With the unveiling of the Coastal Virginia Magazine Idea Houses still a few months away, we offer these sneak peeks into two enticing spaces: the tuxedo kitchen of The Rose Eleganza located at The Oaks at Fenton Mill in Upper York County and the deluxe kitchen of The Blacksburg located at Ashby’s Bridge in southern Virginia Beach.
The Rose Eleganza
Meanwhile on the Peninsula, Lawson Homes and their deluxe “tuxedo” kitchen go together like champagne and caviar. With an Alpine White and Midnight color palette set off against weathered gray hardwood floors, this transitional kitchen is as much luxe as it is relaxed.
Tall, white Shaker cabinets are topped by lit 18-inch stacked cabinets with glass fronts for display and three-piece white crown molding. White bead shiplap trim ties the 9-foot black, furniture-style eat-at island, complete with both undermount sink and dishwasher, to the cabinetry.
The kitchen backsplash is a dramatic expanse of fish scale tiles whose shades of gray create shimmering dimension. The wine bar, which features a built-in wine cooler and beverage center, sports full-glass white cabinetry above, black below and a white shiplap backsplash.
Calacatta Verona white quartz countertops in the kitchen, wine bar and pantry—with its glass pocket doors—boast gray and burnished gold veining “with lots of subtle movement,” says Sindy Clifton of Lawson Homes. Providing the finishing touches for the ultimate in cohesive style are burnished gold cabinet pulls and pot filler, faucets with matte black and luxe gold finishes, a black artisanal wood range hood and black matte appliances from the gas GE Café Series. The oven and convection oven/microwave are wall-mounted; a Keurig coffee maker is built in to the refrigerator’s French-style doors. A little extra bling comes courtesy of luxe gold appliance handles trimmed with thin bands of copper.
Helping tie the adjacent breakfast room to the kitchen island are matte black cage-style candelabra pendants. Their open design is not only airy with a contemporary edge but low maintenance.
The Rose Eleganza
Development: The Oaks at Fenton Mills, Upper York County
Builder: Lawson Homes (Jack and Sindy Clifton), LawsonHomesVirginia.com
Size: 3,560 square feet; ranch; 5 bedrooms; 4 baths
The Blacksburg
Stephen Alexander homes and drool-worthy kitchens go together like champagne and oysters. The Blacksburg’s cooking quarters preserve the classical bones of the company’s coastal casual kitchens while honing more of a modern vibe than ever before.
The 8-foot island with its mitered waterfall countertop establishes the modern edge of this home quite literally. A 2-inch-thick slab of gleaming white and gray marble-look quartz spills over both ends. Creating a reverse waterfall effect is wide-plank white oak flooring that flows up the leeward side of the island.
The home’s distinctive nods to mid-century design continue into the kitchen from the adjacent wide-open living spaces. The natural white oak of the ceiling beams is picked up as trim on the shiplap range hood and on ample floating shelving. On the backsplash, subway tile—greenish gray in color—lends its own brand of vintage vibe.
White cabinetry with both solid and glass doors soars beneath the tall ceilings. Under- and over-cabinet lighting illuminates broad expanses of gray-veined white quartz countertops for a look that is clean, classic and contemporary. Spiffy pendant lighting and stools are among the design details that depart in a modernist direction from a more classic coastal-casual vibe.
Stainless and brushed stainless finishes are here to stay. But in this cost effective kitchen, they are combined with—gasp!—a range featuring matte white panels from the GE Café Series. Underlying all of the design decisions in this kitchen—even the deluxe glass-fronted pantry—is a desire to achieve the look of a commercial kitchen while being more cost conscious than ever before. But you would never know it.
The Blacksburg
Development: Ashby’s Bridge, Virginia Beach
Builder: Stephen Alexander Homes, StephenAlexanderHomes.com
Size: 3,800 square feet; 2-story; 5 bedrooms; 4.5 baths
Betsy DiJulio
Betsy DiJulio is a full-time art teacher, artist and curator with side hustles as a freelance writer, including for Coastal Virginia Magazine, and a vegan recipe developer, food stylist and photographer. Learn more on her website thebloomingplatter.com.
