At home with Caroline Lunne

In honor of the curated collection, the Caroline Edit, coming to Poppy and Pink Wednesday, August 24 at 10 am ET, I sat down with Caroline Lunne—the inspirational entrepreneur, self-taught interior designer, and style icon. Enjoy!

Featuring: Caroline Lunne, Founder of Wing Woman Co.
Photos by: Elizabeth Cox, Refined Business Collective
Styled for: The Caroline Edit with Poppy and Pink coming Wednesday, Aug 24, 10 am ET
Location: Charleston, South Carolina

About the Bird House

Inspired by the charm of the South, the comfort and creativity of Caroline’s childhood Ohio home and her desire to live in full color, The Bird House is an 87 year old southern home located right off the Stono River. Its 900 square feet is packed with personality and was recently brought back to it’s former 1930s glory by Caroline Lunne and a gang of really helpful guys (keep reading for more of the story!!).

Tell us the story of how the Bird House came to be:

At the end of 2021, I came across Isaiah 66:21-23:

“They shall build houses and live in them, they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit; They shall not build and others live there; they shall not plant and others eat. As the years of a tree, so the years of my people; and my chosen ones shall long enjoy the work of their hands.”

It felt like the perfect metaphor so (with no plan of buying an actual house) I claimed it as my verse for 2022. On January 29th, the metaphor became a lot more literal. The house four doors down from me went on the market and 24 hours later, thanks to a mix of luck and strategy, it became my new home. It had “good bones,” required a lot of rebuilding and had a giant garden to go with it. Build houses, plant vineyards. This was it. On March 3rd, 2022, I got the keys and the renovation began.

The Bird House—named after the cut-out bird motif perched on the front—is my labor of love. Bringing her back to her former 1930s glory has proved to be a steep learning curve, a true experiment in provision, a testament to the saying “teamwork makes the dreamwork” and the best project I’ve ever worked on.

Thanks to the help of my Dad (who answered about 15 calls a day from Ohio and is a genius when it comes to seeing potential), my Mom (who talked me through many paint color crises and decor decisions) and my best guys—Norman, Ricky, Juan, Stoney, Leon (who showed up on the scene to rescue me when I was in too deep and spent long hours putting this house back together)—and many others—this 1938 Southern stucco home has been officially transformed.

I’m so grateful for the work of many people’s hands that helped make this transformation possible. I pray that all those I love long enjoy the work of it.

Tell me about the role of color in your home and design choices.

I love color and worked hard to incorporate it everywhere. My favorite uses of color in the house are the inside of the awnings and the interior of the window panes.

On the exterior, the awnings are a dark green beige color (Cocoon by SW) but on the inside, they are my favorite shade of blue (Honest Blue by SW) so from every room in the house, you see the perfect dash of blue.

In most of the rooms, the interior of the window panes are painted a pop of color. In the living room they are pink (Romance by SW) to match the fireplace. In the kitchen, they are dark blue (Commodore by SW) to match the original countertops. In the laundry room / entry way they are the blue of the awnings to bring up the floral tile. It’s a unique way to spread color throughout without dousing your whole wall in a particular color!

The Backyard

The Kitchen

How do you decide when to splurge and when to save?

When I’m thinking about curating a space I think about 1. How long will this serve me? Will I have this piece forever? Can I find it on Facebook Marketplace (a lot of the furniture in my home was found there!) and 2. What type of impact will this make? I splurged on things like hardware and light fixtures because they make a lot of impact and can turn any space up a notch. It might sound silly but—the jewelry of a home is important. Think art, hardware, light fixtures, rugs, wallpaper. When adding more intention and $$$ behind them, it really changes things.

The Master Bedroom

Where do you like to shop for art?

A lot of the other art is a collection of work by my Dad, some thrift store finds, some I did myself, one my sister did, etc. Some of my favorite art pieces include a note framed from my Grandma and prints I found at Home Goods. When thinking about art, I like to imagine that anything can be a piece. For example, the note I framed from my grandma I pinned on top of a wallpaper sample—it was cheap but adds great impact and meaning! What is laying around your house that could belong in a frame? In my bedroom, I ordered a bunch of cheap white frames and spray painted them in different colors. It gives a custom framing effect without the cost.

The Guest Bedroom / Office

What pieces did you know you wanted to incorporate into this home?

Before renovating the Bird House, I lived in a small 400 square feet carriage house I lovingly called, The Butterfly Bungalow. I used all the furniture I had in there and worked with the colorful palette in the new place. I’m obsessed with my yellow couch and the story of how I found it is one of my favorites to tell.

Before I moved to Charleston I spent most of my time dreaming about what my new place could look like (at the time, it was my 400 square feet bungalow). And I envisioned a yellow couch.

But they were all so expensive on the internet. So when I was going to sleep one night, I asked Jesus for said yellow couch.

The next day I went on the hunt for furniture and walked into Anthropologie. THIS (note: yellow!!) couch happened to be 50% off that day and I got there early enough that it was still there.

Right above it was that painting that reads “Maybe this is how it starts.”

And that’s the story of how Jesus gave me a yellow couch — a sort of house warming gift for the start of my adult life. I treasure it and how it reminds me of how much our Father delights in us, His daughters.

I’ve learned that home is truly where we wait in hopes for heaven. It matters!

The Living Room

Tell me about the piece of art on the mantel.

The painting on my mantle is by Tina from Tina’s Art Life. In college, when I started Wing Woman Company, Tina was one of my first clients. I traded a website for this piece of art, knowing it would be something I would treasure forever. It was my first real art piece and what kicked of Wing Woman Company. It makes me grateful for where I started and inspires me to keep going for what’s next.

What was the renovation process like? Was it harder or easier than you expected?

The renovation process was very—which I am so thankful for. God really did send me amazing people to pitch in and help. Norman, my next door neighbor, and his friend Ricky painted everything. Stoney, an amazingly kind electrician, rewired the house in no time. Leon volunteered his time to do whatever he could which was such a blessing.

Juan is the miracle worker that showed up on the scene just in time.

Early into the renovation, I was panicking a bit about what I had gotten myself into. I went on a run and asked (read: begged 😅) God to send me someone to do the heavy lifting. I felt the Holy Spirit tell me to go back to the house and sure enough, tucked into my front door was a business card. I called Juan right away and he drove right over. He said “no problem” to all the *actual* problems. I can’t express enough—He is a God send.

Without my Dad answering 15+ phone calls a day from Ohio, these wonderful guys looking out for me and solving any problems that came up, and the people at Lowes who saw me daily—it wouldn’t have been possible. Being 22 and jumping into a renovation with no experience was a bold move—it took a village and I’m so grateful for them.