For many denizens of the big cities of the Eastern US, Asheville offers the best of all possible worlds: a getaway location that blends scenic beauty and cultural amenities, a place to reconnect with one’s self beyond the static of metropolitan life. So it’s no surprise that after an urbane — and holistically minded — Chicagoan spent some quality time with good friends who live here, she decided to create some room of her own in Western North Carolina; a place to unwind and breathe deeply.
It’s also no surprise that she chose an upper floor at 60 North Market for her pied-à-terre. The stylish new condo building offers a cosmopolitan aesthetic in its common areas, floor-to-ceiling windows in the apartments (with spectacular views of both town and mountain) and walking proximity to the vibrant streets of downtown Asheville.
Before construction was completed on the apartment, the homeowner engaged interior designer Krista Washam LaBlue to oversee the transformation of raw space into an elegant and serene environment. To soften and personalize the modern, linear feel of the architecture, LaBlue worked with Kevin Willeford of Fine Interior Renovations and Phil Clark of Phil Clark Cabinets to customize the cabinetry and moldings, install lighted bookshelves and upgrade the dining and living room fireplaces with marble from Salon Blue Ridge.
For design inspiration, LaBlue looked to the exquisite antique Italian architectural prints that the homeowner enjoys collecting on her travels to Europe and a particular textile that had caught the homeowner’s fancy.
“The palette for the residence began with my client saying to me ‘I’m in love with Elizabeth Eakins’ rugs’,” LaBlue recalls. “They’re hand hooked and they are magnificent.” The company’s graceful ‘Cambay’ pattern was the cornerstone for the color and overall sensibility of the décor.
LaBlue is fluent in the language of textiles. “Fabrics are my thing,” she explains. “It’s where I start and that’s how many people connect with me.” Her savvy goes beyond the theoretical; LaBlue is a gifted seamstress, hand-crafting the window treatments and pillows that give her interiors their subtle finesse.
Given the apartment’s compact footprint, LaBlue took an understated approach, allowing the quality of the materials to impart a sense of luxury. In choosing furnishings, she applied a judicious eye for scale and proportion. The classic, tailored lines and sculptural shapes — often of rich mahogany and other dark woods to contrast with the pale tones of the walls — are dressed, like a high-born European lady, in exquisite fabrics: velvet mohair, fine wools and embroidered silks.
To create an airy, expansive atmosphere in the dining area, LaBlue minimized the volume of the substantial Hickory White ‘British Club’ round pedestal dining table by surrounding it with low-back, upholstered Baker Furniture ‘Malmaison’ tub chairs that tuck neatly around the perimeter and crowned it all with Neirmann Weeks’ ‘Lille’ chandelier — a feathery fantasy in glass. The strategy allows an unimpeded visual flow to the adjoining inset balcony and the sky-scape beyond.
“Part of the beauty of using glass is that you can tie it all together,” notes LaBlue and, indeed, glass and crystal provide grace notes throughout the residence, from Artistic Tile’s ‘Stilato’ glass tiles on the kitchen backsplash to the antique Italian verre églomisé desk in the guest suite to the rock crystal chandelier and Venetian mirror that hang in the master bedroom.
LaBlue deftly intermingles the reflective qualities of both hard surfaces and fabrics to optimize the ambient light that is such an integral element of this aerie. “I’m all about texture — I want to see sheen,” she observes. “But then you need to have light-absorbing materials to balance it and bring it down.”
That balance is particularly evident in the “Yoga Room,” a small alcove off the guest bedroom that LaBlue redefined as tranquil meditation space. “When I first looked at this room I said ‘Wow, this is wild — to get an environment you’re going to have to do it right,” she recalls. “I wanted the room to be very soothing and to have wonderful fabric combinations, so I used sheer silk curtains with a 9-inch ruching to filter the sunlight and a shimmering fabric on the low chair to reflect the light. The monochromatic palette makes the room feel larger and the texture adds interest.”
Tranquility also reigns in the master bedroom, where a slender crotch mahogany “barley twist” four-poster bed by Dessin Fournir showcases luxurious silk bedding from Porter & Prince. Sumptuous silk goblet-pleat window dressings (LaBlue’s handiwork) create a sense of intimacy.
The calm extends to the “salon” ambiance of the living room, which exhibits no hint of the electronic age. The homeowner requested that the television set be hidden when not in use — quite a challenge without introducing an entertainment center. LaBlue’s solution was ingenious. A Séura television from CWB Technologies was integrated into a massive mirror over the mantle and surrounded by a custom 6-inch-deep frame by Blackbird Frame and Art.
It all contributes to a residence that is refined and relaxing — grounded by the deep hues of wood and uplifted by the ethereal elements of light. Sophisticated and serene, it hovers in the sweet space between heaven and earth: the best of all possible worlds.
Local Resources: Krista Washam LaBlue – interior design; Wendy Whitson – artist; Haen Gallery – art gallery; Salon Blue Ridge – kitchen and bath; Porter & Prince – bedding; The Gardener’s Cottage – floral arrangements; BlackBird Frame & Art – framing; Enter the Earth – minerals and gemstones; Cornerstone Minerals – minerals and gemstones; Phil Clark Cabinets – cabinets; Hammerhead Stoneworks – stone terrace; Brunk Auction – antique desk; CWB Technologies – electronics; Artisan Kitchen Studio – kitchen cabinetry