Laura and Mac Jarboe and their three daughters, Lola, Margaret and Charlotte. Laura, a burgeoning interior designer whose company is called Rose & Tate, oversaw the full renovations on her family’s 1970s Lansdowne-Merrick home, including a new multi-faceted outdoor living space. Photo by Bradley Quinn and Emily Giancarlo
When Laura and Mac Jarboe bought their Lansdowne-Merrick home in 2013, the 1972-built house was equipped with a cozy and coveted cul-de-sac location, sprawling backyard, five bedrooms, four baths – and dozens of holdover design elements from decades past.
“It was ’70s style all the way,” Laura recalled, from wallpaper and textured ceilings to an original blue bathtub and a round Formica peninsula kitchen island.
With her own style leaning toward modern and minimalist, Laura knew off the bat that many of those features had to go.
A full kitchen overhaul came within the first two years of living in the house, with Laura working closely with Gretchen Roach of Kitchen Interiors on that project. But life events both expected and unexpected took precedence in the years that followed – including the birth of their third daughter in 2016 – and many of the other remodeling plans were pushed to the back burner.
Fast forwarding six years, however, today the home has seen such wide-ranging renovations that the Jarboe children still refer to it as their “new house,” Laura explained with a laugh.
A new-to-the-scene interior designer with a burgeoning design business (Rose & Tate), Laura essentially served as project manager for the ambitious renovations, which were largely completed last summer by a team that includes Jeremy Rossetti (Rossetti Renovations), Billy Marrs (Marrs Trimwork) and landscape designer Scott Pfeiffer (Scott Pfeiffer & Co.). Updates included smoothing out textured ceilings, replacing nearly all the interior trim work and fixtures, painting the exterior brick, adding a new bannister and squaring off the staircase, fully remodeling three out of four bathrooms and adding custom built-in elements to her daughters’ rooms, including double queen bunk beds and a cozy reading nook. The home office was outfitted with custom built-in cabinets and a new set of French doors that lead out to a new, multi-faceted exterior living space that’s suited for all manner of outdoor cooking, dining, entertaining and play.
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Homeowner and designer Laura Jarboe gravitates toward neutral colors while pulling in greenery, texture and pops of navy, dark gray and black for added depth. Marrs Trimwork created the built-in shelves in the office pictured here. Photo by Bradley Quinn and Emily Giancarlo
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Marrs Trimwork created the built-in shelves in the office pictured here. Photo by Bradley Quinn and Emily Giancarlo
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Marrs Trimwork created the built-in shelves in the office pictured here. Photo by Bradley Quinn and Emily Giancarlo
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Photo by Bradley Quinn and Emily Giancarlo
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Photo by Bradley Quinn and Emily Giancarlo
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Renovations to the home's entryway nook were completed by Rossetti Renovations. Photo by Bradley Quinn and Emily Giancarlo
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Photo by Bradley Quinn and Emily Giancarlo
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Photo by Bradley Quinn and Emily Giancarlo
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Photo by Bradley Quinn and Emily Giancarlo
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Photo by Bradley Quinn and Emily Giancarlo
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The home's custom iron stairway banister was built by Kentucky Ornamental Iron. Photo by Bradley Quinn and Emily Giancarlo
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The master bedroom was an addition from previous homeowners, but Jarboe freshened it up with new paint and a statement pendant from Restoration Hardware. Photo by Bradley Quinn and Emily Giancarlo
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Photo by Bradley Quinn and Emily Giancarlo
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Dalmation decals give an added layer of fun to the walls of Charlotte’s bedroom. Photo by Bradley Quinn and Emily Giancarlo
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Photo by Bradley Quinn and Emily Giancarlo
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Photo by Bradley Quinn and Emily Giancarlo
Laura, who describes her personal style as “classic casual with an updated, fresh vibe,” utilized lots of neutral colors, textured fabrics, organic materials and greenery throughout the interior of the home – elements that carry over into the outdoor room design well.
Cohesion between indoor and outdoor areas is something that Pfeiffer, whose team led the design and installation of the exterior living space, prioritizes.
“I always relate the outside space to interior space when designing it – not only physically with where doors are located and how people migrate in and out of spaces but also with design theme, making sure that the inside and outside of your home are cohesive,” Pfeiffer said.
With four distinct spaces, the outdoor room was designed around functionality requirements that included ample play space for the kids, a covered dining area, a fire pit hangout area and a kitchen space that includes a built-in grill and space for Matt’s beloved Big Green Egg.
While Pfeiffer said he typically shies away from what he calls “wall-to-wall hardscape,” it was ultimately necessary for this project to meet those functionality requirements.
“When Scott presented the design, we had larger pavers with grass in between – which I love the look of – but when I envisioned the space, I had pictured the girls out there on blankets with toys, so I wanted a solid surface,” Laura explained.
“The important thing is bringing in other elements like planters and the kitchen area to break up the hardscape so it doesn’t feel cold,” Pfeiffer said. “It was really important that the exterior space was designed and furnished so that it feels homey.”
Between the layers of textured pillows and cushions, and accents of tropical foliage, it might be easy for an outsider to conclude that the homey factor is something that Pfeiffer’s team and Laura, who had picked out many of the outdoor furnishings before the design of the room even began, have definitely achieved.
Now that patio weather is in sight for the first time since the renovations were finished, that level of success is something the Jarboe family is eagerly awaiting the opportunity to measure themselves.
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According to landscape designer Scott Pfeiffer, whose team oversaw the addition of this outdoor room, creating a connection between the inside and outside of a home should be an essential focus when creating an exterior living space. Photo by Bradley Quinn and Emily Giancarlo
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According to landscape designer Scott Pfeiffer, whose team oversaw the addition of this outdoor room, creating a connection between the inside and outside of a home should be an essential focus when creating an exterior living space. Photo by Bradley Quinn and Emily Giancarlo
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That connection can be addressed physically, with the thoughtful location of doors and passageways, as well as with color, texture and other design elements. Blending neutral colors with greenery, textured fabrics and bold pops of dark gray and blue help this outdoor room feel cohesive with the interior elements of the Jarboes’ house and also help warm up the hardscape elements. Photo by Bradley Quinn and Emily Giancarlo
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That connection can be addressed physically, with the thoughtful location of doors and passageways, as well as with color, texture and other design elements. Blending neutral colors with greenery, textured fabrics and bold pops of dark gray and blue help this outdoor room feel cohesive with the interior elements of the Jarboes’ house and also help warm up the hardscape elements. Photo by Bradley Quinn and Emily Giancarlo
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That connection can be addressed physically, with the thoughtful location of doors and passageways, as well as with color, texture and other design elements. Blending neutral colors with greenery, textured fabrics and bold pops of dark gray and blue help this outdoor room feel cohesive with the interior elements of the Jarboes’ house and also help warm up the hardscape elements. Photo by Bradley Quinn and Emily Giancarlo
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Photo by Bradley Quinn and Emily Giancarlo