Located in Aldie, Virginia, the scenic community of Creighton Farms attracted a couple who purchased a custom home under construction by Novella Homes beside a Jack Nicklaus golf course. They enlisted architect Warren Ralston to collaborate on the job, which evolved into a grand yet welcoming, Provençale-style residence—with a spacious kitchen to match.
“Like most people, the owners considered the kitchen to be the heart of the home,” Ralston says. “They wanted it to be a casual gathering space for family, but also elegant.”
The first goal, he explains, was to amplify the natural light. Fourteen-foot ceilings and expansive windows overlooking the golf course achieved that goal, while light finishes and elements such as the wood floors and white oak ceiling beams brought warmth.
In the harmonious layout, the range is flanked by mirrored cabinets. Centered in front of that wall, the spacious island incorporates a breakfast nook in the form of a curved, built-in banquette embracing an Arhaus table. The symmetrical layout, which accentuates the range wall, imparts the elegant feel the owners wanted.
Novella Homes’ David Guaglianone and his team had already selected some of the kitchen’s finishes by the time the owners came on the scene—but in a nod to their preference for hunter green, Guaglianone added a green Lacanche range to the mix, then selected complementary Monte Bella quartzite countertops, which feature faint-green veining. A backsplash of greige subway tile in a herringbone pattern frames the custom brass hood by François & Co. Brown and black elements, from the Blanco Silgranite farmhouse sink and painted window frames to the dark-stained island base, create contrast and interest.
Architecture: Warren Ralston, AIA, WCRA, Chantilly, Virginia. Design & Contracting: David Guaglianone, Novella Homes, Leesburg, Virginia. Styling: Charlotte Safavi.
THE DETAILS
CABINETRY: masterbrand.com. COUNTERTOPS: unitedgranitemd.com. BACKSPLASH: mosaictileco.com. FAUCETS: rubinet.com through fergusonshowrooms.com. APPLIANCES: lacanche.com through frenchranges.com; subzero-wolf.com, askona.com through fergusonshowrooms.com. HOOD: francoisandco.com. LIGHTING: visualcomfortlightinglights.com; arteriorshome.com; hvlgroup.com through fergusonshowrooms.com.
