French Country kitchen is a feat of elegant symmetry
By: Carolyn Kemmett
Photo by Ryan Theede
Dreaming about a custom kitchen is time-consuming fun — you let your imagination go wild, ponder various space plans, consider and reconsider features and finishes. But even when you know exactly what you want, it requires a team to take that vision to completion.
Homeowners Trey Inman and Jim Beatty understood the assignment, recruiting local talent including seasoned kitchen designer Lane Pressley and in-demand builder Dylan Whitley, as well as interior and exterior residential designer Tony Robertson of Fort Lauderdale.
The team is unanimous in their belief that since Inman and Beatty brought a plan to the table, the project flowed exceptionally.
The couple’s home, dubbed Highland Ridge Farm, boasts long-range wraparound views, but it’s no rustic mountain retreat. Rather, it looks like it was gently lowered onto its 60-acre site straight from Provence. Its arresting French Country aesthetic, defined in every detail, earned the residence the Viewers’ Choice Showcase Home Award and the Silver Award for Craftsmanship in the 2025 Western North Carolina Parade of Homes.
The kitchen harmonizes perfectly with the home, which is clad in Austin, Texas, limestone and accented with finishes designed to age richly. The owners were inspired by Patina Farm, a book that chronicles a California couple’s move from suburban Santa Monica to a farm in the Ojai Valley, and how their travels to France and Belgium greatly shaped their aesthetic.
Robertson counts Inman and Beatty as friends as well as clients, having worked on their home and Inman’s office building in Atlanta. “The most important part of the entire project was figuring out how best to position the house on the site,” he says. “We met there to discuss their parameters and wish list and ended up flipping its orientation to take the biggest advantage of the stunning views.”
Robertson consulted extensively with builder Whitley, of Altamont Construction. “He’s great, easy to work with. We had many in-person monthly visits and virtual consultations, since I’m based in Florida. Trey and Jim wanted a farmhouse feel that was a bit more elevated. I believe we achieved that.” He also collaborated with Pressley after choosing a cabinetry style from the latter’s deep repertoire.
Photo by Ryan Theede
Pressley, owner of Expressions Kitchen Studio, confirms that the homeowners’ informed aesthetic set the tone. “They’re decisive and have great design sense,” he shares. In the kitchen, this yielded a mixture of light-toned painted and natural Wynnbrooke cabinetry with a Drexel door style, appliance-hiding panels, a custom-made zinc and brass range hood fabricated to warm as it ages, and a brass faucet with an uncoated finish that will also gain character with time.
Fine details include outlet covers made of the same wood species as the island. A larger, practical decision was trading in island seating for more storage. Pressley also crafted identical pantry doors flanking the cabinetry that surrounds the range, and while the right-side door actually houses a pantry, the left one ingeniously conceals a coffee-making station.
The kitchen’s perimeter features French farmhouse-style maple cabinets; painted Sherwin Williams’ “Worldly Gray,” they’re built all the way to the ceiling. According to Pressley, “prioritizing symmetry” was key to this project. He used a laser to precisely align the center of the range hood with the home’s reclaimed limestone fireplace. “The orientation of major elements in the kitchen was critical to get right.”
The island is quartersawn white oak with an antique glaze that has a cerused finish. Also known as a pickled or limed finish, “[the look] is achieved when white paint is wiped away from the wood but remains in the cracks, highlighting the wood’s texture,” Pressley explains.
Contractor Whitley considers Highland Ridge Farm a feather in his cap, since this is Altamont Construction’s first Parade of Homes entry. He ticks off some of the kitchen’s additional features: 9-inch pre-engineered white-oak floors, counter and island tops of honed Calacatta marble, and a unique fixture above the island: a vintage billiard light.
Whitley confesses to fretting about the Zellige tile backsplash. The handmade Moroccan style is known for its shape irregularity and texture and color variations, which make it challenging to install. “Once the frost-colored grout was applied, everything came together,” he reports.
As for Beatty and Inman, they couldn’t be more delighted with the execution of their vision. They will share the 4,756-square-foot residence with Beatty’s parents.
“The juxtaposition of modern amenities against the artisan craftsmanship of the custom cabinetry, Zellige tile, traditional marble countertops, brass fixtures, and classic French vent hood brought the project together beautifully,” says Inman.
Beatty adds, “We were inspired by the look of Old World European kitchens. We wanted to bring that subtle elegance into our home.”
Resources:
Kitchen Designer: Lane Pressley, Expressions Kitchen Studio (Fletcher)
Cabinetry Design and Supply: Expressions Kitchen Studio
Builder: Dylan Whitley, Altamont Construction (Asheville)
Interior and Exterior Residential Designer: Tony Robertson Design (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
Flooring: Blue Ridge Floors (Asheville)
Countertops: RockStar Marble & Granite (Fletcher)
Appliances: Haywood Appliance (Asheville)
Custom-Built Range Hood: Custom Metal Home (Chicago)