North Asheville home is ready for its closeup
Photo by David Dietrich
On the cover of its December issue, national magazine Veranda announced “The Refined Return of Maximalism.” The truth? Asheville-based designer Krista Washam LaBlue locked down that look years ago. Her elaborate overhaul of a North Asheville residence constitutes a master class in the genre. The home’s original French Country interior is evident in the hues — eggshell, mint, low-key gold — and in the smartly mixed prints and textures. But the hip new chandeliers, the implementation of local art, and an overall move toward freshness and light mark a decided change. Today, the place is way more moderne than marquis.
Combining posh wallcoverings and drapery with harder contemporary elements was “an edgy challenge,” says LaBlue — and obviously one the experienced designer relished. She praises the “good bones” of the North Asheville home. “The architect clearly delivered on site lines from space to space,” she says, mentioning the tall archways that inform the interior flow.
“We’ve moved many times over the years, and I’ve done my share of renovating various houses,” notes the homeowner, whose husband enjoys the action on the property’s adjacent golf course. “This house, however, stopped me in my tracks — it was so well designed and decorated.”
She knew the style needed to be thoroughly updated, but, she says, “I felt cautious because I didn’t want any changes I made to feel ad hoc. I wanted it to feel just as coherent as the original, but with different finishes and furnishings. I knew I needed help to keep it cohesive.”
She was drawn to LaBlue’s aesthetic, but when the couple first met with the designer, they introduced a wild card: their flamboyant collection of vintage movie and promotional posters. At least one, a huge London theatrical bill for The Forty Thieves, is 120 years old and preserved in linen. “It was an early eBay find,” reveals the homeowner.
A poster for The Checkered Coat was also discovered online. “I bought it simply because I found it humorous … the gaudy coat, the smoking pistol, the names of the cast — Noreen Nash! Hurd Hatfield!” Meanwhile, the Magic Town poster in her husband’s office was purchased because of the couple’s love for Jimmy Stewart — “and because it’s a lovely blue,” she says.
A ’30s-era French advertisement for suspenders commands the living room. “I love [the Frenchman’s] joie de vivre, and I think he sets the tone for the house — not too serious.”
The designer concurs. “The house is happy now — whimsical,” says LaBlue.
Center Stage
The theatrical piece that started it all, The Forty Thieves, is an oversized antique London production poster backed in linen. KWL Interiors co-starred in the drama, adding banquette seating and lushly layered textiles (including watercolored, hand-blocked linen drapery; an oversized linen sofa and flirty lounge chairs. Ralph Lauren’s “Natalie” chandelier shares a golden moment with the poster’s frame.
Great Room Expectations
Twenty-foot-high ceilings with exposed wooden beams, sky-high windows over French doors, and arched built-ins are part of the “good bones” designer Krista Washam LaBlue preserved when she did a total redesign of a North Asheville home. The statement chains on the wall are Raku pottery pieces by local artist Eric Knoche, who’s represented by Blue Spiral 1 Gallery. A dark scorched Reef firescreen by Heart Art, commissioned by KWL, and the oversized sea urchin on the smooth gesso coffee table are edgy counterpoints to the plush gray Turkish area rug (Stark) and Julian Chichester Amalfi sofas, done in a sophisticatedly jazzy upholstery.
Formally Known
KWL Design & Decor makes a stamp in the formal dining room by visually tying custom textiles, including a subtle “Featherbloom Grass” cloth wallcovering and Tuscan linen sheers at the windows, to rustic ceiling beams. A Sisal rug keeps the look down to earth, and the modern moments shine in a bold, bone-laid spherical chandelier from Mr. Brown London and hammered-iron chairs by Made Goods. The 17th-century Russian icon in a velvet lined shadowbox was purchased by the homeowners at Brunk Auctions.
Photo by David Dietrich
Kitchen Moves
A “Fusion Wow” island top (supplied by Nature of Stone; installed by RockStar Marble & Granite) sets the expectations for a Continental kitchen. The mix of matte and gleam — soapstone surfaces, tile in myriad textures and levels of shine, pewter hardware — is the thoroughly modern work of designer Krista Washam LaBlue (KWL Design & Decor). The chevron-patterned wall tile segues to inlays of pale-green glass tile and insets of chunky platinum. And something about the dramatic, black-and-white mosaic floor echoes the homeowners’ love of old movies (All tile by Horizon Tile & Stone Gallery.) Custom ironwork detailing/pewter nailheads on the kitchen hood were designed by KWL Design & Decor and fabricated by Tom Elfers of Ornametals and Finer Welding of Rutherfordton, NC.
Gilded Glow
On a wall in the master bedroom, heirloom paintings are enhanced with custom framing by BlackBird Frame & Art, including ornate choices for period pieces and glowing gilded borders for still lifes and interior studies.
Photo by David Dietrich
Photo by David Dietrich
Jimmy Stewart in the House
In the husband’s office, a vintage Magic Town movie poster, 8 by 4 feet tall — this one paying homage to the couple’s love of Jimmy Stewart and the color blue — imparts a feel of dashing, old-school masculinity. The backdrop is a velvet wallpaper in rich gold and chocolate. The wall of Notre Dame football mementos honors the man of the family, a former player. The authentic 1960 Thonet Cube armchairs, in oak, had their seats redone by Stephens Upholstery.
Photo by David Dietrich
Photo by David Dietrich
Resources:
Interior Designer: Krista Washam LaBlue Design & Décor (Asheville)
Stone surfaces: Nature of Stone by JR Granites (Fletcher)
Stone/counter installations: RockStar Marble & Granite (Fletcher)
Marble flooring & tile: Horizon Tile & Stone Gallery (Fletcher)
Tile installation: Paco’s Custom Tile & Stone (Hendersonville)
Cabinetry: Installed by Dave Edwards Designer Kitchens (Weaverville)
Custom pedestals for period marble lions: David Humphrey, Square Peg Fine Carpentry (Asheville)
Kitchen hood detailing: Tom Elfers, Ornametals and Finer Welding (Rutherfordton)
Floor coverings: Stark carpeting (Charlotte)
Custom upholstery: Stephens Upholstery (Asheville)
Landscape designers: Nancy Duffy, Muddy Boots Garden Design (Asheville); Trademark Homescapes (Hendersonville)
Local artwork: Blue Spiral 1 Gallery (Asheville)
Matelassé coverlets/throws: The Oriole Mill (Hendersonville)
Drapery & custom workrooms: KWL Design & Décor
Wallpaper: Interior Trade Installations (KWL Design & Décor team contracted)
Antiques/vintage (including Italian 19th-century lions, Louis XIV-style boulle center table, collectibles): Brunk Auctions (Asheville)
Framing: BlackBird Frame & Art (Asheville)
Shutters: Carolina Blinds (Hendersonville)
Stonework: Stone by Lynch (Charlotte)
Candles: Stick Candles (Cashiers)
Paint: Benjamin Moore (Asheville)
Bath & kitchen hardware: Bella Hardware & Bath (Asheville)
Receivers & installers/art assist: Gasperson Moving & Storage (Asheville)
Original architect: Jan Grierson (Fletcher)
Original builder: Doebler Homes (Hendersonville)