Photography by Donovan Roberts Witmer
Interior designer Michael Aulbach laments that he didn’t take “before” photos of his 1950s ranch. While house hunting in 2007, Aulbach knew that he wanted a project house, and when he found his current home, he got his wish. It had been virtually untouched since its construction in 1954, with battleship gray walls throughout, a huge planter taking up a large portion of the living space and a thick coating of both shag and indoor-outdoor carpeting.
Rather than completely gutting the home, Aulbach decided that he could salvage some of the more design-worthy features as he transformed the space into an eclectic mix of both traditional and contemporary styles. The best example of this would perhaps be the stunning fireplace wall that is now the focal point of the living space, which was originally clad in yellow brick and dated paneling. His initial instinct was to tear it down and start from scratch. But after living with it for some time, Aulbach realized that he actually did like the paneling, just not its color. So with the help of faux-finisher Jen Matthews, he coated the paneling in a luxurious gold leaf finish with a soft copper overlay. The yellow brick was covered in black granite for a bit of drama, and with the addition of a striking sunburst mirror, the wall is now the focal point that Aulbach knew it could be.
While a lot depends on the space and the client, Aulbach typically prefers to decorate in neutrals for the warmth and freedom that they provide. This is true of his home as well; his living space has a warm neutral color palette with pops of black and metallics. A pair of white scroll-back chairs flank the fireplace opposite a large and luxurious sofa. Two Chippendale chairs, more of Aulbach’s project pieces, round off the seating area. He originally found them in a fruitwood finish, but he has since painted them a dramatic black and has recovered them “at least four times,” he says. The breakfront cabinet is a Baker piece that was his mother’s, as were the Louis XVI-style dining chairs that stand like stately sentinels on either side.
A big change for Aulbach was decorating a ranch-style home. “It’s different decorating a one-story as opposed to a home with multiple levels,” he says. “You have to have a complete flow.” For example, though he had selected all of his wallpapers for the living room, two days before the wallpaper hangers were scheduled to arrive he made the conclusion that they simply didn’t flow into the dining room. “It came in eight colors, so I took all of it back and switched it out [because] it was just too light,” says Aulbach. “Sometimes when you order something and get it into your space it just looks different than you expected.”
One of his favorite pieces, which sits just to the left of the fireplace, is a mirrored chest. It adds a bit of glamour to the space and is striking against the paneled wall. A whimsical golden bird lamp perches atop the chest and is backed by a large abstract painting. “I saw the lamp one year at High Point [Market, a furnishings industry tradeshow] and didn’t purchase it, and when I went down this year I said, ‘If it doesn’t sell, I’m buying it,’” recalls Aulbach. “I had a very traditional lamp there, and with that painting it just didn’t do it.”
Aulbach wasn’t always an interior designer. He started out in the clothing business but had an eye for design that was quickly recognized by friends and colleagues who soon asked him to help them with their homes and businesses. Eventually he opened his own design company, which he ran for a number of years, later working with both York Interiors and York Wallcoverings. He now offers his services in Hanover as an interior designer at The Sandy Woods, a furniture and design shop that offers a wide range of custom options, alongside owner and fellow designer Sandy Long.
To stay current and fresh, Aulbach is constantly going through the latest home decor magazines; one of his favorites is Traditional Home. “Their rooms are very, very beautiful, and they also are very livable,” he says. “It’s not like [other magazines] where you just can’t afford anything.” His advice for those looking for a design of their own? “I tell people to go through magazines, tear pages out and just make a portfolio. That way they can get a feel of what they like, especially if they’re consistently choosing the same type of thing.”
He also loves to visit show houses on a regular basis and High Point, N.C., twice a year to get a taste of all of the new colors, fabrics and designs. Just as the design world continues to progress, “your home keeps evolving like your life,” Aulbach says. “Your wants and needs change as your family grows, and your home should accommodate those changes.”
