Colors of the World With Moonstone Design & Build

Taylor Morrill instantly fell in love with the structured pink tiles that would become an extended backsplash in the kitchen. The entire’ remodel project ended up being named after the Luna Arc tiles from The Tile Club. Photos: White Label Visuals | Chelsie Lopez

Creative hues revive a mid-century modern home.

When Taylor Morrill and Declan McCrory moved into their Plymouth home in 2018, they knew there were some projects on the horizon for the 1958 split-level. “It was last remodeled in the late 1960s,” Morrill says.

The couple was eager to ditch the brown tile in the bathroom and replace the dark kitchen cabinetry, restoring some mid-century charm to the house in the process. While a remodel wasn’t in the budget right away, the couple eventually couldn’t put it off any longer. “The appliances started going,” Morrill says. “It was not functional. We were limping through.” By the time the dishwasher went, it was time to act. “We couldn’t replace it without tearing out the counters,” Morrill says. “We knew it would be a gut job.”

So, they went for it, embarking on a six-month remodel of the bathroom, dining room and kitchen. “We said, ‘Let’s make this what we wanted it to be,’” Morrill says. Using the original blueprints for the home, the family enlisted the help of Moonstone Design & Build’s founder and CEO, Lidia Valdivia, to bring the home back to its mid-century modern roots while injecting some color and personality along the way. “Taylor is a very bold client,” Valdivia says. “When I saw her Pinterest board, I got super excited. It was full of color and personality … I was really excited to bring it to life.”

It was an instant “yes” when Taylor Morrill and her husband, Declan McCrory, first saw these globe lights. Moonstone Design & Build’s founder, Lidia Valdivia, designed the asymmetrical fixture for the bathroom vanity to ground the room while also creating visual interest.

McCrory and Morrill sourced inspiration from their honeymoon to Morocco and Spain, where they fell in love with the architecture, bright colors and design. That inspiration is evident in the bathroom, where Fireclay tiles in shades of blue, orange, pink and red line the walls above the soaker tub. “When I’m showering, I just smile,” Morrill says. “It’s so happy.”

But the impact isn’t overwhelming in the space. “When the curtains are closed, you just notice the pink and white tile on the floor,” Valdivia says. White walls and a mid-century vanity anchor the bathroom while an asymmetrical light fixture adds a playful touch. “It’s us,” Morrill says. “We’re fun. We’re playful. We like whimsy.”

Taylor Morrill and Declan McCrory told Lidia Valdivia which colors they loved, and Valdivia ran with the selection, creating a tub surround that surprises and delights as soon as the curtain is pulled. Valdivia says the bathtub tiles are one of her favorite parts of the remodel. “At Moonstone, we love color,” she says.

Personality continues to take center stage in the kitchen, where light has returned alongside joy. “There was no light in the kitchen whatsoever,” Morrill says. “It was so draining.” Valdivia transformed the dark box that was once the kitchen into a bright and airy space. The dark cabinets were replaced with a combination of birch cabinets and open shelving. Simple white countertops contrast with the bold pink tile backsplash on the walls and the stove hood. “We couldn’t remove the soffit, so we just tiled all the way up,” Valdivia says. Morrill loves the result. “It feels inviting now,” she says. “The joy of cooking has returned.”

In order to create a more seamless transition and cover up where the previous kitchen cabinets once sat, Lidia Valdivia proposed extending the patterned cement tiles at an angle from the kitchen to the patio door in the dining room. As an added bonus, the first point of contact when coming in from outside is now durable tile instead of wood flooring.

On the floor, blue and green patterned cement tiles extend from the kitchen over to the dining room’s patio door, connecting the spaces while also protecting the wood floors from outdoor elements. “I’m obsessed with it,” Morrill says.

Wallpaper in the dining room provides another dose of bold color, balanced out by mid-century modern light fixtures.

The family couldn’t be happier. “I feel like my house is finally speaking to me,” Morrill says. “I walk into the house and it feels right.”

Moonstone Design & Build
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