A Former Fashion Designer Transforms Rooms for Eight of Her Dilworth Neighbors – Charlotte Magazine

Atherton Street may soon need a new street sign as interior designer Jennifer Lane, founder of Whit Willow, continues to transform her neighbors’ homes. Lane is a former New York-based fashion designer who relocated to Charlotte for her husband’s job in 2015. After taking some time off to raise her young sons, she unexpectedly fell into designing rooms in not one, not two, but eight (and counting!) homes in her Dilworth neighborhood. 

Jennifer’s Living Room

Coming off 15 years as a fashion designer at brands like DVF, Rebecca Taylor, Liz Claiborne, and Banana Republic, life as a stay-at-home mom in the South was a big adjustment for Lane. “I didn’t realize what a void not having that creative outlet was for me,” she says. “I would host these birthday parties for my kids, and I would make them way too elaborate—people would comment on the cakes, the decor. It was over-the-top, and I started to realize how much I was craving creativity.” 

Weinberg Living Room 

Lighting West Elm / Swivel Chairs West Elm/ Coffee Table Birch Lane / Rattan Cabinet Hopper Studio
Sideboard Four Hands / Rug Lulu and Georgia

It was around that time that her neighbors, Assaf and Amy Weinberg, commented on her “cool aesthetic” and asked if Lane would redesign their living room. “The Weinbergs’ living room was my very first project,” Lane says. “We got rid of every single thing they had, changed out the light fixture, got all new artwork. I didn’t go into that with the intention that I was going to start my own business, but a few months later, I got a call from Assaf’s brother who wanted help designing his newly built home outside of Washington, D.C. It was during COVID, so we would do Zoom calls every Saturday. That’s when it clicked for me, and I thought, Oh, wow, I can do this. This is really fun.” 

The Finlays’ Carriage House 

Kitchen: Barstools Sand & Stable / Lighting Visual Comfort / Paint Sherwin-Williams’ Alabaster / Sink Rejuvenation / Art Susan Hable Caladium

Word spread, and soon Lane’s neighbors across the street, the Finlays, tapped her to design the carriage house they were getting ready to build. The spacious two-bedroom structure was a blank canvas, which allowed Lane to select everything from fixtures and wall color to hardware and countertops. She even wallpapered one of the bathrooms and the hall herself. For another custom feature, she installed pull-out seating from Get Back, Inc., in the loft area to maximize space.

Pool Bathroom: Vanity Custom-built from reclaimed pine using Lane’s sketch / Lighting Rejuvenation / Walls Sherwin-Williams’ Alabaster / Barn Door Benjamin Moore’s Hale Navy / Seagrass Container KAZI

Loft: Seating Get Back, Inc. / Wood Paneling White oak / Walls Sherwin-Williams’ Alabaster

Bathroom: Vanity Pottery Barn / Lighting Shades of Light / Wallpaper York Wallcoverings

The Ryans’ Patio

Chairs Ikea / Couch Article / Table Crate & Barrel / Mantel Custom Cabinets, Appliances, and Fireplace Insert Charlotte Grill Company

Next door to the carriage house, the Ryans had a dark screened-in porch that wasn’t getting much use. They hired Lane to open up the space and make it more functional. She installed a covered lounge, dining space, and an outdoor kitchen with a built-in grill and cabinets and appliances from Charlotte Grill Company to create a counter space that opens to both the dining and lounge areas. 

The Utseys’ Office/Lounge

Office/Lounge Walls Sherwin-Williams’ Sea Serpent / Table Joss & Main Chair West Elm / Lighting Etsy / Artwork Nico Amortegui

Across the street, Melissa and Derek Utsey needed help creating a home office. Lane anchored the space with an eye-catching light fixture from Etsy and painted the walls in Sherwin-Williams’ Sea Serpent, a dark navy with green undertones. As the family’s needs changed, they put Lane back to work reconfiguring the space as a lounge and TV area for their children. That meant replacing the Joss & Main table with a couch from Apt2B Modern Furniture and changing the layout. 

Utsey Entry, Dining Room

Entry Lighting Josh Utsey Design / Artwork Melissa Herriott Side Tables Josh Utsey Design

Lane collaborated with the Utseys to design their entryway and dining room, using a custom light fixture, dining table, and entry tables that were handcrafted by Derek’s brother, Josh Utsey. They also integrated a vintage surfboard that belonged to Derek’s father and a picture in the corner of him catching a wave.

Dining Room: Dining Table Josh Utsey Design / Sideboard Lulu and Georgia

Lane’s neighborhood takeover continues. She has a handful of other projects in the works in and around Atherton Street, including an entire first-floor redesign, a kitchen renovation, and a few bedroom makeovers. She hopes to put her stamp on other neighborhoods in Charlotte, too. 

“I want to keep doing residential interior design,” she says. “I love art—I went to art school. I would love the opportunity to collaborate with more artists. One client commissioned a piece from Kenny Nguyen, and I got to work with him at the outset to come up with a color palette and a feel for the space and what it was going to be. It was a really cool process, and I’d love to do more of that.”

For anyone looking to create a new space in their home, Lane recommends always having a starting point. “I don’t want my rooms to feel like they are all purchased from a catalog—I want it to feel a little bit collected,” she says. “Whether it’s a painting, a rug, art, something you’ve picked up in your travels—it can be as small as a figurine—but having an item that is a starting point for the color palette and feel of the room is a great first step.”