Matt Robinson Joseph St. Pierre

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The old choir loft now serves as a spiritual guest room that makes full use of the one hundred-year-old windows and a locally found antique headboard. Designed within the walls of the Sacristy, the kitchen combines original woodwork and modern amenities. A perpetual lap pool in the garden room allows Dawn to enjoy exercise and natural beauty all year long. The stone floor was designed by Dawn and installed by Master Tile Setter Huive Okker. Master Stone Mason Nat King designed the sculptural  fireplace to be the focal point for the living area and to work well with the casual and elegant appointments in the rest of the room.

While many faiths refer to their respective places of worship as “houses of God,” few believers have gone so far as to turn such a place into an actual home.
Designer Dawn Heiderer is no regular believer, however. In fact, it was her desire to set herself apart and her belief that she could make a go of it, despite obstacles and challenges, that led her to convert a church in the heart of New Hampshire’s Lakes Region into her home and workspace. Though she was initially unsure as to how she could appropriately deal with the Center Harbor, N.H., property when she first encountered it during a ski trip a few years ago, Dawn was eventually encouraged to take on the project.

“Everybody thought I was crazy because it was a building with no heating and had no insulation,” she recalls, “but a friend of mine was in the real estate business and she helped me go forward with it.”

Inspired by the space and the challenge, Dawn set to work to realize her designing dream. “Even though I had been in interior design for over thirty years,” Dawn explains, “nobody around here knew who I was. So I figured that this property would garner a lot of attention and give people pause for thought.”

While the main part of the church remains unchanged and now serves as her office, a seasonally convertible design showcase and resource library, Dawn added a 2,000-square-foot residence to one side of the building. “My first big decision was whether to change the church and make that the living space or to add a structure,” Dawn recalls. She thanks architect Chris Williams for his work in making the residence look as if it had always been part of the church. “It fits into the structure beautifully.”

In planning the addition, Dawn  not only sought to showcase her style and talents, but she also made sure to use as many local resources as possible. “The first step was talking to different artisans, builders, and architects to put together resources in the area that could help me create something unique,” she recalls. “I wanted to get the best people that I could find because you are only as good as the people you have working with you, and I wanted people who would have the same pride in the structure and the project that I did.”

Among the talented neighbors Dawn found were tile artisan Huive Okker, mason Nat King, ironworker David Little of Winnipesaukee Forge, who made the stairway railing look like oak leaves and birds, and lighting designer Dennis Sparling, who created a one-of-a-kind turtle light.

In addition to making the  new space look like its surroundings, Dawn used parts of the original church in new ways. “One of my bathrooms incorporates two of the old stained glass windows,” she says. In fact, the whole structure is still so authentic that many people still stop by on Sundays looking for a service. “People still pull in thinking they are going to church,” Dawn says (just as a car pulled in the driveway), “and they are quite taken aback.”

As so much of the original sanctuary was left unchanged, it is no surprise that some visitors are confused. “The inside of the church is still as it was,” Dawn says. “It has original pews and is still not insulated.”

Dawn also included a lap pool in the addition. “People see that and they ask if it is a Baptist church,” Dawn says, smiling.

Though she does not baptize or proselytize her visitors, Dawn knew she had achieved her goal when former parishioners came by for a visit.

“They were very sad to see [their church] go,” she recalls, “but when they came through it, they thanked me because I had done what I said I was going to do. That made me feel good! That was the biggest compliment, that they were still proud of their church.”

Dawn has become so synonymous with the structure that it has led to the bestowment of a new nickname for her among her neighbors. “They call me the Church Lady in town,” Dawn laughs.

Though the pews and much of the base architecture in the sanctuary is the same, Dawn has brought her own design flair to the new space. “I brought in different fabric and furniture lines from Boston and New York and all the way down from Highpoint, N.C.,” she explains. “There is even an element from the western U.S. that people like to use in the Lakes Region, so I try to make sure that those resources are here as well.”

As she has so much and such far-flung design experience, Dawn is able to bring many choices and ideas to her clients in New Hampshire and beyond. “It is a very eclectic mix,” she says, “and you can find pretty much whatever you want here.” That is why people come from all over to visit Dawn in her unique studio. “I have a design resource library in the space where people can come in and find their own ideas for design,” she says. “If they want to hire me to help, they can, but it also allows them to do things on their own, which many people like to do.”

Though the office is easy to find thanks to its unique structure, Dawn does regret waiting so long to make one minor addition. “There is no sign up yet,” she says, noting that most of her clients are referred by others. “It is going well so far, but I think a sign will help.”

While she works on a new sign, Dawn takes further inspiration from the church’s original shingle. “The church was called Our Lady of Victory,” she notes, “so maybe it is being sappy, but it makes me feel victorious that I was able to do this. It is an honor to be able to live here.”