Interior designer Susan Chancey is connected to some of the biggest names in the fine-art world. It’s true, too, that she washes and steams her own clients’ sheets before she lets them move in.

Chancey really means it when she says her firm offers “concierge service.” Once she positions finishings and furnishings in a luxury home — in this case a sophisticated residence in Poplar Ridge filled with collected artwork — “it’s not on a level of, ‘Oh, let me install all these pretty things for you,’” says Chancey. “I tuck the whole house in.”

Chancey came to Asheville 15 years ago from Birmingham, Alabama, bringing her warm, mellow charm from that hub of Southern-lifestyle brands where her work appeared on the covers of Southern Living and Country Living. But by now, she styles herself a “mountain girl” — partly evidenced by all the soft, natural greens and blues she “loves” and that remind her of the local flora and fauna.

“When [the homeowners] look outside from the master bedroom, they see the same colors out there as they have surrounding them indoors,” says Chancey. The family is based in West Palm Beach, and Chancey nicknamed their Western North Carolina getaway their “hurricane home.” But it’s more than that now that their son has recently graduated from high school, and the couple hopes to experience more of mountain life in their Poplar Ridge residence.

“We can’t wait to spend fall in this beautiful place,” says the wife and mother.

The bedrooms may be tranquil, but in most of the home’s common spaces, things get bold. Chancey interacted smartly with the homeowners’ artwork collection, which includes iconic rabbit pieces by art star Hunt Slonem, who’s represented locally by Bender Gallery, and a series of 45 glass birds by New Zealand artist Luke Jacomb, sourced and installed through Bender.

“Our philosophy when it comes to acquiring art is if we love it, we buy it,” says the homeowner. “My husband always says, ‘You can never have too much art or too many dogs.’”

But Chancey also tapped her own connections, commissioning Dallas designer Kelly O’Neal to paint a striking abstract mural behind a built-in banquette by Lane Pressley of Expressions Cabinetry. “I flew [Kelly] in for a week,” reveals Chancey, who’s a big champion of creative freedom.

The home’s major pieces of furniture were scouted by Chancey through Atelier Maison & Co., a local purveyor of eco-conscious heirloom furniture. Atelier owner Laura K. Sullivan calls Chancey “brilliant” and says she and her staff “were honored to partner on this beautiful project.” Another local commission was the handsome billiards table, built by High Country Furniture, a family company with stores in Hendersonville and Waynesville.

Contracted through Timberline Custom Homes of Asheville, the building includes ceiling beams, stacked fieldstone inside and out, and other rustic hallmarks. The homeowner also praises the “the beautiful wood floors, outdoor porches, and high ceiling … all elements of a mountain house.” Further crediting Chancey’s “amazing eye,” she notes “the layer of sophistication with the art, custom cabinetry, light fixtures, drapes, and wall coverings [that] give it more of our personality … to make it what it is today.”

Associated Artist

• Hunt Slonem

Associated News

• December 2, 2022
  Hunt Slonem featured in Carolina Home & Garden