Low-Key Luster

Photo by Kevin Meechan

The kitchen inside Cheryl and Aivars Vitols’ retirement home in Grand Highlands (Hendersonville) looks as smooth and refined as the process to create it turned out to be.

“She told me she wanted white, and after that she gave me a lot of freedom,” notes Christy Dunlap of Jennings Builders Supply and Hardware, who’s responsible for the space planning and for scouting all interior appointments. A charcoal island was added to the scheme for a “classic black-and-white” look inside the clean palette, Christy explains.

Meanwhile, Cheryl says “the outcome was everything I expected it to be” — but then, she was already carrying the blueprint for success: a previous all-white kitchen that she recalls “was always a happy place to be.” The obviously home-oriented owner lists her pets by name (dog Gucci, cat Tucker, bird Kiki), as well as her frequently visiting grown daughters, including Kaitlin Vitols of Charlotte, an interior designer who helped pull the scheme together.

The StarMark cabinetry includes mullion doors with custom-antiqued mirrors instead of windows; paired with natural Carrara marble countertops, it makes a polished complement to the white-oak floor. However, technology also has its place: Christy mentions the kitchen’s “true” built-in refrigerator. Subtly recessed appliances are stylish right now, but this one is totally enfolded into the scheme. The fridge “blends in with the cabinets and is almost completely hidden,” she explains. “If the ice maker wasn’t there, it would also look like a cabinet.” Cheryl forecasts a bright future: “I intend to have lots of happy memories here, too.”

Resources
Kitchen Design/Cabinetry Jennings Builders Supply and Hardware (Fletcher, Brevard, Cashiers, Franklin)
Interior Designer Christy Dunlap, Jennings Builders Supply and Hardware
Builder Mike Eubank Construction (Fairview)

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