Best renovation: Fourth Ward brick beauty

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Traditional brick on the outside, modern glam on the inside, this Fourth Ward home is our pick for best renovation.

Style in 3 words: Unique, urban, modern.

Who: Lana and Rob Cummings relocated to Charlotte from the New York City area in 1998. For the past 18 years, they’ve lived in Fourth Ward and raised two children who are now in college. Lana is a schoolteacher and Rob works in private equity.

The house: It’s 3,800 square feet with 4 bedroom, 3.5 baths, and a 2-car garage. The house is 3.5 stories with a “crow’s nest” on the fourth level overlooking the Charlotte skyline. Fourth Ward park is their front yard.

Best room: The kitchen was originally a back patio slab, but in 2008, the homeowners added a sunroom in place of the slab. During the pandemic, Lana and Rob renovated the sunroom to become the primary kitchen.

Charlotte ties: The brick on the great room wall was purchased from the original Belk department store site where the 60-story Bank of America world headquarters building now stands. And they have a mural of the very first Panthers game played at Bank of America Stadium on the third level.

• The home has been on Fourth Ward Holiday Home Tour multiple times and will be on the tour again once Fourth Ward is able to return to normal tour activities post-COVID.

Design team: Jeanine DeVaney of Charlotte In-Vironments, Inc.; Brian Storm of Andrew Roby; Will Cappleman of Cappleman Homes; Karsen Hood of Mannings Design; Sam Capps of Capps Custom Woodworks, Inc.; and Shelly Carpenter of California Closets.

See all 2021 finalists.

Photos courtesy of Aaron Fine Architectural Photography