At first glance, it’s all about movement — pulsing patterns and energetic textures — in Pat and David Brown’s Highlands kitchen, a stunner space that multitasks as a cooking, eating, and entertaining hub.
The Browns, who usually reside in Florida, bought and renovated the home as a vacation getaway and set about reconfiguring and decorating the kitchen with their interior-designer friend Julie Schulte. “One of our priorities was to make it easily accessible and open to our adjoining living areas,” says Pat.
Schulte mixed a panoply of wood types, textures and tone, including an animal-print rug, traditional subway tile, elegant tubular glass pendants, breakfast seating covered in a caffeinated chevron print, and luxurious Calacatta gold marble countertops, all in one room.
“We created a modern mountain interior using colors of nature, but putting a contemporary twist on traditional design elements,” says Schulte.
Customized everything adds a certain equilibrium to the room, and it’s a particular focus of Keystone Kitchen & Bath’s Paul Bradham: “Symmetry was important to me in this design process. I spent lots of time ensuring all the smaller elements, like [cabinet] drawers and doors, lined up evenly. These details create a balanced ‘big picture,’” says Bradham.
“Every part of the [range] hood is custom, as well,” he reveals. “The trim and corbels are painted the same gray as the island, and the curved hood body is plaster, which adds an old-world richness.” Bradham confirms that eclecticism, rather than overly themed spaces, is trending with clients: “Instead of staying with one style, we’re mixing things up, which makes these spaces just feel like home.”
The main challenges of the renovation were making the space brighter and opening it to the great room. But most importantly, says Pat, the kitchen “stands up to kids and lots of guests.”
RESOURCES
Kitchen Design and Cabinetry: Paul Bradham, Keystone Kitchen & Bath
Interior Designer: Julie Schulte, ASID, Schulte Design Associates
Contractor: Ronnie D. Waller Construction
Countertops: Black Rock Granite and Marble
Backsplash: Sourced from Highlands Decorating Center