Dwellings

Lake Spaces

How We Live at the Lake

This home has a rear exterior double decker porch that extends the entertaining space to the outdoors; a gourmet kitchen and beverage center connects directly to the interior kitchen and more than doubles the area to prep and cook.

Photography by Kyle Schraff/ProLocal Photography

A renovated Cornelius home has plenty of indoor and outdoor entertaining space. p. 48

A Restorative Renovation

colorful accents take lake hoMe to next level

by Bek Mitchell-Kidd photography by Kyle Schraff/ProLocal Photography

A recently renovated Cornelius home has the good fortune of being situated on both a golf course and Lake Norman, but it’s inside where you’ll find some of the best views. Interior designer Kari Molnar worked her magic with bold deep color whose opaqueness manages to reflect the natural light as it weaves its way throughout the upper level of the home.

“The use of blue hues, in particular a true navy color, was never in question. The client loved the depth and bold pop that navy offers. We also love how it pairs so well with the black cabinetry, the lighting, and the floor plan,” says Molnar.

Ashley J. Design served as the architect, along with construction by Grainda Builders.

“Overall, I would describe the house as timeless transitional, however we definitely had fun; because the client had zero fear of going for the bold accents,” Molnar says.

Architect Ashley Jimenez changed the traffic pattern which now provides access from the kitchen to the drop zone area and butler’s pantry. You can have multiple people in the area performing different functions without impacting each other whether cooking, stopping by to grab a drink, or just arriving home.

The wallpaper in the dining room is a navy-color grass cloth by Phillip Jefferies and creates an elegant, timeless backdrop for the richness of the blue seating and warm tones of the dining table. A Visual Comfort chandelier holds court over the dining room amid all of the natural light. Adding windows and seamless transitions to the outdoors brought the home from a darker 1990s style to more of today’s open and airy preferred design.