Today’s spotlight is on Cheryl Luckett of Dwell by Cheryl, who wowed us with this cozy and colorful kitchen.

Above: Images courtesy of Cheryl Luckett and Cameron Reynolds

The Job

Take a cursory glance at Cheryls’ portfolio and one of the first things you will notice (aside from the drool-worthy design) is that Cheryl has a particularly deft hand when it comes to mixing and matching colors and patterns without them becoming a focus-stealing, migraine-inducing mess. Anyone with a modicum of design experience will tell you that this is not a talent to scoff at.

If you had told me that you wanted to redo my kitchen using Shibori inspired tile, vibrant paisley-adjacent draperies, an oriental rug, and an alligator-printed tufted banquette, you would soon find yourself with a Wile E. Coyote-esque hole in your wall. Yet all of these are found in Cheryls kitchen remodel for the One Room Challange and they just… work. They are different enough to stay interesting but blend well enough together that you aren’t getting whiplash from trying to look everywhere at once at.

I personally like the way the abstract painting between the door and window compliments the drapes. For me, it has to do with the colors. The drapes are predominantly red with a blue, yellow, and white pattern of flowers and birds. Meanwhile, the painting is predominantly made up of blue and white clouds of color with red and yellow splotches dispersed seemingly at random. It feels like a colorful take on the dualism of a Yinyang.

Part of pulling off a maximalist look like this is picking the right accents and staple pieces. It’s about classic silhouettes and colors that play well with others. Take for instance the aforementioned banquette. Alligator patterns can be incredibly lux or incredibly tacky, depending on its color and the accessories that accent it. In this case, the pattern is in distressed shades of minty green, which softens the pattern without losing its edge. The banquettes headboard inspired, tufted back, and the slouchy, overstuff pillows in solid yellow and blue makes it feel like you have a bed in your kitchen. Who doesn’t like eating breakfast in bed?

The banquette, which is named the Magnolia, is of Cheryl’s own design and can be purchased from her collection Belle by Cheryl Luckett.

Her use of Helser Brothers hardware is another prime example of well-picked accents. Here she used our plated Metro 1 1/4″ rod and Brooklyn Bracket in Soft Brass, a finish that can be difficult to use effectively. In this case, the bright gold color fits in with the light fixtures, knobs, and kitchen hardware that are in a similar finish, and is further complemented by the other yellow-toned fabrics and woods in the room. Finishing off the rod is our crystal Bauhaus finial, boasting a minimal profile that lets the drapes take center stage without sacrificing its own appeal.

The Designer

Certified Dietician and Mississippi native, Cheryl Luckett comes from a line of women with an eye for design and a natural sense of style. Though she still maintains her dietician credentials, she couldn’t deny the sirens song of interior design for long and bolstered her natural talent with an interior design degree from Central Piedmont Community College in 2017. After 15 years in corporate america, Cheryl finally branched out into interior design by founding Dwell by Cheryl.

Though she hasn’t been in the industry long, Cheryl already boasts multiple awards and accolades from both regional and national groups, including being published in Southern Home, Country Living, and Traditional Home as well as the book Southern Spaces. She has won multiple awards, including the Best of Houzz Award for Design and Customer Satisfaction a whopping 7 times and was included in the Black Interior Designers Network’s African American Top 20 Designers.

Aside from running Dwell by Cheryl, she is also a design ambassador for Revolution Performance Fabrics and has produced a product line of upholstered furniture called Belle by Cheryl Luckett for Sylvester Alexander Fine Upholstery.

The photographer for this job is Cameron Reynolds. She is an editorial and commercial photographer who has worked with several influential lifestyle magazines, including Southern Living, HGTV Magazine, and Bon Appetit.

Want to be in the Spotlight?

Though we are highlighting one of our thousands of clients here, we love all of our clients and wish to encourage them to flaunt their skills and creativity. So if you are a Helser Brothers client and you have a room/house/treatment (using our hardware) that you think is great, we want to spotlight you!

Interested? Fill out this Spotlight Photo Release Form and submit it along with your image(s)!