PORTFOLIO
Jim Rill evoked Frank Lloyd Wright
style on the front façade (right), which
already had the stonework in place.
The brick was painted a warmer color,
shutters were removed and a new front
door, railing and sidelight were installed
(below). The dining room (below, right)
occupies the former living room, where
a brick fireplace wall was replaced with
simple, streamlined molding and trim.
The architect likens the new living,
dining and cooking space to a courtyard
between the house and its private, parklike backyard. “The addition worships light
and bring it into the house,” says Rill. “The
owners can sit here on a winter, spring or
summer day and feel like they’re outside.”
Also taking cues from nature, Pitts selected a color scheme of steel blue, taupe
and neutrals. “I like to take a strong color
and weave it discriminatingly through a
space,” says the designer. Two circular
iron light fixtures by Dana Creath Designs
make a bold statement in the facing family
room and breakfast area. “Great lighting is
like jewelry,” says Pitts. “It sets the tone.
I wanted the two pieces to work together
and love to use a circular fixture over a
seating group. There’s an intrinsic joining
of the space, kind of like an eternity band
of a wedding ring.”
The custom banquette in the breakfast
room faces a spacious kitchen with an
expansive island where kids and guests
can pull up a stool while the wife—an
avid home chef—whips up a meal. Pitts
presented Napolina honed, fossilized
limestone as a countertop and backsplash
option—and the owners fell in love with
the textured surface.
Rill took into account a long list of
what the home cook wanted—and didn’t
want—in the kitchen, designing a layout
that would meet the family’s specific
needs. The kitchen itself has plenty of
room and storage for everyday food prep,
cooking, baking and entertaining. Meanwhile, secondary storage options and functionality abound in the built-in desk area,
walk-in pantry and butler’s pantry that
connect the new kitchen and dining room.
“When you cook and entertain, you don’t
want it to be cluttered,” says Rill. “In this
kitchen, there’s a place for everything.”
In the dining room—once the home’s
formal living room—the design team did
away with the existing brick fireplace surround. Square and linear trim convey Prairie style. New drapes and blue upholstered
chairs echo the home’s color scheme while
a fixture with a round drum shade illuminates the table. From this revamped space,
a wide gallery leads guests back to the new
family room and the yard beyond. “We
created the gallery to move you to the
landscape,” say Rill. “The owners couldn’t
believe they had lived here that long with
no connection to the beautiful backyard.
Their whole life has been transformed.” ?
Photographer Kip Dawkins is based in
Richmond, Virginia.
FOR BEFORE PHOTOS, VISIT HOMEANDDESIGN.COM
50 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013 • homeanddesign.com
Port.indd 50
10/9/13 4:43 PM