Riverlea Redesign

Some homes have everything - great bones, generous square footage, a beautiful setting - and still don't feel the way they should. That was the starting point for this Riverlea home in Worthington, Ohio. A stunning two-story modern traditional backing up to a private ravine, the house had presence and charm. But the kitchen and dining spaces were dark, closed off, and disconnected from the rest of the home. The family couldn't feel each other. The rooms worked in isolation but not together.

There was also a design conversation to navigate. The husband and wife came to the project with different aesthetic instincts - a dynamic we embrace at Curate Interiors, because the most interesting spaces are rarely the result of one unchallenged point of view. Our job was to find the design language that felt genuinely right to both of them, and then design with intention.

The scope centered on the kitchen, dining room, and dry bar - three spaces that needed to function as one. The first decision was structural: removing walls to open the floor plan and restore the sense of connection the home was missing, designed and planned out by the architect. Once the space could breathe, everything else followed. Material selections were layered carefully - finishes that felt warm and collected rather than catalogue-fresh, surfaces that would age beautifully alongside the family. The dry bar became a moment of its own: a design detail that adds personality and anchors the entertaining side of the space without competing with the kitchen.

The result is a home that finally lives up to its setting. Light moves through the space differently now. The family can be together in the way a kitchen and dining room are meant to allow - cooking, gathering, watching the ravine beyond the windows.

The clients said it best: "The way Curate Interiors planned our space created an openness and flow that we didn't even know was possible. The finished product was more than I could have hoped for."

That's the goal every time - not just a beautiful room, but a space that gives something back to the people who live in it.

Interested in a similar transformation for your home? We'd love to hear about your project.

Project details:

Location: Riverlea, Worthington, Ohio

Scope: Kitchen, dining room & dry bar renovation & furnishings

Service: Full-service interior design - concept through installation

Architect: His & Hers Architects | Photography: Jeffrey Horvath

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