Artist Kiah Bellows turned a pocket-sized millhouse into a roomy contemporary cottage.
Amid writing this story, something wonderful occurred in the lives of artist Kiah Bellows and her husband, Jacob Farley: they welcomed their first child, Wilder James.
It was back and forth trying to find a time to chat with the Farleys about the bright, thoughtful renovation, now complete at their updated cottage in the San Souci neighborhood. Between feedings and naps—and the new world order a baby brings into a couple’s life—we squeaked in conversations about dated floor plans, staying true to your vision, and utilizing a mix of old and new to create interiors that feel timeless but ordered.
“My house makes me feel happy and warm,” says Kiah. “It’s definitely my nest, and when my nest is in order, my brain is in order.”
Kiah and Everett King Waldrep were friends before Everett became a sought-after designer. In fact, Everett thinks the first piece of original art she purchased in town was a Kiah Bellows painting. Since that time, Everett has placed Kiah’s work in homes and collections, first as an art consultant and then as a commercial and residential designer.
“Kiah said to me, ‘You’re the person I want to go through this journey with because there are a lot of decisions to be made,’” says Everett.
In fact, the little millhouse just north of Greenville had been Jacob’s parents’ home at one point; then, it was Jacob’s bachelor pad for several years. It was tight on space (just two bedrooms and one bath), but pull-down stairs revealed what Kiah said felt like a whole other house. The attic was spacious, with working windows and ceilings high enough to meet code. It could double the 1,000 square feet of the original home’s footprint.
From Millhouse to Cottage
The back of the attic was bumped out for a large, full shed dormer. It looks out onto the backyard and floods the new primary suite with natural light. The roomy bathroom has large-scale ceramic tile underfoot and a super interesting choice was made for the walk-in shower: glazed green tile.
“We wanted to visually ground the shower,” says Everett. “It’s an expansive space and the green was a perfect fit to look out to the trees in the backyard.” It was sourced from Circles and Squares, a boutique tile shop on Paris Mountain. Everett remembers showing up one day and there was a plant hanging in the shower. “Kiah wanted a real plant hung there, and I love it.”
A generous staircase in the center of the home connects the two floors. Jacob is an amputee and so is Everett’s brother, so she understood the need for the stairwell to be wide and functional. It was a tricky aspect of the project. The stairwell narrows a bit as it ascends, and existing framing also came into play. A modern, elevated look was achieved via a custom-built metal handrail that takes a bit of a jog along the way, and some judicious construction by Calvin Property Restoration.
The wall the staircase created is now a focal point in the home. Kiah says hanging the gallery wall was the last thing she did after the renovation and before Wilder arrived. It consists of all local art or gifts given as milestones. Many of the pieces Kiah traded other artists for, like Jessica Fields and Dorothy Shain.
“Matthew calls them ‘house stacks,’ and ours has all the different places Jacob and I hung out at when we were dating,” she says, “like the OG Community Tap and Swamp Rabbit Grocery and ArtBomb.” She considers the large work by artist Matthew Diomataris the anchor of the grouping. It was a wedding gift from Jacob.
Today, the downstairs functions as an open floor plan, the living room spilling into the dining area and kitchen, but it was key that the interiors also feel true to the home. “Such an integral part of the process was keeping the character of the house while adding square footage and functionality,” says Everett.
Kiah says she assumed she could do the project on her own. She had plenty of Pinterest boards and a vision for what they hoped to achieve. She initially reached out to Everett to help source items, and as she showed up with options in such an efficient manner, a partnership formed. “She really became our cheerleader,” says Kiah.
For her part, Everett counts the project as one she holds dear. “It was a dated cottage that needed updating. Kiah and Jacob wanted a contemporary cottage. Contemporary means current. It’s something we all want, really, for our spaces to feel fresh and current.”
Bringing baby Wilder home may have been the last missing element to their already sweet life.
