ABOVE Taking inspiration from the kitchens of Jill Sharp Brinson (Creative Director, Ballard Designs), and Pamela Pearce (Milieu magazine), this homeowner replicated beams, a vaulted ceiling, swing arm lamps, the large glassed door and window across the back and herringbone floor. Featured in “An Eye for Style, ” May/June 2014.

ABOVE LEFT Black cabinets and Olympia white marble countertops and backsplash create a clean, sophisticated look. Red chairs and a hand-blown red Murano glass chandelier add a small pop of color. Featured in “Modern Makeover, ” Jan/Feb 2015. Photo by Sarah Arrington

ABOVE RIGHT A massive island is topped with a single slab of marble, for a prep and eating surface that fits seamlessly into the kitchen’s clean, white palette. Ceiling beams—extracted from old barns—provide a contrast in color and texture. Featured in “Great Lake Escape, ” March/April 2015.

ABOVE Taupe glass tiles along the backsplash fit snugly and require no grout, making cleanup a breeze in a high-traffic kitchen. Carrera gold marble countertops pop against the dark shade of the cabinets. Featured in “Family Adventure, ” May/June 2015.

ABOVE LEFT An all-white kitchen provides the perfect canvas to display fresh greenery and bright pieces of art. Clean lines and light paint make this 185-square-foot kitchen feel large and open. Featured in “Clean & Modern, ” July/Aug 2014. 

ABOVE RIGHT Rustic beams and a reclaimed island are balanced by sleek cabinets and countertops in this spacious open kitchen. Featured in “Designed for Downtime, ” March/April 2014. 

ABOVE Wall-to-wall cabinetry in this large kitchen is painted with Sherwin Williams Nantucket Gray. The walls and ceiling planks are finished in Elmira White by Sherwin Williams. Featured in “Character Counts, ” May/June 2014.

ABOVE LEFT Bleached wood and a white backdrop create a casual, functional space. A waterfall-style island delineates the work area set at an angle. The range hood is crafted to disappear. Similarly, cabinetry blends into the light floor and the light oak beams. Featured in “California Dream, ” Sept/Oct 2013. 

ABOVE RIGHT Neutral cabinets, countertops and appliances, as well as the natural light flowing in from a large window over the sink,  give this space a bright classic look. Featured in “Professional Help, ” May/June 2014.

ABOVE Natural materials, such as handmade tiles, limestone, wood and bronze, are timeless design choices for a kitchen. Featured in “French Connection, ” May/June 2015.

Photography by Jean Allsopp

Âme seour is the French phrase referring to a “kindred spirit, ” although the literal English translation for the phrase is “friend sister.” Both idioms are apt descriptions of sisters-in-law Lizzie Inzer and Meredith Sherrill. “We grew up together, just one year apart in school, and our parents were best friends, ” Lizzie says. Meredith, an interior designer, began dating Lizzie’s brother about 10 years ago, and the two women became even closer.

When Lizzie and her husband, John, bought a modestly sized Crestline cottage, Lizzie knew that Meredith was the one who could make it conducive to their lifestyle and to her love of French influences—especially since the friends had traveled to Paris together years before. “The home needed a few tweaks, architecturally speaking, ” Meredith says. “We renovated the kitchen and refinished the floors throughout. But the biggest change was converting two small bedrooms and a small bath into one large master suite.” 

The new floorplan made the cottage a perfect fit for John, Lizzie, and their pups Knox, a Labrador retriever, and Byrdie, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. “I wanted a house that was functional, ” Lizzie says. “There is nothing that bothers me more than having rooms that are not used or furniture that you are afraid to sit on.” 

By widening the opening between the dining area and kitchen, Meredith says the main living areas now allow for a good flow from room to room, as well as the casual vibe Lizzie desired. “The house feels comfortable and relaxed but also has some formal elements, such as the velvet draperies, to dress the rooms up, ” Meredith says. “It didn’t need to be stuffy—this is a Crestline cottage after all.”

The home’s kitchen—last updated in the early 1990s—also needed to be refreshed. “One of our main goals was to bring the kitchen into the present day, ” Meredith says. “We wanted it to function as modern kitchens do, but I didn’t want it to scream ‘new kitchen’ in an old house.”  To achieve the goal of a timeless space, Lizzie and Meredith chose classic elements for the room—cabinets in a simple Shaker style, solid bronze knobs and pulls, a handmade subway tile backsplash, and thick Indiana Limestone slab countertops. The pair added heft to the existing island with a 5-centimeter-thick slab of limestone sized to create an overhang for island seating. “For the kitchen cabinet color, I drew inspiration from the trip Lizzie and I took to Paris, ” Meredith says. “While exploring the grounds of Versailles, we both fell in love with Marie Antoinette’s summer getaway, Petit Trianon, and most notably, the beautiful kitchen there—thus the idea for the French blue cabinets.”

This understated French influence can also be seen in other rooms of the three-bedroom, three-bath house as well. “In the master bedroom, we softened the space by running the drapery all the way behind the Restoration Hardware bed. This really helps make a bedroom feel cozy, ” Meredith says. “I don’t know if I would say the house has a extreme French vibe, but maybe French influences, ” Lizzie says, “It can be see in some of the furniture, fabrics, and colors. Meredith made it interesting and fun. She helped me branch out.” Throughout, colors range from blush to rust, cream to charcoal, with metal and rustic accents.

“Lizzie has great taste and knows what she wants, so I am just there to gently guide her in terms of making decisions for her home, ” Meredith says. “I do like to nudge her out of her comfort zone every once in while, if only just to push her buttons. We are sisters after all!”  

ABOVE A new master suite—including a large bedroom; a bath with shower, tub, water closet, and double vanity; and a large walk-in closet—was created during the renovation by combining two bedrooms and a small bath. The velvet drapes and upholstered bed and settee give the room a delicate French accent. 
 

ABOVE Large Carrara marble tiles on the floor; Carrara slabs on the vanity, tub surround, and shower bench; and a tiny Carrara mosaic on the shower walls dress the new master bath in a sophisticated, clean canvas. “We mixed metals by incorporating bronze cabinet hardware and portrait lights over the oak medicine cabinets, ” Meredith says. “The custom faux-leather upholstered cabinet on the vanity is not only durable but also functional, as it holds adjustable storage shelves and a power outlet inside.”
 

That Kitchen!

The kitchen’s renovation created a better connection to the dining room. “Except for widening the opening to the dining room, we kept the original layout of the kitchen, because even though it is small, it is functional, ” Meredith says. The pair updated the space with timeless design choices and natural materials—handmade tiles, limestone, wood, and bronze. “Choosing these materials helps maintain an air of timelessness so that the next owners will not have to come in and renovate, ” Meredith says.

WOOD: “We refaced the cabinetry, which meant replacing the 1990s vinyl-wrapped MDF cabinet doors with solid wood doors in a simple Shaker style, ” Meredith says. “Refacing cabinetry is a good way to update a kitchen without breaking the bank, which allowed us to devote more of the budget elsewhere. And we added chicken wire doors to the previously open shelves for a little visual interest and a bit of rusticity.”

METAL: Other simple changes “included updating the cabinet hardware with solid bronze knobs and pulls and replacing the appliances, ” Meredith says.

STONE: “We replaced the mirrored backsplash and Corian countertops—other fine design elements from the 1990s—with handmade subway tiles and thick slabs of Indiana Limestone, ” Meredith explains. “On the island, we put an even thicker slab to give the previously puny island more heft. We wrapped the sides of the island in wood planks and extended the countertop by adding support legs on casters.” 

COLOR: “I think all of the rustic materials help balance the sweetness of the French blue-gray cabinet color, ” Meredith says. Lizzie adds, “I am generally pretty conservative when it comes to color, but I fell in love with the color Meredith picked.”

RESOURCES
Designer: Meredith Sherrill Design, 205.451.7055 • [email protected] Contractor: BRBC, 205.313.9280 • brbcllc.com Walls throughout: Ancient Ivory, 935 By Benjamin Moore benjaminmoore.com Kitchen cabinets: Arctic Gray, 1577 BY Benjamin Moore Carrara marble & Indiana limestone: Triton Stone of Birmingham, 205.592.0202 • tritonstone.com Dining table and chairs: Southeastern Salvage Building, Irondale, AL 205.956.1000; www.2nds.biz Kitchen bench: Circa Interiors & Antiques, 205.868.9199 circainteriors.com Bedroom bedside table: Gabby, gabbyhome.com Bed: Restoration hardware, restorationhardware.com

Text by Lacey Howard • Photos by Jean Allsopp

It’s all too easy to travel the beaten path, but a more adventurous route paves the way for others to follow—an approach favored by Vestavia homeowner Emily Huntley and interior decorator Marianne Strong. The two share similar tastes as evidenced in the mutual design decisions made throughout Emily’s home remodeling project. And the pair’s boldest choices are apparent in the colorful transfomation that liberated a dated kitchen from the confines of a box—both literally and metaphorically. The result is nothing short of trendsetting.  

Having lived in the home three years before starting the renovation, Emily knew exactly what her family needed when it came to space and style. “She wanted to do something different, but not so much that it was over the top, ” says Marianne.  

Brothers William and David Siegel of Twin Construction ably rose to the construction challenges that included compensating for load-bearing structures that threatened to inhibit the kitchen project. A structural beam was one source of consternation for the Siegels, who transformed it into a design element. “The beam running next to the island on its own didn’t make visual sense, ” Marianne says. “We used a coffered ceiling to add symmetry.” The architectural element enhances a pair of brass pendant lights that team up with unfinished brass cabinet pulls, made to darken to a deep, rich gold over time. A breakfront cabinet and custom hanging brass and wood frame shelves showcase stylish plates, bowls, and cookware with streamlined elegance.

“The reconfigured kitchen design was an evolution, ” says Emily. “I knew I wanted dark cabinets with a French café look.” The swatch of color she ultimately chose, a pre-finished choice from Twin Construction’s Classic Cabinets By Design, dubbed “Mount Etna, ” offers a meeting of hunter green and deep blue that Marianne felt would be daring but not overpowering. 

In the space that opens up from the kitchen, gray leather club chairs with nailhead accents anchor a comfy conversation area next to a coffee table from Anthropologie. Adjacent are three homework stations, each with a corkboard above. “We wanted some type of desk but decided to create a ledge instead, ” Marianne says. 

In keeping with their fearless style, Emily and Marianne chose to install a window over the kitchen sink that would open into the new dining space. “Everyone thought we were crazy, ” laughs Marianne. “But we stuck with our idea, and it turned out to be the best part of the renovation.”

When viewed through the window, the softer hues of the dining room offer a nice counterbalance to the more dramatic kitchen. “We painted the dining room ceiling a soft blue to add some dimension, ” says Marianne. And the addition of the dark wood dining table anchors the room with a bit of weight in the otherwise airy space.

Now that the remodel is complete, Emily sees how well the changes work for her family. “I knew when we moved in that I would want to renovate the home, ” Emily says. “But I’m glad we didn’t rush into it so we could truly realize our needs. It was worth the wait.” 

The foyer sets the elegant-but-lively tone for the rest of the house with a bold, gold X-leg console table and new herringbone floors. The original understated light fixture was replaced with a modern globe. A painting by Shelly Stewart Cato completes the welcoming vignette. 
 

Taupe glass tiles along the backsplash fit snugly and required no grout, making cleanup a breeze in a high-traffic kitchen. Carrera gold marble countertops pop against the dark shade of the cabinets.
 

“People can’t believe this is the same kitchen, ” Emily says. Though they didn’t take out a full wall or change the floorplan, the new cabinets, fixtures, and window open to the dining room totally transformed the room.
 

The elegant curves of the gilded, chandelier, with bay leaf garland detail, provide the perfect contrast to the modern iron-based dining table and benches. A soft shade of high gloss Gray Cloud (Benjamin Moore), on the ceiling adds a soft, reflective touch. 
 

Pinks and reds work together to bring feminine appeal in a girl’s bedroom. Marianne designed the twin headboards. 
 

The master bedroom received a new coat of paint to set the tones for the soothing blue theme. The navy headboard and bright blue ottomans are custom. Bedside tables offer a modern metallic sheen.
 

Gray-print wallpaper offers a bit of flair in the small powder room.

RESOURCES 
Interior Decorator: Marianne Strong, Marianne Strong Interiors, 205.222.8876 • [email protected] Contractor: Twin Construction, Inc., 205.802.3920 • twincompanies.com Interior window frame in kitchen: Weldon Welding Sterrett, Alabama • 205.672.7137 • glass: Nelson Glass Company • 205.322.1627 • nelsonglass.com island countertop: River Bottom Pine 205.322.9944 • riverbottompine.com Island stools: At Home Furnishings, 205.879.3510 • athome-furnishings.com Kitchen cabinets: classic cabinets by design from Twin Construction,  205.802.3920 • twincompanies.com Kitchen hardware, shelves, and pendant lights: Brandino Brass,  205.978.8900 Leather club chairs in conversation area: GABBY gabbyhome.com Study station letters: Anthropologie, 205.298.9929 • anthropologie.com Corkboard: Hobby Lobby 205.985.5292 Inlaid bone coffee table: Anthropologie Console in foyer: Worlds AWAY • worlds-away.com Lamp in girl’s room: target.com

text by Cara D. Clark • photos by Jean Allsopp

ABOVE Architect Tom Adams, of Adams Gerndt Design Group,  chose sleek outdoor furnishings for Doree and Tony Nelson's poolside retreat. Featured in “Piquantly Poolside, ” July/Aug 2013.

ABOVE Nestled into Lace Bark Elms and boxwoods, this Mountain Brook pool’s open-air pavilion, designed by architect James Carter, reflects the formal style of the Georgian home’s exterior with its clean lines and very few features so as not to detract from the elegant appeal of the overall project. The inviting deep blue of the rectangular pool was achieved by using a darker shade of plaster. Featured in “Grand Scheme, ” March/April 2014.

ABOVE Through a savvy use of space, a small backyard is transformed into a tranquil outdoor retreat with the help of Greenview Studio, Inc.,  Porter Bros. and Gardens by Griffin. Featured in “Small-Scale and Savvy, ” May/June 2014.

ABOVE LEFT John Hagefstration's Smith Lake home in the Point William community is focused primarily on the beauty of the local landscape. Featured in “Front Row, ” March/April 2015. Photo by David Hillegas.

ABOVE RIGHT Homeowner Merrill Stewart, president and founder of Birmingham-based Stewart Perry, enjoys mountain breezes from a comfy screened porch in his vacation home in North Carolina. Featured in “Warm Welcome, ” Sept/Oct 2014. Photo by Jim Bathie.

ABOVE Enjoying several points of interest, the outdoor living area of Jeanne and Mike Clarke's Mountain Brook home offers a pool with fountain, outdoor room supported by large timbers and poolside seating. Featured in “Garden Party, ” May/June 2015. 

ABOVE A pavilion marks the end of a long pool, perfectly embodying this Mountain Brook home’s theme of indoor/outdoor living. It offers a respite from the sun, as well as an impressive view. Featured in “California Dream, ” Sept/Oct 2013.

ABOVE Birmingham landscape architect David Brush created a beautiful, welcoming environment for friends and family at this Tuscaloosa home. The owners hand-picked the urns that surround the pool. David custom-designed the pedestals underneath and planted the urns with Sago palms. Featured in “Landscape Artistry in Tuscaloosa, ” Sept/Oct 2013. 

ABOVE LEFT Lindsey and John Lacey’s vacation home on Lake Martin features a relaxing gazebo with a stunning view of the water. Featured in “Great Lake Escape, ” March/April 2015. 

ABOVE RIGHT Slipcovered chairs and iron chandeliers create a true dining room on the covered back patio with the added benefit of an outdoor kitchen and seating area around an outdoor fireplace. Featured in “20 Ways to be Inspired, ” Nov/Dec 2014. 

Photography by Jean Allsopp