Carnie Wilson — member of the Grammy-nominated, Billboard-chart-topping trio Wilson Phillips — has always loved her home, with one exception: the kitchen. Its late-1980s oak cabinetry, dark countertops, and tired layout felt out of sync with the warm, inviting style she envisioned. “I would walk in there, and it’s not that I was depressed because it had great bones,” she recalls. “But I imagined earthy farmhouse meets New York or Paris.”
To bring her vision to life, she turned to her friends and female contractors Girl Flip Construction and renowned designer Jeff Lewis. Carnie settled on a palette of creamy white with soft gray touches, subtly veined white countertops, and an earthy tile backsplash to set the backdrop. But none of those design decisions were easy. “It took me so long to decide on those things,” she says. But there was no hesitation when it came to the sink and fixtures. “Once I saw House of Rohl’s fixtures and Shaw sink, I didn’t look back.”
The Shaw Lancaster fireclay sink “fits like a glove,” Carnie enthuses, praising its ability to resist scratches and stains. The Holborn faucet in Satin English Gold is also a favorite. “You wouldn’t think a faucet could make someone so happy,” she says, laughing at her newfound enthusiasm for washing dishes. When she takes a break from scrubbing pots, she can relax with a cup of tea prepared with the matching hot-water dispenser that delivers 208-degree water on demand.
Since Carnie chose to keep her original cabinetry, the team elevated each detail. Lower drawers now feature Westridge pulls in Satin Brass, while upper cabinets are accented with Paxton knobs in the same warm finish. The hardware alone, she says, made the kitchen feel “completely refreshed.”
As tends to happen with a kitchen renovation, the project expanded with Lewis’ suggestion to reimagine the pantry into a powder room. The room exudes English Country charm with its soft floral wallpaper and Holborn fixtures in — fittingly — English Gold. “I walk in there several times a day just to admire it,” Carnie swoons.
Subtle changes brought new energy to her daughters’ bathrooms. Her youngest, Luci, gravitated toward a modern style, choosing a polished chrome Arcana faucet with a streamlined profile, and Perrin & Rowe button pulls for her vanity. Lola preferred a traditional look, opting for polished nickel and classic hardware shapes. “A quick little change made a big difference,” Carnie muses.
With each update, Carnie was inspired to do more, which led to all 18 doors in her home receiving Emtek Cimarron dark bronze levers. In the hallway leading to the bedrooms, they serve as a modern-rustic backdrop to the multitude of music awards and honors that hang upon the walls.
For Carnie, the renovation reshaped more than aesthetics; it changed her relationship to her home. The refreshed kitchen invites new ideas for cooking, gathering, and creating moments with family. “Yes, they’re just material things,” she says, “but somehow every day they inspire me more.”
Take a full tour of the kitchen below:
Photography by James Franklin and Brandon Vogts.
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