Michelle Arlotto and Mike Arlotto transform their Chapel Hill home for a new era of life that includes wedding bells and retirement
By Anna-Rhesa Versola | Photography by John Michael Simpson
Change happens, and Michelle Arlotto was going to need a bigger kitchen.
Her daughter, Sarah Arlotto, 30, of Chicago, is planning a wedding later this year. Her son, Luke Arlotto, 28, of New York City, proposed to his girlfriend in March. And her husband, Mike Arlotto, is retiring in the next few years. So, Michelle knew it was time to update their Chapel Hill home, where she and Mike raised their children and where they can welcome their growing family.
She called Grau Building Company in Durham and met with designer Jennifer Hutton about transforming the compartmentalized home originally built in 1970 into an open, family-friendly space in the Coker Hills West neighborhood. Michelle wanted to maximize space without changing the footprint.
“Vision was part of our early discussions,” Jennifer says. “I always ask clients to give me a purpose: ‘What are you thinking? What are your thoughts?’ And if there’s something I can work with and I know we’re going to be a good fit, we run with it and bring it to life. I thought all of Michelle’s ideas were really great. It’s a matter of talking about timelines and budgets, just making sure it’s all possible. But her vision and reason behind this massive update to the house make total sense.”
Renovations began in earnest in February 2022, forcing Mike and Michelle to temporarily move into an apartment at the American Tobacco Campus until October. Walls came down to open up the kitchen space, allowing the creation of built-in display cabinets and a dedicated coffee bar. The garage was converted into another living room for entertainment and recreation, complete with an added bathroom and kitchenette. Plus, the front porch and a separate carport were built.
The new layout allows better flow from the entrance hall into the main hub of the home, where visitors can see through the wide sliding glass doors to the backyard pool and large patio with a complete grill setup. Inside the kitchen, the backsplash tiles feature blue arcs that create visual movement throughout the space. The color palette has different shades of blue. The coffee bar sink is a deep navy, and the custom cabinets are the shade of a clear summer sky. In the formal living room, the velveteen blue swivel chairs pick up the blue-gray tones in the cork wallpaper. “It’s my favorite corner in the house,” Michelle says. “I have my friends come walk, [then] we have coffee here.”
LEFT A ceramic bowl that Michelle picked up on a trip to the Mediterranean features her favorite colors for her home’s new palette.
RIGHT The main bedroom features calming memories of ocean waves painted by a friend, Janine Robertson of Buffalo, New York.
HEADING SOUTH
In 1998, career opportunities in the Research Triangle Park lured the couple away from West Haven, Connecticut. In 2005, Mike and Michelle bought their 2,742-square-foot Chapel Hill home. In 2006 and 2019, the bathrooms were renovated. The update last year brings the home to nearly 3,300 square feet with 5 bedrooms and 4 ½ baths. Michelle officially retired last June as a research scientist in the Duke Molecular Physiology Institute at Duke University School of Medicine, while Mike is chief operating officer at Premier Research in Morrisville.
LEFT Seated in the barrel swivel chairs of her favorite corner, Michelle chats with Mike and enjoys a cup of coffee following her morning walk.
RIGHT The main bathroom has an updated look with an industrial metal countertop and hardware that are balanced by the warmth of wood accents.
PASTA PARTIES
Michelle imagines the whole family gathering together for holidays and special occasions. They will use the new expansive countertop to roll out dough for homemade fettuccine noodles. Mike grew up hearing stories about his extended Italian family’s macaroni company in Hazleton, Pennsylvania. His late uncle, Roy Arlotto, had taught the kids how to lay the pasta dough on top of stretched guitar strings, letting gravity cut the dough into strips.
“We’d always be drying [the pasta dough] out here,” Michelle says, referring to the spot where a farm table once stood. “So I’m like, ‘The wall needs to go. It needs to go.’ We need a big space so we can all do it. I don’t think I’ve seen anybody’s homemade [fettuccine] better than ours. But the other pastas, like ravioli, we’re not that good at it. We bought the extruder; we’re not great at that. But the fettuccine, because we’ve been doing it for years, that we have nailed.”
From the kitchen, descend the original steep wooden stairs into a spacious entertainment center where visitors can play a round of billiards or stretch out across the leather couch to watch a game or a late-night movie. Beyond the couch and past the card table, step out onto an outdoor patio with a fire pit where the hosts often enjoy gathering with family and friends.
Turn left, and the brick and stones lead to the backyard pool. Turn right, and the walkway and custom steps lead up to the front of the house. Mike enjoys reading on the porch beneath the open rafters that offer a view of the pine trees and sky.
WHAT’S NEXT
Michelle says transitions can be challenging; retirement is no exception. She wants to help her husband when it’s his turn.
“He has no idea,” Michelle says about the shift in reality after decades of working. “He is like, ‘Oh, don’t worry about me.’ I go, ‘You should really think about this because you like to work.’ He’ll reply: ‘Oh, don’t worry about me; I’ll be fine.’ I’m like, ‘OK, you do you.”
Meanwhile, they will celebrate life’s happy milestones, including an October wedding in Italy. “We’re taking dance lessons in Durham for fun,” Michelle says about a weekly class at the Arthur Murray Dance Studio on Geer Street. “I’ll give [Mike] credit for doing that.”
Then, hopefully, grandchildren will eventually run up and down the stairs. Michelle is ready for whatever comes next. “That’s why this was important and to do it now,” she says. “I love it all. I love every part of it. I just do. I love sitting in the coffee area. I love the kitchen. I mean, functionally, it’s perfect when we have a big group here or when it’s just me.”
