Made for Living
AH&L’s 2019 Kitchen of the Year winners
Cosmo Cool
Mark Williams’ modern redesign of a Plaza Towers kitchen nods to mid-century style
Styling by Yvonne Orchard
Photography by David Christensen
Designer Mark Williams and his team walked a fine line between swanky and cheerful in the kitchen renovation of Jason Moattar’s Plaza Towers condo in Buckhead.
The stylish homeowner wanted to transform the cramped galley kitchen to entertain in a more contemporary fashion. The layout changes were “basically everything,” Williams notes. The first step was removing the wall between the existing kitchen and dining area to create a sense of openness. He then he broke the space into three zones: food prep at the waterfall-edge island, a pantry and a bar. The extension of the marble island drops down to table height, with room for six curved dining chairs rimmed in antique brass. The antique brass rods of Jean de Merry’s Eclat chandelier define this new dining space with a showstopping element.
“Sometimes people think of functional and durable as mutually exclusive to beautiful. We don’t think that way. Sometimes you can have it all if you plan properly,” Williams says.
The transitional interiors nod to Plaza Towers’ iconic mid-century design. The dark honey hue of the original parquet floors throughout most of the condo drove the selection of the cabinetry color. “Every finish choice that we made at the onset of the primary design phase was in response to that parquet floor color,” Williams says. Black porcelain floors with notes of iron and white veining contrast with the honey stain and offer durability.
To align the backsplash with mid-century sensibilities, Williams straight-stacked subway tile, whose matte finish creates a softer effect. With concealed appliances, open shelving and integrated finger pulls on the cabinets, Williams kept the design clean and further integrated the kitchen into the living space. “I didn’t want it to scream, ‘Hey, I’m a kitchen,’” he says.
Architectural and Interior Design Mark Williams Design Associates, (678) 539-6886; mw-da.com CONTRACTOR Tidwell Construction CABINETRY Kamil Pricinsky, Pricinsky Custom MARBLE COUNTERTOPS Marmi Natural Stone PORCELAIN FLOOR TILE Daltile BACKSPLASH TILE Crossville FAUCET Waterworks SINK Kohler APPLIANCES Bosch, Monogram LIGHTING Jean de Merry at R Hughes CHAIRS Interlude Home BLACK, WHITE AND GOLD PAINTING Steve McKenzie ONYX BOWL ON ISLAND Lush Life
Having it All
Melanie Davis Bracey blends function and fashion in a new Sandy Springs kitchen
Written by Lori Johnston
Photography by Lacey Sombar
Most people dream of being gourmet chefs in their home kitchens, but Melanie Davis Bracey envisioned another starring role—the quarterback—for her client and dear friend in a new Sandy Springs residence. The collaboration between Davis, the homeowner and architecture and planning firm Historical Concepts resulted in a classic and timeless white kitchen that helps the homeowners keep watch of their three children inside and outside the home.
“Standing at the kitchen sink, you can see everything going on,” Davis says.
The designer and the Historical Concepts team translated the homeowner’s wish list into a functional and fashionable layout comprised of both public and private zones. The list included a 48-inch refrigerator, two dishwashers and an additional refrigerator in a separate area. But beyond appliances, she desired a homework space that wasn’t the island, an office that felt like a part of the kitchen but was hidden from sight, and an additional prep area for catering.
While the kitchen appears entirely open, integrated doors in the cabinetry, located next to the refrigerator and double ovens, open to reveal work areas and open shelving. Those adjoining rooms and behind-the-scenes storage areas are still part of the “kitchen,” Davis says. “What’s best about the kitchen is what you can’t see. That’s what makes it a truly open space without a lot of distracting visual noise.”
A stainless steel hood, placed between a pair of windows, acts as a sculptural anchor and balances the stainless steel refrigerator and double ovens in the symmetrical layout. White quartz countertops and backsplash and white cabinets that extend to the ceiling seamlessly integrate into the interior architecture, while across the way into the dining room, steel windows and doors fit with the home’s English Arts and Crafts style.
Davis layered with art, plants and multiple shapes, such as angular pendants and acrylic and metal counter stools. “I have always been drawn to interior design because it is a big sculpture,” she says.
INTERIOR AND KITCHEN DESIGN Melanie Davis Bracey, Melanie Davis Design, (678) 362-3951; melaniedavis.com ARCHITECT Historical Concepts, (678) 325-6665; historicalconcepts.com BUILDER AND CONTRACTOR Craig Bass with Avalon Custom Homes CABINETRY Eric Rivas with E Vision Designs COUNTERTOPS AND BACKSPLASH Caesarstone Calacatta Nuvo quartz APPLIANCES Sub-Zero, Wolf and Bosch from Ferguson FAUCETS AND POT FILLER Danze through European Kitchen & BathWorks SINK Blanco through European Kitchen & BathWorks ISLAND PENDANTS Hudson Valley COOKTOP PHOTOGRAPHY Ashley Waldron Hope available through Melanie Davis Design VASES West Elm CONTAINERS Pike Nurseries KITCHEN LAMP Kelly Wearstler STOOLS CB2 PAINT White Dove by Benjamin Moore
Polished with Pizzazz
Mallory Mathison Glenn and Brandon Ingram team up to create a bright, inviting hub for friends and family
Photography by Jeff Herr
The plan for a young family’s new Milton home began with the kitchen. “The whole house grew from the kitchen sink,” says architect Brandon Ingram. With a generous island, a bar, breakfast room and butler’s pantry, the kitchen opens up into the family room and outdoor living space. With the layout set, Mallory Mathison Glenn coordinated with the homeowners to create a clean, classic palette of black, white, navy and brass.
“We worked hand-in-hand with these clients in designing every single element,” Glenn says. “This kitchen and this home is such a reflection of them and their personal style.”
Highlights such as an elegant lacquered bar, custom hood and interior steel window punctuate and enliven the open, airy kitchen, which drew inspiration from historic European architecture. “We had to be very careful with making it feel connected, both architecturally and decoratively, with the rest of the house,” Ingram says.
Glenn’s signature love of color is seen in her bold approach to the butler’s pantry. Dark navy cabinets afforded visual heft when contrasted with the white kitchen walls and the butler’s pantry and Phillip Jeffries chevron grasscloth wallcovering. On the Roman shade, Schumacher’s popular chintz pattern matches the dining room wallpaper, a fitting choice because of the butler’s pantry placement between the kitchen and dining room.
Alternating light Silestone Eternal Calacatta Gold countertops on the island and charcoal soapstone on the perimeter veered the kitchen away from a cold, contemporary feel and towards a more transitional style. Horizontal brass banding and a curvature in the design of the vent hood also help the scheme avoid an industrial edge. Handmade subway tile provides sparkle, while the use of satin brass fixtures infuses an easy warmth into the chic family spot. “They wanted it to be beautiful and comfortable, but not formal,” Glenn says.
INTERIOR DESIGNER Mallory Mathison Inc., (404) 816-3860; mallorymathison.com ARCHITECT Brandon Ingram, (404) 205-5245; cbrandoningram.com KITCHEN DESIGNERS Mallory Mathison Inc. and Brandon Ingram CONTRACTOR Avin Properties CABINETRY Joey Anderson with Keystone Millworks LIGHTING Visual Comfort
KITCHEN STOOLS Serena & Lily RUNNER Caitlin Wilson FAUCET Newport Brass COUNTERTOPS Silestone RANGE Thermador MARBLE ACCESSORIES AND WOODEN SPOONS Williams-Sonoma PAINT Alabaster by Sherwin-Williams PAINTING Paige Kalena Follmann
BUTLER’S PANTRY RUNNER Moattar, Ltd. ROMAN SHADE Schumacher Pyne Hollyhock WALLPAPER Phillip Jeffries Chevron Chic APRON SINK Rohl FAUCET Newport Brass ACCESSORIES Joseph Konrad CABINET COLOR Railings by Farrow & Ball BAR LINENS Gramercy GLASSWARE Williams-Sonoma PAINTING Catherine Baker Jones
Cohesive and Classic
Antique brass, a smoky palette and all-out function flavor a kitchen renovation by Jessica Bradley and Laurie Lehrich
Photography by Marc Mauldin
When designer Jessica Bradley’s clients wanted a kitchen that could accommodate their large family and frequent entertaining—and provide more storage and an improved workflow—she knew just the kitchen designer for the job. Thus was the start of her partnership with Laurie Lehrich, formerly with Design Galleria Kitchen & Bath Studios and now owner of Cardea Home.
The pair sought to design a kitchen with equal parts sophistication and handsomeness. They reconfigured the layout to increase the size and create a walk-in pantry (carved out of an office) and coffee bar without losing the existing mudroom and butler’s pantry. The update lives in harmony with the rest of the home, thanks to the strategic placement of a recessed paneled wall for appliances and extras such as refrigerator drawers. “If you use the space wisely and creatively, you can get more out of the space that you have,” Lehrich says.
Bradley worked with the homeowners after they first bought the home in Morningside/Lenox Park, and she continued the transitional design and blue-gray palette from the living spaces into the kitchen. Wire-brushed white oak cabinets in a soft blue-gray stain and a vent hood in a similar-toned wash pick up the steely tones from the island. “It was easy to pull that aesthetic into the kitchen,” Bradley says. “It transitioned so well.”
The quartzite island and perimeter countertops, along with a subway tile backsplash set the shiny backdrop for antique brass fixtures, such as brass and matte black island pendants. Meanwhile, Bradley and Lehrich waited for a new-to-the-market faucet with an extra embellishment: crisscrossed knurling on the touchless nozzle. Quartzite wrapped around the front of the sink allows the stone to capture a bit more attention. The design duo agrees: The kitchen is effortless, elegant and not overdone.
INTERIOR DESIGN Jessica Bradley Interiors, (404) 846-3220; jessicabradleyinteriors.com KITCHEN DESIGN Laurie Lehrich, Cardea Home, (404) 295-4453; cardeahome.com BUILDER Builders II COUNTERTOPS Marmi Natural Stone HARDWARE AND SUBWAY TILE BACKSPLASH Waterworks FAUCET Ferguson OVAL TABLE Rita from Tritter Feefer CHAIRS Capitola chair from Palecek ISLAND STOOLS Beau Studio LIGHTING Hicks pendant through Circa APPLIANCES Distinctive Appliances