By Madoline Markham
Photos by Lauren Ustad
It was the pink walls in the kitchen of the house on Lucerne Boulevard that caught Lynn Luckianow’s eye 27 years ago. She and her husband, Brian, were looking for a home for their young family at the time, and the 1941 house—which originally had views of the 117- acre Edgewood Lake that stood where Lakeshore Drive is today—seemed just the right fit. It had a quaint exterior, a spacious backyard and a much larger interior than you might imagine from the road, with five bedrooms spread across its three floors.
Three years ago, after she had inherited furniture and artwork from her parents, Lynn teamed up with interior designer Meg Wallace to bring more of her visions for her home to life. Lynn’s daughter was about to get married at the time, and she had some projects in mind. But even after the wedding, Meg and Lynn—who also lives in Homewood—had so much fun working together that they’ve designed their way through the house room by room.
Meg is partial to using items with sentimental value and vintage pieces in her design work, and according to Lynn, one of the stronger qualities Meg brings to her design work is listening. She wants to understand the client and their family and integrate their personal history and preferences into the function of the home. And that’s just what she and Lynn did working with Lynn’s collection of family furnishings and sentimental pieces from trips and travels.
Throughout the home you’ll find antique and midcentury pieces from Lynn’s parents’ home alongside paintings from Brian’s travels to Ukraine, cloths and baskets from a trip to Botswana, and dolls from mission trips to Belarus with Trinity United Methodist with a program called Children of Chernobyl. Lynn and Meg also added in antique finds from Tricia’s Treasures, Homewood Antiques, Hanna Antiques, 18th Street Orientals, Nordimere Antiques (which used to be located next to Gianmarco’s) and @parris.flea.market to rooms to complete looks.
Although the walls of the kitchen are no longer pink, you’ll find a pop of it—Lynn’s favorite color—in practically every room in the house creating a cohesive feel throughout. And now that the Luckianow house is complete, Meg is having a lot of requests for pink in her other design projects too.
Master Bedroom
Lynn had seen a green and white toile fabric in a magazine years ago and knew she wanted it in her bedroom. Pink Euro shams and a velvet lumbar pillow atop a simple textured coverlet from Three Sheets complete the look in the room. A custom pink and white cut velvet Lee Industries bench adds a bit of whimsy at the end of the bed.
Living Room
This room’s design started with the tapestry above the couch that originally hung in Lynn’s parents’ dining room, and Meg worked with Lynn to select neutrals with pops of pink for the rest of the space. The round glass double-layer coffee table and painting above the fireplace were Lynn’s parents’ as well.
Kitchen
About five years ago, the Luckianows had the wall between their kitchen and dining room taken down and had Twin Construction bring to life Lynn’s ideas for a completely new white kitchen. The countertops are limestone, and white cabinetry panels the refrigerator so it seamlessly fits into the room. Meg and Lynn selected a new rug from 18th Street Orientals for the dining area and repeated pink in the dining chair upholstery.
China Hutch
Meg and Lynn had the inside of the glass-paneled cabinets in the kitchen painted a dusty Farrow and Ball pink. They showcase Brian’s grandmother’s china, Lynn’s grandmother’s tea set, a tray that was a wedding present to Lynn’s parents, and other sentimental pieces.
Downstairs Bedroom
Lynn’s dad lived in their downstairs area the final two years of his life, so Lynn wanted to incorporate the blues and greens he’d long known where he lived in the Gulf coast of Texas and where Lynn had grown up. He was a chemical engineer and also an artist, and he painted the shrimp boats that now hang above the bed in this room. The midcentury bed, nightstand and dresser in the room came from his home as well.
Gallery Wall
This wall in the guest bedroom acts as memory central for the Luckianow family. It includes pictures of their children, grandchildren and parents in addition to wedding pictures from three generations. Among them are photos of Brian and Lynn’s weddings in both the Presbyterian and Russian Orthodox churches honoring both Christian traditions.
Guest Bedroom
It wasn’t until after Meg had found a Japanese-inspired fabric for the pillows in this room and she asked Lynn about ideas for art that Lynn suggested an item sitting in the cedar chest in her upstairs bedroom. Her brother had given her a purple kimono from Japan when he was in the Marines more than 40 years ago, and they had it framed to go above the bed.
Behind the Scenes
- Interior Design: Meg Wallace Design
- Kitchen, Bathroom & Downstairs Renovation: Twin Construction
- Drapery Workroom: Chris’ Creations by Chris Smith
