6 Design Lessons From a Restaurateur Who Built Her House for Entertaining
Dine at any of Joe and Katy Kindred’s four restaurant concepts in North Carolina, and you can’t help but admire your surroundings. At Kindred, their bright and intimate Davidson flagship with a modern Southern menu, an outdoor patio draped in string lights blurs the line between indoors and out. At Albertine, their elegant Mediterranean restaurant in Charlotte, a stunning marble bar is the focus of a space awash in earthy hues and natural light that streams through floor-to-ceiling windows. From their sunny seafood spot, Hello, Sailor, on the shores of Lake Norman to the retro, all-day Milkbread cafés, each location has its own style but shares an airy sophistication and a commitment to comfort.
Day to day, Joe and Katy split the responsibilities of their hospitality group. Joe helms the kitchens while Katy oversees service and guest experience, but when it comes to the design, it’s all Katy. She owns Kindred Studio, an interior design firm that creates beautiful commercial and residential spaces informed by her background in hospitality. In 2021, she took on her most ambitious project to date: building their new family home. Here’s how she made it in the same spirit as her restaurants — warm, clutter-free, and primed for entertainment.
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Start with an open-concept floor plan
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Working with an architect, Katy shaped a vision for the house that suited her needs and those of Joe and their three kids. “Designing restaurants, you are always considering the diverse perspective of the guests,” says Katy. “How are lots of different people going to feel, and how will they experience your space? Designing our home was much more intimate.”
When mapping out the floor plan, Katy thought about how her family moved around at home, never sticking to their individual corners but staying together as “a little pack.” She wanted the kitchen to be open enough to accommodate the whole family (and their frequent guests) and connect to the dining and living rooms and outdoor spaces — all without feeling too cavernous. “We all like to spend time together, but it was really important for it to feel calming, safe, and cozy. Function within that was equally important.”
When you enter through the front door, you immediately face the large living room, flooded with sunlight. Directly behind it is a patio that brings indoor comforts to the outdoors with soft furniture and a wood-burning fireplace. Past that, the deck beckons with a pool and full outdoor kitchen. Floor-to-ceiling windows throughout double as doors, making the space appear seamless.
“Designing restaurants, you are always considering the diverse perspective of the guests. How are lots of different people going to feel, and how will they experience your space? Designing our home was much more intimate.”
Katy Kindred
Minimize metal
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The kitchen, to the right of the living room, has all the charm and drama of the Kindreds’ restaurants. Much of their equipment is practically restaurant-grade, with two full-size ovens, a massive refrigerator, and a giant mixer — but you wouldn’t know it. The stove is in an alcove that hides the range hood, and the refrigerator is painted white to blend in with the walls. “If it was stainless steel, it would be so imposing— an entire wall of metal,” says Katy. “Covering stainless steel appliances with wood makes everything feel less utilitarian.”
Keep the space warm
Katy’s warm interior design style keeps the space from feeling industrial. It’s bathed in soft light, and art, plants, and pops of pink give every inch a radiant hue. The centerpiece is the stove’s backsplash, a large marble slab sourced from BAS Stone in Queens, New York, with brown swirls like Jupiter.
“Lighting plays a huge role in the way a home feels,” says Katy. “I wanted something with a lot of character and veining to it but that still feels neutral. It pulls you toward the kitchen as the center of the home.” It’s there that Joe cooks his family dinner — simple, comforting dishes like Roasted Chicken with Calabrian Chile and Cumin, Fennel Sausage Pasta, or Grilled Brassicas with Bagna Cauda.
Rather than relying exclusively on overhead lights, Katy prefers shining warm, gentle lights from all directions, with a combination of table lights, sconces, and ceiling pendants.
Commit to clean
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While sprinkled with pops of bright color, the majority of the walls, furniture, and plateware are neutral. Katy says this is especially important if you choose open shelving. Otherwise, the space might look smaller and less organized. “Commit to one basic, neutral plate and bowl set, and keep it clean and tidy.”
Related: The Top 25 Kitchen Design Trends That Defined the Past 25 Years
Sneaky storage
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Tucked behind the main kitchen is a butler’s pantry with a sliding door and floor-to-ceiling cabinets for dry storage. There’s even a shelf, custom-built for spices, “so that you’re not digging to the back of the cabinet,” says Katy. “We have so much storage, but it’s not spread out. Everything’s got its place.”
Choose beautiful
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Even though many of their nights are spent at one of their restaurants, the Kindred family still finds time to gather for home-cooked meals at their dining room table. “I want to raise our kids in a home that they enjoy coming to, piling in the living room to watch movies and inviting their friends to come over,” Katy says. “If you have the chance to choose beautiful — choose beautiful.”
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