By: Carolyn Emmett
Maggie Valley designer embraces the mountain vernacular
Photo by Rachel Pressley
As a young girl growing up in Orlando, Kym Smith lovingly sewed curtains, bedding, and pillows for her Barbie Dreamhouse. The magic continued after college, when she went on to draft floor plans for mega-corporations including Walt Disney World.
“Later, while raising my daughters, I helped friends with home projects and had a great three-year stint owning a small boutique called Magnolias & Vine, offering furniture, home goods, and ladies’ apparel,” says Smith.
She says she “learned a ton” at her Orlando business, everything “from working with vendors and sales to doing window treatments and helping people select furnishings, lighting, and more.”
These days, as founder/owner of Magnolia Gray Interiors, she has switched her joyfully engaged style from Magic Kingdom country to the mountains of Maggie Valley.
Did your family include any artistic types who influenced you?
Yes and no. There may not have been professional artists, but my family members definitely had creativity. My grandfather was a homebuilder and my father, who worked for the government, could draw anything. Another big influence was my grandmother — we attended the design showhouses every year, without fail.
My mother was a nurse and I considered nursing, but it wasn’t for me. One year I came home from college confused, and my grandmother mentioned that our local community college offered interior-design classes. I ended up taking classes there for two semesters and everything clicked — I found my passion. Before that, I didn’t know interior design was even a path or possibility. [Smith later graduated from the prestigious interior-design program at Florida State University.]
I’ve worked with many clients helping with renovations, but new-construction projects are rewarding too, because I can see the design vision throughout the entire home.
You went from working with the Florida oceanside aesthetic to Western North Carolina’s mountain-centric style. What was that transition like?
When I moved here four-and-a-half years ago, just before the pandemic, I expected a shift with the spaces I’d be creating.
Even though both styles borrow from the natural world, Florida coastal style is lighter, brighter, and aligns with a lifestyle defined by outdoor living spaces, pools, and interior elements like linen and tile.
Here, the natural influences remain central, but the colors are darker, richer. I’m working more with wood, rock, and stone rather than watery hues and cool finishes.
What impacts your work with clients?
Most importantly, I want to understand every client’s dreams for their space, but it’s also critical we make it supremely functional. Interior design is a blending of two worlds — all the things you can’t see with the naked eye that are behind the walls are as essential to living well as a home’s visual aspects. The more functional I can make a space for a client, the less hassle they’ll experience in their daily life. For example, a warming drawer or thoughtfully designed pantry allows people more time to do what we relish in our homes — eat together, play games, connect.
If clients are renovating, I start with two questions: What do you like or dislike about your space, and where do you see it going? Inspiration comes from many places, whether it’s the home’s natural surroundings or a favorite piece like a rug or work of art. But I must understand their dream and get us there.
You and your husband renovated when you relocated to Maggie Valley. Did that deepen your insight into the local vernacular?
My husband’s family bought 20 acres in Maggie Valley in the 1950s and built a vacation cabin. Both our families vacationed in Western North Carolina while we were growing up, long before we met.
After relocating in 2019, we started renovating. It was important to us to honor the original home’s style and update it with sensitivity. I’m grateful I met great tradespeople I still work with today. I believe this project helped me understand clients’ perspectives even more.
You know what’s trending as a designer. Is there anything you’re ready to see less?
Gray has been overused, and I’m happy that warmer colors are making a comeback … bold, earthy colors are gracing accessories like pillows and rugs. Another waning trend is the open-concept floor plan. Togetherness is wonderful, but it’s nice to be able to enjoy time alone to relax and refocus.
Is there any designer you find particularly inspiring?
I’ve always loved this quote by design pioneer Elsie de Wolfe: “I’m going to make everything around me beautiful. That will be my life.”
Kym Smith, Magnolia Gray Interiors, 407-341-5446, magnoliagray.com.