As usual, I have kitchens on my mind. As of late, kitchens with gray cabinets are really doing it for me. And this one -- which doesn't really even look like a kitchen at all -- has my mind positively spinning, it's just so pretty.
The Montgomery home (featured in the February issue of House Beautiful and photographed by William Abranowicz) was looking a little like a time capsule with owners Richard Norris and Mark Leslie bought it. To bring the kitchen up to date, they converted the dining room. The marble-topped oval center island stands in for the previous owner's dining table, and the range is topped with a silver-leaf Napoleon III mirror. That wonderful chandelier is made from a pair of antique sconces.
Edited to add: Decorno also posted this kitchen to mixed reviews, and Mark the lovely owner (who by they way is writing a cookbook and tested all the recipes in this kitchen) replied. You can read it here if you like.
The room still opens to the garden, and (top photo) the sink stands in for a sideboard.
The rest of the house is so wonderful and interesting. And the best part is that neither of the owners are designers or architects. Though Richard is the business manager for the architecture firm McAlpine Tankersley, and admits that there was "a steady supply of advice."
I love a little humor in a house: The wonderful screen was a gift from a former Auburn University (yeah! my alma mater!) architecture professor. Along the bottom are lyrics from the musical Oklahoma! in Latin, 'The corn is as high as an elephant's eye and it looks like it's climbing clear up to the sky.'
There is something worth noting in every caption. You can read the rest of the story here.
22 comments:
Nice choices. I love the big spaces, aged wood furniture and bright windows :)
I love the kitchen, not sure about the rest of the house, but the kitchen is really pretty!
Lovely but the mirror over the stove is just stupid.
HA! well to each his own, I guess. Priscilla, the the article says the homeowner just Windexes the mirror, and I can't imagine it to be much worse than a stainless backsplash.
I love that stove and that head board!
Tales Of A Fourth Grade Nothing
I KNOW!!! I've been lusting after this Kitchen since I got my HB! The wall-mounted faucet on that one peice of marble surrounded by the prints...."Brilliant!" in my book! And the pair of sconces eyed for years and then put together to make the island fixture.... swoon!!
I have a stainless back on my range, and let me tell ya- mirror would be peach to clean compared! I think the whole house is fabulous.
I've adore Bobby McAlpine's work for years! I'm thinking the owner saying that he got a "little" advise is a huge understatement!!
joan
the prints around the sink are my favorite part, Joan!
Simply. breathtaking.
Really! :)
I've read a lot about Alabama in the blogosphere lately. Great house!
Don't know how I got to your blog but glad I did. There is nothing wimpy about this house. Every room has amazing pieces. The kitchen chandelier with the top of the mirror - all those curves high in the room. That's not wimpy. The Gothic panel and headless statue - wow. That green leather stool under the piano with the lighter green of the screen with the red chair and ottoman in the middle - wow.
I love the bedroom, third from the bottom. It looks so comfy and yet stylish. Perfect for a lazy weekend lie-in. I am particularly envious of the high ceilings in this house.
Thank you for sharing.
I love everything thing about this house!!! It has just the right amount of elegance and humour mixed with timeworn pieces surprising ingenuity. Personally I love the mirror in the kitchen but then I am drawn to kitchens that feel like another room, especially in these days of open plan living. The windows in this house are exquisite. I covet the lot
I thought that this was such a charming home - so full of beauty and character! I admired the kitchen, but I am way too messy in the kitchen to have art and beautiful things! The kitchen is function over form for me.
One of the owners of the house has a blog - I think it is about cooking.
TTI -- good to know that the kitchen gets used!
Such pretty pictures, as always!
I wanted to let you know I nominated you for a little blogger award on my blog. Hope to get to know you better! :)
-Lisa
I can't believe that kitchen, I would LOVE to see it person! You know how I feel about gray!
It is a very soothing color palette.
I'd just like to say "Thanks!" to everyone for admiring our house and, in particular, my favorite room--the kitchen. For those of you who are concerned about "cleaning the mirror," trust me, I was skeptical when we first thought of the idea. But we thought "If it doesn't work, we'll just hang the mirror somewhere else in the house and figure out what's next for above the stove." I am VERY Midwestern (read PRACTICAL) and if the mirror was outrageous to maintain, it wouldn't be there. Surprisingly, it doesn't need to be cleaned as often as one might think (and, we don't have a maid service--we do all the cleaning).
If you'd like to see the rest of the kitchen from a different angle, you can check out my blog www.mark-leslie.net and scroll down to the October 22, 2009 entry. Here is the direct link: http://www.mark-leslie.net/to-refrigerate-or-not-to-refrigerate. It shows the fridge (built into an armoire opposite the sink) and the dishwasher (which is located under the marble surface. I took the photo from what is now the butler's pantry, which was originally the house's narrow, shotgun of a kitchen.
Again, thanks for interest and the discussion.
-Mark
I like how the classic Southern and modern designs are mixed in this house. It's like the owners used a time machine to put year 2000 furniture into a 19th century house, making it very soothing to the eyes.
This Alabama house inspiration is something to look forward to. Even with all the modern designs and structures, 19th century houses will never go out of style.
I love the living room of this Alabama house, especially the windows. It allows sunshine to flow into the living room, making it brighter and warmer
Beautiful! The windows let in so much light, and it brightens up the entire house perfectly. I totally love it! I hope I can have a house as pretty as this someday.
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