Charming Antique Style

Kelly Herron confesses to ushering guests right through the front door and directly into her kitchen. “The first time we saw our kitchen, we were blown away by the space’s design and custom work!” Kelly exclaims.

This busy family of five needs a kitchen that can handle the hustle and bustle of weeknight meals and still look good for entertaining. Most importantly, the kitchen has to be a suitable cooking laboratory for Keith and the kids. It’s not unusual to find the family on a mission to conjure up new recipes for taste-testing.

• Source Guide
• Wall and cabinet paint: DKC-52 by Donald Kaufman Color.
• Hanging light fixture: by Randy Farmer of Artifacts Antiques & Interiors.
• Barstools: Fleurance Counter Stools by the Elysée Collection, from Melissa Rowe Interiors; 256/ 536-4574.
• Refrigerator: Dual System 690 (690/S) by Sub-Zero.
• Gas cooktop: 48" Range with six porcelain-coated cast-iron top grates, (RT484CG), by Wolf.

Interior designer Grei Hinsen (615/383-6440) designed a workable and user-friendly kitchen that flows seamlessly with the rest of the home by using a U-shaped layout centered around a large island. To expand the room visually, all appliances and storage areas are hidden behind handsome cream cabinetry. Determined to use every inch, he placed a recessed china cabinet in a wall underneath the staircase.

1. Heated, cushion-cut travertine marble floors keep everyone’s feet warm.
2. Two dishwashers help with cleanup. One is for smaller dishes and glassware; the other, for bigger pots and pans.
3. Built-in ovens are located out of the way of traffic.
4. Two pullout pantry cabinets flank the refrigerator.

Source Guide
Dishwasher: Superba by KitchenAid.
Ovens, Warming Drawer: Built-in Double Ovens with warming drawer (DO30F/S) by Wolf.

Previous homeowner Amy Jackson Smith admits she is “always on the hunt for the next big find.” One of her best discoveries, several tons of old marble blocks salvaged from a historic theater being torn down in Nashville, is the showstopper of this kitchen. Honed into 3-inch-thick countertops and a herringbone-patterned backsplash, the marble has a rich luster that gives the room an immediate sense of age. “Visitors all say, ‘I’ve never seen countertops so thick!’ And they haven’t stained at all!” says Kelly.

Source Guide
Marble fabricator/installer: Joe Lannom with Stoneworks Marble and Granite; 615/350-8081.

Amy continued the old-world feel with another find: 6-foot-tall antique French windows complete with original hardware that she had refitted for a built-in china cabinet. “Everyone is drawn to the custom china cabinet. I especially love that the base is outfitted with Pacific Silvercloth for storing my silver,” says Kelly.

Source Guide
China cabinet doors: Antique French windows and original hardware from Anne Flaire Antiques.

“The cabinets on the island look like pullout drawers but really open like little doors. No one would ever know that they aren’t drawers!”

Source Guide
Cabinets: by Tony Pearson with Classic Custom Cabinets.