Alan and Kait Yick both worked in NYC and lived in New Jersey, but always pictured making their way back to the Ocean State to raise a family. They made good on that promise shortly after the birth of their first child, packing their bags and staying with Kait’s sister and brother-in-law in Narragansett while they searched for a house. It didn’t take long for the couple to fall for the picturesque neighborhood with its close proximity to the water, and despite limited real estate offerings, soon found and purchased a home. However, there was this other house around the corner that caught their eye.
“We always admired this beautiful Colonial on our family walks,” Kait begins, “with gorgeous gardens that looked plenty big enough for our growing family.” The Yicks soon heard through mutual friends that the owners might be interested in selling. “Sure enough, six years later – and hundreds of walks and bike rides of admiring the house from afar – our friends put us in contact, and we toured the home. We knew we loved it immediately and worked out a purchase and sale agreement.”
Once the house was theirs, Alan and Kait wanted to make some modifications to suit their family. Says Kait, “We knew we wanted clean, bright, airy, natural, kind of modern, kind of classic, kind of beachy, kind of farmhouse… and we also have three kids so we realized that we had to factor that in as well.” Alan explains their decorating style falls in the “we think we know what we like but we don’t know how to do it” so they called White Slate Studio, a nearby interior design business. “Julie [Sanford] and Rachel [Pappas] really made our vision come to life!”
Sanford and Pappas got to work on a host of both cosmetic updates and custom work, which included installing floating benches and shelves to both sides of the dining room fireplace and the unexpected use of shiplap in a vaulted living room ceiling. “Maybe our favorite custom build is the simple white desk we built for the playroom where the kids can sit and draw, work on art projects, or do homework,” says Sanford.
Fast forward to today: Alan is co-founder and broker at Key Real Estate, and Kait maintains that the best thing about living in South County is the community. “The family values are so strong,” Kait begins. “The people are kind, caring, and loving, and raising their children to be the same. The schools and teachers are amazing. We couldn’t imagine a happier and more wholesome place to be raising our family.”
SoCo Love
“We have lots of local favorites and most of them sell coffee, food, and ice cream!” says Kait Yick with a chuckle, rattling off Brickley’s, Monahans, Twin Willows, Meldgies, Nana’s, Coffee Connection, and Fuel. “We go to Lakeside Trading for all of our outdoor needs, Jerry’s for our home-project supplies, POW Science for toys, Wakefield Books, and Crosswnyds Traders for ‘Gansett gear.”
Greenhouse Vibes
In addition to health benefits like ridding the air of common toxins and reducing noise, house plants are designer pets for adding fresh style, filling awkward spaces, and adding shape and color. Plants shown are from The Farmer’s Daughter in South Kingstown.
Neutral Zone
Narragansett-based White Slate Studio specializes in designing beautiful, functional spaces through hard and soft finishes, custom installations, and more. From high-end residential to boutique-style commercial interiors and retail spaces, owner and lead designer Julie Sanford works directly with clients at conception to learn their vision, resulting in one-of-a-kind spaces. Learn more at WhiteSlateStudio.com.
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