Builder: Novella Home | Designer: DLV Creative | Architecture: Damien Busillo of DLB Custom Home Design | Photography: Newport653

When the teams at Novella Homes and JLV Creative decided to respectively custom build and design a five-bedroom, six-bath home in a resort community in Charleston, South Carolina, they didn’t foresee exactly how much love the kitchen would get. The approximately 4,550-square-foot-residence offers gorgeous views of Daniel Island, features an owner’s suite with 10”-high glass windows, vaulted ceilings, a spa-like bath with dual-vanity sinks, and outdoor access to a deck—but the kitchen still manages to steal the show.

Intended as an open, warm space designed to host family dinners and enjoy group cooking and wine tastings, the kitchen is full of character with a bit of a European flair. Modern, clean elements are found throughout, with a continuous use of a warm, light maple wood, soft black hues, whites, and mixed metals adding a unifying feel. An Arabescato Corchia marble tops the kitchen island and creates a striking focal point, while the perimeter countertops, composed of a Super Grey Marble (both from AGM Imports)—add the perfect contrast. Overhead, eye-catching pendant lights and recessed lighting from Generation lighting offer perfect illumination. Maple cabinetry creates a beautiful separation from one side of the kitchen, whereas on the opposite side, nearly floor-to-ceiling cabinetry in white adds a bright, fresh appeal.

The white cabinetry also happens to perfectly set off our matte white and pewter 48” Refrigerator with a Glass Door! “We loved the idea of the cabinets and the fridge being the same color with the glass detailing to break things up in a certain way,” says Chatham Dawson of Novella Homes. “The fridge handles are the same finish as our cabinet hardware,” she adds of their early-on notion of wanting to incorporate pewter as a “timeless but unexpected alternative to other finishes.” In good company, products from Brizo, Wolf, Elliot, Asko, Jilco, and Bros Flooring dot the kitchen.

A light yet aesthetically pleasing brick ties the warm and cool elements together while a diagonal shiplap painted in a dark, rich hue adds a playful element and balances out the white. An adjacent wine room is spiced up with a fun, black-and-white geometric floor tile. But since we are all about the kitchen and our True Residential unit, we had to get in one more question as to what Novella Homes most loved about our 48” Refrigerator! “We are obsessed with everything, but we love the pewter hinges and handle the most,” says Dawson. “We felt it gave the kitchen an extra pop.”