Beth and Chris Collier in their living room; Bestselling chairs from their collection
On an early grey day in March, I joined Art Director Jesma Reynolds and Editorial Director Liza Roberts on a jaunt to the small town of Washington, NC, for Walter Magazine's May "Story of a House" feature. Our destination: a former hospital, now the home and design studios of the VanCollier design team, Beth and Chris Collier.
When Jesma told me about the house, I knew it would be amazing; it had been a hospital. It had been a convalescent home. It had been abandoned for 10 years! Nothing is better than imagination brought to life, especially when the imagination is that of the Colliers. Take a ghost-free photo tour of the house for yourself, including images not featured in this month's publication:
Although the building has been completely renovated, the Colliers managed to keep the industrial charm and age of the building intact. The staircases are all original. The third floor design and work studios are almost completely open. But what makes their space truly amazing is their vast and expertly curated collection of art and objects.
Anyone who's ever been on an interior design shoot can appreciate the most amazing thing about our session with the Colliers: we literally didn't move a thing for the shoot. Beth and Chris live and work in a beautiful, comfortable, inspiring, and artfully displayed home. Between their living quarters and an insider's view into their design process (I loved the different objects they had pinned or grouped together), I felt really honored to be invited into their space to photograph them, their home, and their work.