At Home with Carter and Anne Taylor

November 1, 2015

When Carter and Anne Taylor moved from Pierre to Rapid City in 1998, they were looking for a turn-key home where their young family could grow.

“When we first moved in, our kids were not even one and two, so we didn’t need a lot of projects right away,” Anne explained.

At first, the 1943 ranch on the boulevard didn’t seem terribly promising.

“We drove by it a lot of times before we went in,” Carter said, laughing.

When they finally decided to check it out, the home’s 3,600 square foot interior and good condition sold them. And slowly, over time, the couple has made it their own.

“At that time, we had a collection of hand-me-downs,” remembered Anne. “We like antiques and stuff was sort of mismatched, which was fine, but it was nice to actually have a designer come in and help us get our personality into the design and have it all make sense.”

As the home’s fifth owners, the marks of those who came before are evident in the very bones of the structure. The entrance is flanked on one side by a light-flooded seating area, and to the right, a raised dining room. Beyond the seating area, through French doors, is a cozy den area, which the Taylors believe was once a porch or carport.

Carter says the original house was roughly 2,500, and a previous owner expanded not only the main floor living space, but the basement as well. Although the expansion increased the home’s square footage substantially, its location on a roomy corner lot allowed for plenty of remaining yard space.

The couple is part of the ownership team of Dakota Business Center, which has been run by Anne’s family for three generations. Their love of art, antiques, and eclectic, yet sensible interiors is evident as one enters their home. The seating area off the entrance is full of neutral, warm pieces in classic shapes, anchored by a cream couch and rust red chairs on which bright blue throw pillows acquired on a trip to Barcelona are displayed.

The dining room set sits atop a graphic print teal and white area rug. The table and chairs, Carter says, began as Federalist style, but through refinishing and reupholstering, now emit more of a French country feel.

Anne tells us that the set actually belonged to a doctor who once lived in the house. Her grandparents bought it from him for their house on St. James Street. “Carter and I inherited it when we lived in Pierre, then we came here and bought this house and brought it back.”

The mantel displays pieces of pottery, including McCoy dishware, that the Taylors have acquired over the years. Below, where the fireplace would be, is a floral painting created for the couple by Anne’s longtime friend, artist Linnea Tobias. Although it serves as a pass-through to the kitchen, inset plasterwork in the ceiling helps to establish the dining room as its own space, with dove grey walls that contrast with the graphite-colored ceiling.

The spacious galley-style kitchen is an area of the house that makes the Taylors particularly happy. Five years ago, they gutted the cramped space and spent the entire summer creating a room that makes sense. A wall was removed, the washer and dryer were relocated to the basement, and an entirely new storage and prep area was added.

To read the full article, click here. To see more images, continue to scroll.