Nicole Crews
Williams
Modern
alluring to imagine restoring this home to its former glory. So we set out on a journey to preserve the structure and create a vibrant and exciting home to suit the needs of the Culbertson family including rescue dog Hamlet and sons McRae (12), Luke (9), and Julian (5). After assembling a team including architect Matt Benson of Meyer Greeson Paullin Benson; contractor Ben Collins of Salins Group; landscape architect Ted Cleary; and myself, we set off. The most important decision came at the front end of the project. In 1970 an addition including a salt water pool with a structure including a large den with a dressing room and bath was created. Due to an extreme pitch of the roof and the awkward placement of the structure that closed off the egress to the back yard, it was decided that it should be demolished and the house returned to its original footprint.
SEPTEMBER 2013 11
When you think of Charlotte, North Carolina, Mid-Century Modern architecture isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. So in 2011, when Leslie and John Culbertson purchased the Lassiter House and approached me about designing the home, I dove right in, Bauhaus-inspired pool and all. Designed by renowned native North Carolina architect A.G. Odell Jr., the house’s bones—wide open spaces, window walls, extended eaves, and lack of ornamentation—exemplified the international style. The fact that the historic 1952 iconic structure laid in stark contrast with the stone and brick homes of Charlotte’s Eastover neighborhood was part of the appeal, even though the home had been unoccupied for years and was in major disrepair. Incredible photographs taken of the house after completion lined the mantle ledge and made it