Passionate building professionals help a couple create a mid-century modern gem
Online photos and an agent’s FaceTime tour of a 1961 house in the heart of Greenville showed deep roof overhangs and exterior-to-interior beams, expansive floor-to-ceiling windows connecting the inside to the outside, and a double-split layout with different uses for each floor.
It was enough for married mid-century modern enthusiasts—who discovered the real estate listing while traveling—to make an offer before ever entering the front door. On the hunt for an older house needing updates, the couple was excited by the style and potential and didn’t want to risk losing it in an active market.
They immediately knew they could turn the four-bedroom, three-bath home from a diamond in the rough into a mid-century gem by removing traditional elements added over the years and accentuating the original design’s inherent features.
They envisioned creating an open layout on the main floor to maximize views of the wooded four-acre lot and adding more storage and a larger bathroom to the primary suite. As avid cooks, they needed a more functional kitchen. Yet they wanted to make those changes within the existing footprint, not with an addition that would interrupt the angled roofline.
Hiring building professionals passionate about mid-century architecture was at the top of their renovation wish list. After interviewing several companies, they found their dream team in architecture and interior design firm Ario Studio and contractor Tekton Builds, along with specialty subcontractors and craftspeople.
For Brittany Arnold, Ario Studio’s architect and interior designer, the project was special “because the house already had so many mid-century characteristics we could respect,” she says of elements like the bedrooms’ circular door hinges, the entry’s terrazzo floor, and the stone chimney.
During a six-month design phase followed by six months of construction, she and Tekton owner Corey Mercer worked with the couple on different layout configurations and developed innovative solutions to construction challenges.
“For functionality, it was important to get good storage and multiple uses out of spaces. And do it in a way that didn’t make them feel smaller and that worked with the existing architecture,” Arnold says.
She switched the dining area and kitchen locations to create a combined laundry and mudroom, where Pratt Woodworks customized cabinets to hold dog bowls, a robot vacuum, and a large vacuum sealer used for sous-vide cooking. The change also included pushing back an existing wall to let in more light from the front windows.
The couple spends much of their time in the new open-to-the-living-room kitchen. It is packed with convenient touches, from the pop-up shelf for the stand mixer to the hidden coffee station and appliance garage. Two custom rolling cabinets under the island can be pulled out for additional prep space.
On the upper floor, Arnold moved the primary suite’s entrance, allowing for a bank of white oak cabinets and a new bathroom. It compactly accommodates a water closet, wet room, and floating double vanity.
The couple credits their talented team with creating multiple favorite spaces—from the sunny family room to the ground-floor garage converted to a generous office—and details like the eye-catching cedar-plank ceiling extending from the living area to the roof overhangs, Pratt Woodworks’ dining banquette, and shelves for mid-century glass, original ceramics, and meaningful artworks.
“They were all enthusiastic about the project, and it shows,” the homeowners say.
Greenville Goes Mod
The original plans for the 1961 house will be displayed during the 2025 GreenvilleMOD (gvlmod) tour on April 13 from 1–5p.m., when this house and a collection of other mid-century and contemporary structures open their doors to the public.
This year marks the tour’s fifth anniversary. Presented by Wilson Associates Real Estate in association with American Institute of Architects–Greenville, it celebrates local examples of these architectural styles and educates the public about the need to appreciate and, where appropriate, preserve them.
Tickets will be $40 per person and available via gvlmod.com. Follow @gvlmod on Instagram for more tour info and the ticket release date.
Jake Pratt of Pratt Woodworks deftly crafted mudroom cabinets that hide a robot vacuum and a large vacuum sealer used for sous-vide cooking. He also built display shelving, the dining banquette, and the secondary bathroom cabinets.
The stairs leading up to the bedrooms and those going down to the family room are painted in the same oranges as the kitchen cabinets. The entry’s original terrazzo floor inspired the orange tones.
The custom walnut kitchen cabinets came from the Seattle-based company Kerf Design, which the homeowners first discovered in an issue of Dwell magazine. They hold unique conveniences like an appliance garage, the stand mixer’s pop-up shelf, trash and recycling spots, a narrow spice rack, and a pull-out pantry.
The primary bathroom’s floating double vanity was intentionally designed to create a sense of openness in the small space. Tobin Hines of Concrete Concepts crafted the vanity’s concrete trough-style sink and counter.
