Taryn Scher isn’t an interior designer—she runs an award-winning public relations firm—but she’s the ultimate expert on how her family lives. So when it was time to overhaul the main floor of her home on Greenville’s east side, she knew exactly what she wanted, even if her ideas broke a few design rules.
“It’s par for the course in every room I’ve done,” Scher says with a laugh. “They say, ‘We’ve never seen anything like this before.’ I’m used to it!”
The perfect example is the breakfast nook/dining table/island in the center of her revamped kitchen. She wanted a tulip table with chairs plus a cozy banquette. “We are not a family that likes barstools,” she says. “We like to be comfortable.”
The logical choice for the space was to choose a larger island OR choose the table, but Scher is not the type to settle for less. “We found a way to fuse it all together in a way that really works for our family,” she says. “It’s a trend to have a giant island, but we said, ‘We know how we live,’ and we didn’t want to have any regrets.”
From top to bottom, she incorporated her passions into the space, starting with lighting. “Light fixtures are my obsession,” she says. She worried that getting statement-making fixtures from different shops might not work cohesively, but she’s thrilled with how they “talk to each other.” In the kitchen alone, she combined three two-tone pendant lights from Lamps Plus, a curvilinear light in black over the kitchen table (from Greer Lighting), and black iron sconces flanking the stove.
When her family moved into the home in 2009, the brassy gold fixtures in the kitchen were among the first elements to go, replaced by brushed nickel. But by the time the kitchen reno happened, gold was back, so she based her kitchen color scheme on white and gold—with hits of blue, mainly due to already owning the blue clamshell chairs. She just painted the wooden legs gold for additional gleam.
Scher and husband Adam had purchased a stainless-steel dishwasher shortly before renovating, so instead of buying another one, she found a large white magnetic dishwasher cover online at KUDU Magnets, and in a snap, it fit right in with the new look.
Ashmore Builders was a great partner in fulfilling her vision, Scher said, and contributed numerous helpful ideas. While upgrading cabinetry, they offered personalized touches including a hidden microwave, custom-sized drawers, a revamped pantry, and slim pullout cabinets for knives and other frequently used items.
“We ventured out with our own custom cabinet shop because we couldn’t get the products clients needed,” says Sam Ashmore, vice president of Ashmore Builders. “Now, as a custom-cabinet builder, we can look at making the kitchen exactly what each client wants. Taryn loves her home and knows what she wants, and we make sure she and all of our clients get exactly what they want, the way they want it.”
In the living room, Scher ignored all trends and advice, and remained steadfast about doing something rarely seen these days—keeping her carpet. While the kitchen and remainder of the lower-level floors are now luxury vinyl tiles in a light wood tone, the living area is a plush zone ready for her gymnastics-loving daughters. “They will do back handsprings in the living room,” she says. “I had to stand up for what I know is right for us . . . in 10 years, I might want to switch it out, but right now, they’re playing board games on the floor, and it’s just more comforting, more welcoming, more warm. I know it’s not the most perfect Instagram home, but I don’t want my kids to be uncomfortable playing here.”
Scher added an arched doorway in the kitchen, plus built-in shelves for utility and dimension. She stocked the shelves with a Jeff Koons-style sculpture (“not real!” Scher is quick to point out), family photos, and a convenient basket for dropping keys.
In the living area, a light-colored sectional flanks the massive windows, and new spindles along the stairs add a modern touch, but the built-ins stayed the same to accommodate the beloved aquarium. Also a must for Scher’s gymnastic-loving daughters: plush carpet.
The centerpiece of the living area is Grace, a life-sized, winged, sparkling figure swirling above the sectional. If you’ve been to the Peace Center in the past decade, you’ve seen a 13-foot version of the same work floating over the main entrance. Scher, who selects a favorite piece every year at Artisphere, fell hard for Taking Flight, a sculpture from California-based artist Michael Gard. Outfitted with long-lasting LED lights and operated by a motor in the attic, the spinning form adds personality during the day and a stunning light show at night, especially when reflected in the wall of windows overlooking the backyard.
The stone hood matches the fireplace in the adjacent living room. Fitting for someone known as “the Sparkle Boss,” the walls glisten with Sierra Vista Quartzite architectural wall tiles from Tileshop, surrounding a new picture window over the sink.
