![3D"Click](3D"http://ereach.advertserve.com/servlet/view/banner/image/zone?zid=3D=)
![3D"your](3D"http://housetrends.com/images/slogan.gif")
![3D""=20](3D"http://housetrends.com/images/articles/HTTA0708_SPRD_KITArtfulRev.=)
Homes speak to you if you listen to them; =
with a little=20
time and lot of planning any home can be changed to fit how you and your =
family=20
live in the space. A St. Petersburg couple loved their contemporary =
home, but=20
felt it needed a little tweaking to not only make the floor plan work =
for their=20
needs, but to also open up one of the assets of their home, a view of =
the=20
inter-coastal waterway.
=E2=80=9CI grew up a few blocks =
from here, and=20
being able to look out on the water is a fundamental need for =
me,=E2=80=9D says the=20
female homeowner. The beauty of the water, however, was also a =
distraction for=20
her husband in his old study location. He often pulled the shades to =
avoid the=20
lure of the view. =E2=80=9CI never could work in that space. I just =
couldn=E2=80=99t get=20
anything done,=E2=80=9D he says laughing.
After living in the home, the couple decided the kitchen was too =
small and=20
the layout needed to be changed. The female homeowner wanted to =
integrate her=20
love of cooking with her need to be connected to her guests. And while =
her=20
husband didn=E2=80=99t want the water view, she did so she could observe =
the activity on=20
the waterway while working in the kitchen.
Laying =
out a=20
plan
Gathering a group of creative professionals =
helped the=20
homeowners create the kitchen, breakfast nook, and study of their =
dreams. They=20
assembled designers Ron Haynes and Bruce Laughridge from Urban =
Innovations,=20
general contractor Carmine Pici of Tom Pici & Sons, and cabinetry =
designer=20
Michael Bright of Bright Wood Works. The kitchen design was a =
collaborative=20
effort between Michael Bright, Ron Haynes and Bruce Laughridge.
According to the homeowners, the completed project achieved the =
elegant=20
results they desired because they were able to assemble a group of =
creative=20
professionals who could equally collaborate and share a vision. =
Homeowners and=20
designers alike agreed that it was a unique experience. =E2=80=9CWe felt =
that we were=20
working with excellent craftsmen, and also with people who understood =
what we=20
wanted,=E2=80=9D the homeowners said. The designers enjoyed working with =
=E2=80=9Cideal clients=E2=80=9D=20
with strong artistic sensibility. Bright summed it up by saying that =
there were=20
=E2=80=9Cgood vibes=E2=80=9D with the entire =
group.
The=20
kitchen
Listening to the female homeowner=E2=80=99s =
dreams, the newly=20
designed kitchen would increase the storage and work space by five times =
its=20
original size. The remodeling plan, primarily focusing on the male =
homeowner=E2=80=99s=20
study, would add about five hundred square feet to the house.
This kitchen showcases Bright=E2=80=99s ability to design, =
manufacture, and install=20
elegant cabinets, often as a showcase for the couple=E2=80=99s extensive =
glass and=20
ceramic collections. By choosing the rich colors of chocolate brown and =
cream,=20
the sophisticated design features included chocolate brown granite =
countertops,=20
and bamboo and African mahogany cabinets. The upper cabinets have 3 =
Form=C2=AE=20
non-toxic acrylic panels that are more versatile in their color options =
than=20
frosted glass.
For the kitchen the pi=C3=A8ce de =
r=C3=A9sistance is the=20
series of tall cabinets directly situated behind the island. At the top =
are=20
lighted, recessed niches for several of the glass and ceramic pieces =
from the=20
couple=E2=80=99s impressive art collection. Accenting a counter is an =
amber sconce,=20
purchased at an antique shop in Carbondale, Colorado. The cabinets below =
provide=20
ample storage for dishes and cookware.
Counterbalancing the =
warm=20
rich tones are stainless steel appliances, range hood, and plumbing =
fixtures.=20
The marble-topped countertop on the island extends to the floor giving =
the=20
kitchen a particularly elegant look.
In this kitchen what =
appears=20
to be a cabinet may instead be an appliance=E2=80=94for example, =
refrigerator and=20
freezer drawers that the female homeowner selected to support the way =
she likes=20
to cook and manage a kitchen. She chose a commodious refrigerator with a =
separate drawer for bottled drinks, and added three freezer drawers. She =
chose=20
that design because she prefers to cook with fresh =
ingredients.
She=20
also added a stainless steel warming drawer. =E2=80=9CIt took me awhile =
to remember that=20
I had the warming drawer, but now I use it all the time; not only to =
keep food=20
warm, but also to warm plates,=E2=80=9D she said. Another of the =
homeowner=E2=80=99s favorite=20
spots in the kitchen is the wall that hosts a small TV, the microwave =
and a=20
Miele coffee maker.
Artful touches finish the room, =
including the=20
watermelon sculpture by Jack Hill of Loveland, Colorado, and the=20
Asian-influenced painting from local artist Christine=20
Peloquin.
During the renovation, the space that had been =
the study=20
became a sunny breakfast nook with its own display of the waterway. It =
continues=20
the same color scheme of the adjacent kitchen with glass shelves that =
hold the=20
female homeowner=E2=80=99s bright coloration of martini glasses. =
Claiming the dominant=20
accent space is a glass Buddha, a creation of local artist Marlene=20
Rose.
The study
The husband, who =
has a=20
well-developed affection for Art Deco, found inspiration for his study =
in=20
industrial designer Donald Desky=E2=80=99s 1932 designs for Radio City =
Music Hall and=20
apartment above. Using that inspiration, designers Haynes and Laughridge =
were=20
given creative latitude in the study. =E2=80=9CWe are modernists at =
heart, so we=20
particularly enjoyed the challenges of this project,=E2=80=9D summarized =
Haynes, who=20
studied at Frank Lloyd Wright=E2=80=99s Taliesin site. In a limited =
space they also were=20
able to provide ample hidden storage, functional workspace, and open =
display=20
space.
According to Bright, the amount of detail involved in putting this =
room=20
together was like assembling a thousand-piece jigsaw puzzle. He used =
laminated=20
sapele for the cabinets; sapele is a subspecies of African mahogany =
known for=20
its figured grain. Bright received national recognition for his =
execution of=20
this design from the trade publication Custom Woodworking=20
Business.
The open shelving in the desk and the =
bookshelves=20
provide excellent display space for the husband=E2=80=99s Art Deco and =
Art Nouveau=20
collectables=E2=80=94some of them classic examples of industrial design. =
On the desk is=20
an Art Deco scotch tape dispenser that was a gift from his =
father-in-law.=20
Displayed on one of the upper shelves are recent acquisitions. =
=E2=80=9CWe were in New=20
York this past Thanksgiving and one of my goals was to visit this store =
that=20
features Art Deco items. I came home with these sculptural pieces that =
were sold=20
to me as models for the tops of proposed skyscrapers,=E2=80=9D he said. =
Additionally,=20
the room showcases many items that have been purchased over the years =
from the=20
annual Antiques Show at the Coliseum in St. Petersburg.
In =
the=20
study are the male homeowner=E2=80=99s supplies for making fly fishing =
lures, and the=20
cabinet he bought in an antique store outside of Aspen, Colorado to hold =
this=20
paraphernalia. =E2=80=9CI can fly fish right off my dock, and I find =
that stopping to=20
make a lure is such a welcome relief from writing a legal =
brief,=E2=80=9D he=20
said.
The design work that was accomplished in these rooms =
truly=20
reflects this couple, their style for living, and their artistic =
sensibilities.=20
The sophisticated collaboration of designers and homeowners created an =
artful=20
renovation.
article=20
resources
Homebuilder/contractor: Tom Pici =
&=20
Sons;
Kitchen designer/cabinetry: Michael =
Bright,=20
Bright Wood Works;
Interior designer: Urban=20
Innovations; Custom Marble Works;
Sink:=20
Franke;
Faucets:=20
Blanco;
Cooktop:=20
Dacor;
Refrigerator:=20
Sub-Zero;
Oven:=20
Miele;
Lighting: Halogen
Reader Comments
![3D"Local](3D"http://housetrends.com/images/local_professionals_for_your_project=)
No professionals available in Tampa Bay for these projects yet.
Click=20
here to apply to have your business listed.