Atherton Street may soon need a new street sign, as interior designer Jennifer Lane, founder of Whit Willow, continues to transform her neighbors’ homes. Lane is a former fashion designer from New York who moved to Charlotte in 2015 for her husband’s job. After taking time off to raise her young sons, she unexpectedly came up with the idea of designing spaces in not one, not two, but eight (and the number is growing!) houses in their Dilworth neighborhood.
Jennifer’s living room
Camel Velvet Cushion Etsy / Buffalo Check Cushion Designers Guild Shag Novelty Cushion Pine Cone Hill by Laura Park / Rug Surya
Lamp Frontgate / Sofas Bernhardt / Walls Sherwin-Williams’ Alabaster
After 15 years as a fashion designer for brands like DVF, Rebecca Taylor, Liz Claiborne and Banana Republic, life as a stay-at-home mom in the South was a big adjustment for Lane. “I didn’t realize how empty it was for me not to have a creative outlet,” she says. “I was throwing these birthday parties for my kids and making them way too elaborate – people were making comments about the cakes and the decorations. It was over the top and I realized how much I craved creativity.”
Vineyard Living
Lighting West Elm / Swivel chairs West Elm / Coffee table Birch Lane / Rattan cabinet Hopper Studio
Sideboard Four Hands / Carpet Lulu and Georgia
Around this time, her neighbors, Assaf and Amy Weinberg, noticed her “cool aesthetic” and asked Lane if she would remodel their living room. “The Weinbergs’ living room was my very first project,” Lane says. “We got rid of everything they had, changed the light fixtures, and got all new artwork. I wasn’t planning on starting my own business, but a few months later, I got a call from Assaf’s brother, who wanted help designing his newly built home outside of Washington, DC. It was during COVID, so we did Zoom calls every Saturday. That’s when something clicked for me, and I thought: Oh, wow, I can do that. This is really fun.”
The Finlays’ Coach House
Kitchen: Bar stool Sand & Stable / Lighting Visual Comfort / Paint Sherwin-Williams’ Alabaster / Sink renovation / Art Susan Hable Caladium
Word got around, and soon Lane’s neighbors across the street, the Finlays, hired her to design the carriage house they were about to build. The spacious two-bedroom structure was a blank canvas, allowing Lane to choose everything from the fixtures and wall color to the hardware and countertops. She even wallpapered one of the bathrooms and the hallway herself. As another custom feature, she installed pull-out seating from Get Back, Inc. in the loft to make the most of the space.
Pool bathroom: Custom reclaimed pine vanity based on Lane’s sketch / Updated lighting / Sherwin-Williams Alabaster walls / Benjamin Moore Hale Navy barn door / KAZI seagrass bin
Loft: Seating Get Back, Inc. / Wood paneling White oak / Walls Alabaster by Sherwin-Williams
Bathroom: Pottery Barn vanity / Shades of Light lighting / York Wallcoverings wallpaper
The Ryans’ terrace
Chairs Ikea / Couch Items / Table Crate & Barrel / Mantel Custom Cabinets, Appliances and Fireplace Inserts Charlotte Grill Company
Next to the carriage house, the Ryans had a dark, screened porch that was rarely used. They hired Lane to make the space more open and functional. She built a covered lounge, dining area and outdoor kitchen with a built-in grill, as well as cabinetry and appliances from Charlotte Grill Company to create a counter space that opens to both the dining and lounge areas.
The Utseys’ office/lounge
Office/Lounge Walls: Sea Serpent by Sherwin-Williams / Table: Joss & Main Chair: West Elm / Lighting: Etsy / Artwork: Nico Amortegui
Across the street, Melissa and Derek Utsey needed help setting up a home office. Lane outfitted the space with a statement light fixture from Etsy and painted the walls in Sherwin-Williams’ Sea Serpent, a dark navy blue with green undertones. When the family’s needs changed, they put Lane back to work, redesigning the space as a living and TV area for their kids. That meant replacing the table from Joss & Main with a sofa from Apt2B Modern Furniture and changing the layout of the room.
Utsey Entrance, Dining Room
Entrance lighting Josh Utsey Design / Artwork Melissa Herriott Side tables Josh Utsey Design
Lane worked with the Utseys to design their entryway and dining room, using a custom light fixture, dining table and entry tables handcrafted by Derek’s brother, Josh Utsey. They also incorporated an old surfboard that belonged to Derek’s father and a picture of him riding waves in the corner.
Dining room: Dining table Josh Utsey Design / Sideboard Lulu and Georgia
Lane’s takeover of the neighborhood continues. She has a handful of other projects in the works in and around Atherton Street, including a complete ground floor remodel, a kitchen renovation, and some bedroom remodels. She hopes to put her stamp on other Charlotte neighborhoods as well.
“I want to continue doing interior design for homes,” she says. “I love art – I went to art school. I would love the opportunity to work with more artists. A client commissioned a piece from Kenny Nguyen and I got to work with him from the beginning to develop a color palette and a feel for the space and what it should be. It was a really cool process and I’d love to do more of it.”
Lane recommends that anyone looking to create a new space in their home always have a starting point. “I don’t want my spaces to feel like they were all bought from a catalog – I want them to feel a little collected,” she says. “Whether it’s a painting, a rug, a piece of art, or something you picked up on your travels – it can be as small as a figurine – but having an item that serves as a starting point for the color palette and feel of the space is a great first step.”
