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Fit for Family

click any of the photos below to start the slideshow

A mother of two young children designs a scaled-down house that’s big on heart.

Photographs by
Brie Williams
Karen Kearns and her children left New York to make a home in McClellanville.
<strong>About Face:</strong> Portraits of the kids mark cabinets for personalized storage.
<strong>Make Your Mark:</strong> To occupy the little ones, the outside of the door to Karen’s “away room” serves double-duty as a chalkboard.
The smartly designed main living area stretches the width of the house, with each of three bedrooms accessed through barn doors that slide to reveal built-in shelving.
<strong>Heart of the Home:</strong> High ceilings, blonde woods, and a neutral wall color create an airy canvas for the family’s bright tile collections and vibrant furniture.
<strong>In the Details:</strong> Personal touches throughout the house include doorknobs from NYC public schools and curtains dressed with handed-down handkerchiefs.
<strong>In the Details:</strong> Personal touches throughout the house include doorknobs from NYC public schools and curtains dressed with handed-down handkerchiefs.
<strong>Kid Clean-Up:</strong> The children share a central bathroom, which includes their own colorful step stools and a fun fried-egg bath mat.
Coeburn's bedroom connects to Addy's by way of a shared bath.
<strong>Play Rooms:</strong> In every corner of the house, Karen provides outlets and inspirations for her kids’ imaginations, like these “stepping stone” rugs.
<strong>Daily Tribute:</strong> A table tile bears the couple’s names and the date that they met.
<strong>Sweet Retreat:</strong> The house provides plenty of places for Addy and Coeburn to learn, play, and be kids.
The cushioned window seats are perfect reading perches.
<strong>Smart Shopper:</strong> Karen got a deal on these artful tiles by accepting mismatched and blemished pieces.
Karen bought the Italian cuckoo clock from a New York shop as her one splurge item.
Between art supplies on the porch and a cool, screened-in area under the house, Addy and Coeburn have plenty of space to play outdoors.
Fit for Family
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