QC Exclusive - No. 32 - 2016 Issue 4 - The Home Issue

The Quintessential Charlotte Magazine

Vol. 5 | N o. 4

THE HOME ISSUE

MODERNITY

A Carlton Contemporary, Whitney Powers’ urban island home, Murray Whisnant’s purpose, Amy Vermillion’s clay creativity, Blue Ridge Mountain Club’s culture of gathering, and much more.

JUNE/JULY 2016

PLUS+

Blue Ridge Mountain Club / Chef Grigo / Ivan Depeña / Comida’s Margarita Yafo / Maestro Meena / Anne Neilson / The Vendue / Maja Godlewska’s Art

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The exclusives 152 158 164 170

Designer Amy Vermillion trades artful interiors for sporting clays The Blue Ridge Mountain Club is transforming the meaning of community Renowned Queen City architect Murray Whisnant designs purposeful spaces Our fifth annual guide of Charlotte’s finest luxury home and design purveyors

A stunning sunset as seen from the Blue Ridge Mountain Club

JUNE/JULY

2016 MODERNITY

The DEPARTMENTs

june/JULY

2016 MODERNITY

164 The CULTURE

133

Arts & Style

Depena’s Deliberate Chaos • 54 | Anne Neilson’s Fine Art • Opera Carolina’s Maestro • 68 | Art In Periphery • 74

62

140

The SPREAD FOOD & DRINK

Good Earth • 80 | Water & Wine • 86 Aria’s Pasta Al Nero • 90 | Yafo’s Hummus • 92 Mandrake’s Bass • 94 | Comida Margarita • 96 | Rhino & Walker •

98

The FOLIO HOME & DESIGN

Modern Classics • 100 | Market Curated • 106 Cococo • 108 | Liquid • 112 | Bedside • 114 | Throwing Clay • 116 The Wine Alcove • 120 | A Mediterra Pool • 124 Carlton’s Nethermead • 128 | Whitney Powers’ Island Home • 134

94

The Explored TRAVEL & SPORTING

Art’s Retreat At The Vendue • 140 | Upstate Charm • Pull Away: Amy Vermillion Clay Shooting • 152

148

Eventist • 41 | Exclusives • 152 | Index • 178 / Stockists • 178

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152

COVER PHOTO OF CARLTON’S NETHERMEAD BY David Dietrich

The NOTE

The HOME & DESIGN ISSUE I have always been drawn to unique design. That may sound typical, but I remember the first time I saw images of Fallingwater, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Pennsylvania masterpiece. I immediately thought, “How could someone have designed a home like that in 1935?” I was in absolute awe. I felt that same level of astonishment when I saw Gaudi’s work for the first time, and again when I circled the Pei Pyramid in Paris. These designers, along with the Eames, Gehrys and Kappes of the world are easy to extol. They strive against convention, creating beautiful works in far-off, exotic places.

When it comes to design, Charlotte isn’t Barcelona or Paris, or Hollywood for that matter. It isn’t nearly as old, and it isn’t exotic. But, that doesn’t mean that phenomenal design, in a wide variety of genres, doesn’t exist here. You just might have to look a little harder for it.

Our city is home to gorgeous Tudor and Colonial Revival, as well as intriguing mid-century modern design, a booming American Craftsman resurgence, a contemporary movement on the rise, and a growing skyline featuring a plethora of styles. Notable designers like William Stoddart, Cesar Pelli, and landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, just to name a few, have contributed to our city’s beautiful aesthetic. Homegrown architects like Murray Whisnant, named one of the top 50 American architects by Town & Country Magazine, have shaped the city’s forward-thinking design.

Today, our city is attracting major talent in the home and design industry. The folks at Liquid Design are re-

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sponsible for the modern marvel QC Exclusive founders, that is the US National WhiteBrett Barter and JP water Center. David Furman’s Grice walk to their office at The Foundry Centro Cityworks has designed on Cedar Street. some of the city’s most distinguished urban properties, as well as several skyline additions. LandDesign, founded in the Queen City, is a nationally recognized landscape architecture firm. On the residential side, architects and designers like Ruard Veltman, Ken Pursley, Frank Smith and many others are pushing the envelope and receiving extensive acclaim.

These are good omens for our city. We here at QC Exclusive are cautiously excited for what lies ahead and we’re more than proud to be witnesses to it. I personally can’t wait to see how Charlotte’s architecture and design evolves, anxiously watching as the whole look of the city changes in the not-so-distant future.

In this home and design issue, we share the story of renowned architect Murray Whisnant, explore the philosophy of Liquid Design, and tour a Carlton mountain contemporary. Join us as we visit a Whitney Powers modern, meet Thierry Francois, travel to the Blue Ridge Mountain Club, and shoot sporting clays with the talented interior designer Amy Vermillion. We hope you enjoy. Until next time!

Sincerely, Jon-Paul Grice, Editor

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EST. 2011

our team PUBLISHERS Brett Barter Jon-Paul Grice SALES Kathleen Hands Fern Howerin CONTRIBUTORS Sunny Hubler Melissa Justice Corey Miller Kasey Murray Leslie Brooks Laura Shinn Corderius Allen Margaret Graton Tyler Powell Jenny Cosgrove CREATIVE Stephen Philpott PHOTOGRAPHERS Jamey Price Emily Dnistran Lunahzon

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The TALENT JAMEY PRICE

SARAH AND BEN COLLIER

Charlotte native and Formula 1 photographer Jamey Price has

This husband and wife team

been published in Road and

photographs weddings and

Track, Sports Illustrated, ESPN,

editorials with a love for

Southern Living, AutoSport,

timeless, artful photography

and more. Visit him online at

using both film and digital to

www.jameypricephoto.com.

bring your vision to life. Visit them at takenbysarah.com

COREY MILLER

SUNNY HUBLER

A graduate of Appalachian

Sunny is a transplant to

State University and alleged

Charlotte by way of Maine.

film and literature snob, Corey

She is a writer, researcher, and

Miller left a sizable chunk of his

adjunct professor. Her latest

soul in Berlin. He’s just here for

work looks at environmental

the QC beer.

advocacy and nutrition-related health communication.

BOB PETERS

EMBY TAYLOR

A leader in Charlotte’s cocktail

This local husband-and-wife

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STEPHEN PHILPOTT

EMILY DNISTRAN A graduate of East Carolina

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Shot on Location: Olde Towne Southampton by Kean Development - Room Design by Ingrao Inc.

june/JULY

2016

The eventist

• bechtler.org

TEMPEST • 48 | a man called adam • 50 | SUMMERFEST • 52

THE HOUSE THAT MODERNISM BUILT The House That Modernism Built, on show all summer long, presents the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art’s rich mid-20th-century art collection alongside furniture, textile, and ceramic holdings on loan from various institutions including Eames Office, Herman Miller Archives, the Gregg Museum of Art & Design along with works from private collectors.

MUSIC OF DAVID BOWIE • 42 | BACONFEST • 44 | TEAS • 46

editor’s PICK

The EV ENTIST

JUNE/JULY 2016

Bike Camp, a four day event hosted

by Autism Charlotte.

• metrolinatradeshowexpo.com The Music Of David Bowie

6/23/16 - Experience the musical world of rock icon David Bowie with the Charlotte Symphony, a full band and vocalist Brody Dolyniuk. This dynamic night of music conducted by Martin Herman, will cover the full range of Bowie’s amazing career, including classics such as “Space Oddity,” “Changes,” “Under Pressure,” “Heroes,” “Rebel Rebel,” “Fame,” “China Girl,” and more.

• charlottesymphony.org Science After Hours

EDITOR’S PICK - 7/3/16 - 7/4/16 - U.S. National Whitewater Center’s 4th Of July Festival is a two-day celebration featuring outdoor adventure, live music on the Belmont Abbey Island stage and spectacular firework displays.

Sow Much Summer Session

New Southern-Latino Table

6/13/16 - 6/24/16 - Campers at Garden Artist: Nature Inspiration will create art in different forms and disciplines — getting inspiration from nature. Each day a guest artist will offer guided exercises in visual art, dance, music, painting and creative, and reflective writing. Each student in each learning experience will also learn the basics of planting seeds and understanding the soil.

• sowmuchgood.org

6/18/16 - Award-winning cookbook author Sandra Gutierrez visits the Levine Museum Of The New South to share stories and insights on the blending of Southern and Latino cuisines, and explain what it means for both our plates and sense of place.

• museumofthenewsouth.org

Gift & Jewelry Show

6/18/16 - 6/20/16 - The three day show at the Park Expo and Conference Center features over fifty vendors selling some of the finest gifts and jewelry available in a cash and carry format.

• theparkexponc.com

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I Can Bike

6/20/16 - 6/24/16 - I Can Shine understands that the vast majority of people with disabilities never have the experience of independently riding a conventional two-wheel bicycle during their lifetime. Research shows that over 80% of people with Autism and 90% of people with Down syndrome never experience this thrill. Defying these odds is why they exist and why they host I Can

6/23/16 - An evening for adults where you can test your mind with trivia, enjoy refreshments, a beer, interesting speakers, and experience a show in our new Science Theater.

• schielemuseum.org Spice Up The Night

6/24/16 - Chef Alyssa’s Kitchen teaches guests how to utilize all kinds of fresh herbs and dry spices in recipes packed with flavor. Students will make a complete meal of appetizer, entrée and dessert, and the best part is the entire meal is glutenfree. Culinary enthusiasts will not want to miss this class.

• chefalyssaskitchen.com Three Acts, Two Dancers, One Radio Host

6/25/16 - Monica Bill Barnes & Company and Ira Glass, host of This American Life, have been working together to combine two art forms that – as Ira puts it – “have no business being together – dance and radio.” The result is a funny, lively

The EV ENTIST

JUNE/JULY 2016

7/12/16 - A MAN CALLED ADAM

and heartfelt evening of dance and stories that will surely bring down the house.

• blumenthalarts.org Local Flavors Of Noda

6/25/16 - Noda, Charlotte’s arts district, is bursting with creative local character, a thriving local craft beer and bar scene, a vibrant nightlife, and a lot of amazing entertainment venues. On this walking food tour you will meet the area’s entrepreneurs and artisans and discover how their passion gets transformed into deliciousness. Get behind-the-scenes into a chef’s kitchen, understand the buzz about Charlotte’s craft beers, and learn some valuable information about some of your favorite comfort foods.

• feastfoodtours.com Bacon Fest at the Finn

6/25/16 - Blackfinn Ameripub is teaming up with Ace & TJ to bring you Bacon Fest to benefit Ace & TJ’s Grin Kids. Blackfinn will be hosting 14 different stations where guests will get to sample

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The EV ENTIST

JUNE/JULY 2016

7/31/16 - BANDS, BREWS & BBQ

unique, savory bacon inspired appetizers, entrées, candies, chocolate desserts and delicious bacon cocktails along with bacon games, giveaways, a DJ and more.

• blackfinnameripub.com

864.304.3670

|

CELLARSSOUTH.COM

Golden Spike Train Show

6/25/16 - 6/26/16 - The Metrolina Tradeshow Expo hosts the Golden Spike Train Show, where enthusiasts can see a huge variety of railroadiana and model trains for sale, lots of collectors, and model train layouts.

• metrolinatradeshowexpo.com Teas of the British Isles

6/26/16 - The Charlotte Museum of History is hosting a series of afternoon teas accompanied by lectures that explore the history of the British Isles. The June tea event focuses on the famous legends and mysteries in English history, such as Robin Hood, King Arthur, and Stonehenge. Guests will enjoy an Irish themed menu of tea sandwiches, scones, and desserts, along with a favorite Irish tea.

• charlottemuseum.org Wine On Wednesdays

6/29/16 - Enjoy four hours of free gallery access plus additional events at Mint Museum Uptown including a cash bar serving red and white wine from 5:30–8:30 p.m. and a chance to sip, shop and save in the Mint Museum Shop. Also receive one night only savings on selected merchandise in the Uptown Shop.

• mintmuseum.org

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The EV ENTIST

JUNE/JULY 2016

nand and Antonio, the Duke of Milan. The party is shipwrecked on a remote island ruled by the sorcerer Prospero, the rightful Duke of Milan, who has conjured the storm to enact revenge against his brother, Antonio, to restore his daughter Miranda to her rightful place in Milan. The Tempest - A Teen Performance Experience performed at the Wells Fargo Playhouse.

• ctcharlotte.org

The Wizard Of Oz

7/5/16 - 7/10/16 - We’re off to see….” the most magical adventure of them all. The Wizard of Oz is an enchanting adaptation of the classic, totally reconceived for the stage. Developed from the ever popular MGM screenplay, this production contains beloved songs from the movie score, the favorite characters, iconic moments, and new songs by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber.

• blumenthalarts.org

Museum On Us 7/2/16 - 7/3/16 - MUSEUM ON US

The Tempest

7/1/16 - 7/2/16 - One of William Shakespeare’s most magical plays, “The Tempest” begins with a raging storm that strikes a ship carrying the King of Milan, his son Ferdi-

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7/2/16 - 7/3/16 - The Mint Museum is proud to participate in Bank of America’s Museums on Us® program. Just bring your photo ID and your Bank of America or Merrill Lynch card to receive one free general admission ticket.

• mintmuseum.org

Celebrate America SHOW

7/3/16 - 7/4/16 - Enjoy all the fun, games, rides, food and more at Carowinds and also celebrate the country’s independence with one of the largest fireworks celebrations in the region.

• carowinds.com

The EV ENTIST

JUNE/JULY 2016

to-table restaurants, wonderful wine and champagne, fabulous pastries and more. You’ll meet the artisans who create these incredible culinary dishes, learn about Charlotte’s deep history and view the architectural beauty the city offers.

• tourdefood.com A Man Called Adam

7/22/16 - 7/31/16 - QUEEN’S FEAST

Culinary Tour Uptown

7/9/16 - Explore the culinary mecca found in dynamic Uptown Charlotte.

Guests will start out at the 7th Street Market and make their way through the busy city streets, sampling farm-

7/12/16 - The Classic Black Cinema Series is a vehicle to share with the community the vast artistic value black film has had throughout the years. The goal is to appeal to as diverse a population as possible and further the appreciation of black cinema. On July 12, the feature film will be A Man Called Adam, a movie that takes on the issues of racism and self-destructive habits.

• ganttcenter.org

HICKORY WHITE Lap Of Luxury

Jazz Room AT Stage Door

7/15/16 - After receiving muchacclaim the Queen City’s The Jazz Room @ The Stage Door Theater, part of the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, presents Grammy award-winning pianist Victor Atkins playing the music of the legendary Horace Silver.

• thejazzarts.org Lindsey Stirling

7/19/16 - The acclaimed electronic violinist and New York Times Best Selling Author Lindsey Stirling has officially announced plans to release her highly anticipated third studio album this summer through her own label, Lindseystomp Records.

Stirling comes to Charlotte to perform her unique brand of music to guests at Ovens Auditorium.

• ovensauditorium.com

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The EV ENTIST

JUNE/JULY 2016

woman’s two possible life paths, painting a deeply moving portrait of the lives we lead, as well as the lives we might have led.

• blumenthalarts.org

a gifted multi-instrumentalist, an expressive and distinctive vocalist, and an accomplished songwriter.

• blumenthalarts.org CANE CREEK SPRINT

Sunday Fun Day

7/29/16 - QC SUMMERFEST

7/24/16 - Enjoy a day of familyfriendly art projects, gallery visits, artist demos, and yoga sessions.

Cool off with some pooch-inspired projects, search for paintings depicting man’s best friends, and meet a K9 member of the Police Department.

• mintmuseum.org

If/Then

SARAH JAROSZ

7/21/16 - 7/24/16 - If/Then is a contemporary Broadway musical about living in New York today – and all the possibilities of tomorrow. This musical simultaneously follows one

7/24/16 - Sarah Jarosz has earned her credibility in the world where contemporary folk, Americana and roots music intersect. Her reputation is built on three fronts—she is

7/26/16 - A fun sprint triathlon for the second Challenge event. Cane Creek State Park provides a beautiful setting for both first-timers and veterans of the race.

• jjfwellnesschallenge.org 2nd Annual QC Summerfest

7/29/16 - Beat the summer heat with this 3-day weekend of music in Uptown Charlotte. The weekend features concerts at the Belk Theater by some of the biggest names in jazz and contemporary R&B, followed by after parties and live music.

• blumenthalarts.org

ENHANCE YOUR LIFESTYLE WHERE YOU LIVE

A MODERN RESPONSE TO CONTEXTUAL URBAN LIVING

SOUTHKINGS:Ruby is an urban, contemporary townhome-style luxury duplex nestled into the fabric of Charlotte’s premier neighborhood, Myers Park.

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DESIGN + BUILD

SOUTHKINGSMODERN.COM

The CU LTU RE

MUSINGS

Deliberate

Chaos The “Architectural” Art of Ivan Depeña

INTERVIEW BY SUNNY HUBLER | PHOTOS BY JAMEY PRICE

MARQUEE • MAESTRO • 68 | CRAFTED • GODLEWSKA • 66

MUSINGS • DEPEñA • 54 | GALLERY • ANNE NEILSON • 62

The CULTURE

The CU LTU RE

MUSINGS

D

Despite his M.A. in architecture, Harvard alum Ivan Toth Depeña never cared for the more practical and pragmatic necessities that go hand-in-hand with commercial and residential building. What he had always admired in architecture was the artistic flair behind truly great architectural works – the angles, the sculptural elements, the careful detail.

Depeña’s painting and sculptural work collides various techniques and practices into his own brand of inim-

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itable art, winning him recognition in the form of awards (including the prestigious Knight Arts Challenge Miami Grant in 2014) and growing art-world stature.

Depeña lives between Charlotte and Miami, and his art hangs everywhere from Denver, Colorado and Albuquerque, New Mexico to Britain and Taipei. His painting blends together different disciplines and aesthetics; he says his paintings start from a place that’s purely expressive, but that his next step is

to more intentionally add in supporting elements. Next, he uses a machine to add another layer, this time of mechanical incisions. If it sounds complicated, it is – the best way to absorb Depeña’s technique is to simply spend a few minutes reckoning with the art itself.

“I’m not exactly sure how to describe my technique,” he admits.

“I think my work is somewhat hard to categorize. I usually describe it as a fusion of high and low text, hands-on coupled with digital and mechanical output. It’s chance versus intention.”

As early as he can remember, Depeña recalls being interested in some form of creative output — drawing, painting, tracing or copying illustrations. He brought that interest with him into his education as early as middle school, and was thus able to remain focused on traditional techniques and fine art from an early age.

Years of work culminated with a Master’s degree in Architecture from

Why Art?

Big Lemon by Kathleen Craig

36” x 48”

oil on canvas

We believe the arts can improve a child’s academic success, teach empathy and compassion, act as a stabilizer for failing neighborhoods, and increase tourism for our city.

elder gallery 1520 South Tryon Street

Charlotte, NC 28203

704-370-6337 www.elderart.com

Facebook/eldergallery

The CU LTU RE

MUSINGS

“I continue this dialogue between unknown outcomes and planned interventions until I feel like the work has arrived at some sort of natural conclusion…It is a constant choreography of chaos and control.”

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Harvard, and while he says he became enamored with the architecture field, it was always the art within the discipline that he was called to. After graduating, he worked professionally as an architectural designer, web designer, and art director and also dabbled in freelance graphic design to help support his desire to make art.

During this time period, he was actively pursuing an artist’s life. “I worked myself into group shows and moved my way up to solo shows in commercial galleries.

There came a point where I discovered the possibility of working on public art. It should have been obvious that my interests and passions could all be channeled in this direction, but it took me a little while. After many open call submissions and rejections, I finally received my first commission in 2011 for a project in downtown

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The CU LTU RE

MUSINGS

Miami, Florida. I have been working on a combination of public projects and personal studio practice ever since.”

Depeña is as energized by the Charlotte arts scene as Miami’s, and says he hopes his place within Charlotte’s arts scene is being a part of a community of artists that take their work off of the beaten path, into newer and more innovative studio practices. “Helping to develop new and beneficial infrastructures for artists is what drew me here and to the McColl Center,” he shares. “There is a lot of room to grow in Charlotte right now.”

Currently, Depeña is wrapping up the project for which he won the Knight award in Miami, FL. He is also working on a solo show of recent paintings for July 2016 in Chelsea, NYC and finalizing a large scale installation for the McColl Center coming this Fall 2016.

FOR A BIT MORE INFO: www.ivandepena.com

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The CU LTU RE

gallery

What makes your gallery different from other galleries in the city?

Anne Neilson’s

Fine Art

H

INTERVIEW BY SUNNY HUBLER | PHOTOS BY JAMEY PRICE

Housed in a historic brick building nestled on a dead end street in Charlotte’s bustling South End sits Anne Neilson Fine Art Gallery, one of several exciting new additions to the burgeoning art scene of the Queen City.

Featuring over 40 different artists from across the globe whose aesthetics range from classical to contemporary, Anne Neilson Fine Art is set up to serve everyone from the casual art appreciator to the enthusiastic collector. Anne started the gallery as an outlet for her dual loves of painting and charitable work. Summer 2016 will mark two years for this space and Anne Neilson herself sat down to tell us a bit about the gallery’s unique contribution to the Charlotte arts scene and to the community.

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The Anne Neilson Fine Art Gallery is committed to being a “lighthouse” in the city of Charlotte. A portion of all the gallery art sales are given back to carefully chosen charities.

Additionally, we love to partner with our artists and other organizations, hosting lunch and learns, demonstrations and philanthropic events. The gallery exists to bring hope, love and light to the Charlotte community through art.

How long have you been in the art world and how were you introduced to it?

I’ve been a lifelong fan of the art world and began my artistic career with a pottery business, Herring Designs, Inc. After a brief interlude spent focused on my growing family, I rekindled my lifelong passion

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The CU LTU RE

gallery

“Our goals are always focused on extending our capacity to give back through the sale of our artwork.”

for art in 2003 when I began painting in oils with my Angel Series paintings. These images are inspiring reflections of my faith and flair for color and light. At this time, I also began traveling to national art shows like Red Dot, an extension of Art Basel, in Miami and New York.

Then, in 2013, I opened the gallery in South End. What are your opinions about the Charlotte arts scene?

Charlotte is a dream city. The bustling arts scene is ever-expanding.

Charlotte is a rare mix of stability

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and structure with a personality all its own, thanks in no small part to the vibrant and thriving local arts scene.

How do you select the art and artists that you place in the gallery?

We have an expert team who seeks out both emerging and established artists to find a curated selection of art that reflects the gallery’s atmosphere and appeals to a wide audience of art lovers. Our selections reflect a large variety of styles and mediums, so a visitor can take a tour of more than 40 different artists.

Explain the overall feel and ambiance of your gallery.

A lot of people walk in and comment on the beautiful space, which is a work of art in itself. Overall, the gallery is sophisticated and welcoming. The walls hold an uncommon variety of talent and the staff are approachable and knowledgeable.

What are your goals going forward with your gallery?

Our goals are always focused on extending our capacity to give back through the sale of our artwork.

The CU LTU RE

gallery

“The gallery exists to bring hope, love and light to the Charlotte community through art.�

We are approaching our second anniversary and are thrilled to mark the occasion by bringing the community together and celebrating the organizations we have had the privilege of partnering with, such as the global Healing Hands of Joy, the Harvest Center, the Allegro Foundation, and more organizations, specifically focused on fighting homelessness and championing children with disabilities.

A percentage of every piece sold in Anne Neilson’s gallery goes back to the Charlotte community.

You can peruse the gallery yourself, find out more at anneneilsonfineart.com, or contact Anne Neilsen Fine Art by email at info@ anneneilsonfineart.com FOR INFO: anneneilsonfineart.com

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open, I had to inspect it. I looked at the city the way the NFL does, I looked at the demographics, the business base, the wealth base, the proximity of the city to other cities, and I thought this looked like a good place to be, a growing community that had a dynamic sense of itself, with a desire to do something important — and that was fifteen years ago.

How did you discover opera?

Carolina’s

Maestro Maestro James Meena discusses his beginnings and the evolution of Opera Carolina, waxing poetic on the challenges and joys of being a preeminent conductor, director and Charlottean.

PHOTOS BY JAMEY PRICE

Where are you from originally, and what brought you to Charlotte?

I was raised in Los Angeles, and attended school at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh. I moved from Pittsburgh to New York, and from New York to Cleveland — don’t ask why [laughs]. From Cleveland I came here. So the answer is that I’m not really from anywhere. When I was

in Cleveland, I was conductor of the ballet in Cleveland, as well as conductor of the Toledo Opera and resident conductor of the Toledo Symphony. Like so many people, I knew Charlotte was somewhere down here. I had known the prior director, but I wasn’t familiar with the city. When my manager notified me that the gig in Charlotte was

“Opera is a powerful art form. Once they’ve experienced it...they’re going to come back.”

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I’ve always been interested in music, I’ve always been a musician of some sort. I really didn’t gravitate toward opera until I graduated from Carnegie Mellon. I came from a working class family. I didn’t have money; I put myself through undergraduate school and graduate school. When I was at Carnegie Mellon, the director at the Pittsburgh Opera was one of our guests, and she was directing an opera I was working on. I guess I got along with this director well enough: When I graduated, she called me up and offered me a job. They were opening the ’78-’79 season with Puccini’s Turandot, which I knew, you know, I had heard it before…

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“There’s always the challenge of reinvigorating the audience’s interest in opera.

We’ve found ways to do that, but the art often speaks for itself.” but I’d never worked on it. So when the director asked if I knew the opera, I said, “Of course I do! No problem.” So I started as the assistant conductor, and I was at Pittsburgh Opera for seven seasons.

So did you choose this career, or did it choose you?

Well, my career path was a choice. A lot of my colleagues, like Maestro Warren-Green at the Symphony, are conductors. That’s what they do. They conduct in Charlotte, but the rest of the time they travel around, guest-conducting.

I decided pretty early on that I didn’t want to be on the road 200 days out of the year. In our business, in the opera business particularly, there’s really only one way you can avoid being a gypsy: Run a company. I found that I truly enjoyed the process of institution building: It’s more satisfying for me to build a team in a company, to create a personality for that company, connecting with the community and reinventing the art community.

Though you weren’t around for it, you’re familiar with the history. How did Opera Carolina get its start?

After World War II, the arts in the United States started to grow in a big way, all across the country. In 1949, a

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group of volunteers decided that they wanted to start a Charlotte opera. Some of them were singers or former opera singers. The opera company here is older than most of them in the south, because the Metropolitan Opera toured around the country to the bigger cities. Atlanta, for example, didn’t establish an independent opera company until the late 70s, when the Metropolitan stopped touring.

Because the only opera in Charlotte would’ve been radio broadcasts back then, this group of volunteers chose to create something for their community that it was lacking.

Deeply embedded in what we do here is that idea of volunteering for the arts — not just volunteers on the board, but performers in the opera chorus or onstage. Even though we bring over international talent to augment it, Opera Carolina’s still very much a local endeavor.

In what ways has the company evolved along with Charlotte during your tenure here?

The influx of new people into the community has changed the city — not just professionals making their way down from Cleveland, but also a lot of middle class folks moving here to work. There’s so much diversity now. The African American community in Charlotte has always been

The view from the Orchestra pits of the upper levels, and gorgeous celing, of the Belk Theather at Blumenthal Performing Arts Center.

Has there ever been a time that you’ve struggled to find an audience in Charlotte?

large, but we’ve seen enormous growth in the Asian community, the Latino community, there’s a huge Russian speaking community, even… This is all new. We’ve tried to keep up with that growth and that diversity by adapting our programming to engage those audiences.

Charlotte is also much younger, demographically, than it was 15 years ago. When we’re looking at how we present these great operas, some of which are centuries old, we try adapt them to contemporary tastes. Sometimes that means a quicker pace, sometimes there’s a stronger emphasis on the drama and visual elements to engage audiences accustomed to modern entertainment.

We listen to the community. We can adapt our programming to the tastes of the community, but that doesn’t mean we always should. It’s like dancing with a partner and trying to decide who’s going to lead. The truth is, we take turns leading. Sometimes we listen to the audience, and sometimes we push the audience. Pushing the audience is the challenge. There are some pieces that simply won’t resonate here, and there are other pieces that resonate more here than they would in northern cities.

There’s always the challenge of reinvigorating the audience’s interest in opera. We’ve found ways to do that, but art often speaks for itself. Opera is a unique and powerful art form. Getting people to experience it is our challenge.

Once they’ve experienced it…they’re going to come back.

FOR A BIT MORE INFO: www.operacarolina.org

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ART IN PERIPHERy

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Maja Godlewska in her studio with several of her works in progress.

tropical nature and enormous cities such as Lagos. Being there, I longed for a life that would be a perpetual exploration, that would be creative and unpredictable.

How did you successfully turn your passion for art into a career?

Maja Godlewska finds inspiration in exploring the uninvestigated corners of the world, challenging complacency in both her work as an artist and her role as Associate Professor of Art/Painting at UNCC. Q&A BY SUNNY HUBLER | PORTRAIT BY JAMEY PRICE

Have you always aspired to live as an artist? What drew you to the life initially?

I like how you formulated the question: to live as an artist. It is a way of living, of being in the world, experiencing it, not a profession. I grew up in a communist country.

The regime was quite oppressive and one sensed it early in life. But I grew up in a household with a strong spirit of defiance. My mom was a writer, a journalist running into trouble with censors, exercising her critical thinking and freedom of expression. My dad through his credentials and perseverance landed a very unlikely and exciting job: A multilingual engineer, he

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worked for a Polish company selling ships to Western Europe.

My parents often worked odd hours and the house was full of international visitors, even though it meant interrogation by the authorities. I was part of this quite colorful lifestyle and always sensed that my life would not be an ordinary 9-5 life. When I was 17, my mom was not allowed to write anymore: there was a military coup. My parents moved to West Africa for a few years where my dad worked again with the ships.

I went with them, homeschooling myself for a year. It was a formative experience: discovering non-western art, an intoxicating

I studied art at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Wroclaw, Poland.

It was a small, two-hundred-student refuge of sorts, a counterculture that poked fun at the system. We hardly thought of what we did at school in terms of a career or a profession that would bring income. A true art market did not exist behind the iron curtain beyond state-governed commissions. I was painting furiously and could not imagine doing much else then. I also applied for all opportunities to study abroad, and in 1990 I studied for a semester in Dublin, Ireland. It was one of many serendipitous occurrences in my life – by someone’s mistake I was placed in the textile design department. In-

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“I believe that the work of art needs to have that something that is beyond words, a sense of awe that captivates us on an emotional level before we start to rationalize.”

stead of correcting the error, I stayed there and learned skills without which many of my works, such as textile printed installations, would not today exist.

Describe your creative process from start to finish.

Work evolves as a continuum, where one body of work leads to another. But, I often start with an in-situ research. I go somewhere to learn, see, and experience what interests me. And I read about it.

Artist-in-residence programs are great tools to experience places.

I would go to Venice to look at Tiepolo’s frescoes to contemplate the idea of beauty that is subject to deterioration, to see order that turns into chaos, and to appreciate the spectacle that the frescoes provided to the faithful. I will take photos, sketch, and absorb. Then,

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in the studio, I turn this raw material into something – for example, say a series of paintings. It is not a straightforward operation. Paintings are planned to some degree, but then the painting process itself dictates many decisions. You cannot illustrate an idea with a painting; the painting is an idea, a surprising manifestation. It is itself a journey.

How would you describe your technique and aesthetic?

My work ranges from painting on canvas to textile and photo installation to drawing and other works on paper. Some of my pieces on canvas involve several media, ranging from print to acrylics, experimental chalk paints, collaged elements and oil. I am interested in multilayered approach, both literally and philosophically, so there is

a buildup of textures, patterns, and meaning. From there, the viewer is invited to peel away, to decipher, and to interpret.

I believe that the work of art needs to have that something that is beyond words, a sense of awe that captivates us on an emotional level before we start to rationalize.

Lately, I have been experimenting with performance in collaboration with other artists, recorded and edited as a video. This is a new territory for me.

Who are your favorite local artists? Who or what are your biggest inspirations?

I admire Stephanie Liner’s work.

She is a sculptor and works with textiles – she is very inventive. My colleagues at the College of Art +Architecture do fantastic things and present them worldwide, their

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tenacity inspires me. So do many UNC Charlotte art students: they trust that they will persevere, and most importantly are unafraid to experiment and make mistakes. To maintain a sense of purpose and in the same

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moment maintain a freedom to fail is one of the biggest challenges for an artist.

In terms of inspiration, I do have a strong sense of wanderlust, so travel and a sense of discovery inspire me whereas a routine does not.

Several weeks in Greenland were a most intimidating (yet most inspiring) experience for me – there was beauty, fear, a merciless nature, a sense of alienation and a penetrating presence of a midnight sun. It was sublime. As a visual artist, I realized that it would never be possible to match, or to communicate such intensity, such presence.

I have been applying for several artist-in-residence programs and grants to continue my project started in Rome. I have been investigating the so-called “tourist gaze” (described by John Urry) and a spectacle of global tourism, looking at people that travel to see things and most of all, to photograph them or rather take a selfie. I hope to continue my work at the Studios of Key West in December 2016. In the meantime, I’ll be in the studio.

FOR INFO: www.majagodlewska.com

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With locally sourced food and an exceptional wine selection, Bonterra Dining and Wine Room has built a congregation of foodies.

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BY COREY MILLER | PHOTOS BY JAMEY PRICE

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Bonterra predates the farm-to-table movement in Charlotte. This is a place that understands the goodness of what comes directly from the earth, embracing the trend before most other places in the area caught on to it. The name, meaning “Good Earth,” was inspired by a cafe in London, England, but had never been applied to a church. This old methodist worship hall in Dilworth more than welcomes the title, though: You’ll think they’ve got a miracle worker paid by the hour at a faucet in back... How else could they arrange for a choice of over 200 wines by the glass and yet remain so humble?

Opened in December of 1999 by John Duncan, Sr. and his son John “J.D.” Duncan, Jr., Bonterra Dining and Wine Room is the last in a line of good-willed organizations to occupy the space. Built in 1897, this beautiful structure was an African American Methodist Episcopal Church until 1963, when a succession of several startup churches began to use the building.

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When J.D. moved in, his first hire was Blake Hartwick, who wasn’t looking for anything more than a line cook position. Bonterra’s first executive chef left the kitchen in the restaurant’s first year, and J.D. asked Hartwick, only in his early twenties at the time, to step up. The young Hartwick turned out to be a more than capable replacement. An extraordinarily talented chef in his own right, Blake has been one of Bonterra’s greatest assets for over 15 years. His menu changes drastically with the seasons, enticing guests to revisit and discover what new sorts of southern-inspired cuisine the kitchen is serving up. The dining segment and the wine room are irreparably interwoven, with Blake’s every dish either informing or being informed

by J.D.’s incredible climate controlled wine selection.

If Bonterra was an investment of faith, its chef acts as “Head of Church,” so to speak, shepherding guests through a dining experience like few others in the Queen City.

RESTAURANT BAR ROOFTOP Located at 222 South Caldwell Street, 21st Floor, Charlotte, NC

Private Space | Special Events | Off-site Catering

OPEN DAILY FOR DINNER — SUNDAY BRUNCH 980.237.6718 | www.fahrenheitcharlotte.com

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Hartwick insists that the place wouldn’t have been around as long as it has, though, without J.D.’s unconventional business sense. He’s rarely concerned, like many business owners are, with “maximum profit.” His approach to running a restaurant amounts to “sharing a bottle of wine with you, on the house, to make sure you feel welcome — an altruistic philosophy which has engendered a community of customers who can’t seem to stay away. They’re a bit like regular churchgoers, and that’s what’s so intriguing about Bonterra.

There’s something exceptional about this space. One congregation moves out, and another moves in. J.D. and Blake Hartwick are bent on bringing people together.

Sink your teeth into their pan-sautéed NC trout and sorghum glazed brussel sprouts while sipping on a glass of 2014 Chateau Montelena Napa Valley Chardonnay, and you’ll find that all your senses were correct: This is indeed hallowed ground. Get back in church.

This food is good for the soul.

FORA BIT MORE INFO: www.bonterradining.com

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Plan your next getaway, and experience a fun-filled stay packed with amazing amenities, including complimentary access to the Charlotte Athletic Club, as well as fine dining and much more!

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water & wine

Chef Grigo’s restaurant Aqua e Vino echoes the flavors of his native Italy.

BY LESLIE BROOKS | PHOTOS BY JAMEY PRICE

Aqua e Vino is the earnest creation of Chef Gabriele Grigolon. His passion, humble upbringing and culinary mastery are enlivened in dishes that echo native Italy.

Born in Torino to a farming family, Chef Grigo was inspired to start his journey as a prestigious Master Chef by the cookbooks his mother shared with him. When he was a child, he was responsible for procuring the various elements of the day’s meals from the town market.

The recipes and fresh seasonal ingredients that he encountered piqued his interest, and this a curiosity yet to be sated. In a young, impressionable Grigo were the makings of a chef in love with sumptuous homegrown flavors and the frugality of the farm.

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After years in an illustrious career that ferried him across the globe and into the kitchens of numerous famed restaurants, Chef Grigo settled in Charlotte with his family. He now endeavors to bring the story of his youth to the plate. Inspired by his life and the culinary practices of Italy, Chef Grigo stays faithful to the cooking experiences that shaped him as a boy. His style was explored during many dutiful years spent in culinary school in Varallo Sesia, honed as a pastry chef in Scopello, and then further refined to create his distinct culinary voice. All of these experiences have culminated in a heartfelt, diverse, and ever-changing selection of dishes at Aqua e Vino.

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“A lot of people only want to cook a filet mignon. I say keep that part; give me everything else and I’ll use that.”

- Chef Grigo

A farmer at heart, Chef Grigo comes from a family that “had to live from what they had on the farm.” As such, his tendency to find “inspiration in the weather and in the season” constantly evolves his menu. Aqua e Vino’s offerings change weekly based on what is available in the local market. All of the restaurant’s selections, and by extension, many of their ingredients, are hand-selected and made on site from scratch.

Chef Grigo arrives early each morning, and after a visit to the market, he spends the rest of his day alongside his staff preparing the various components of the night’s menu.

Aqua e Vino is a restaurant in which a customer can feel as if they’ve been invited to Chef Grigo’s family table. With just thirty-two seats, the atmosphere is one of intimacy and hospitality. Even though the tables are lined with the crisp linen of white tablecloths, Chef Grigo tries “to make everyone feel at home.” He wants his “simple food” to be good regardless of its “fancy, classy look and strange name.”

Aqua e Vino has carved itself a place in Charlotte’s ever-growing food scene by offering its patrons a taste of the authentic. Chef Grigo brings his narrative into the world of the tangible with finesse, distinct flavors, and a unique experience that’s tucked behind an unassuming façade. Within the walls of Aqua e Vino, the world is transformed into something not merely originated from Chef Grigo’s roots, but also his lively spirit.

FOR A BIT MORE INFO: www.aquaevino.com

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Aria Tuscan Grill’s

Pasta al nero PHOTO BY JAMEY PRICE

An elevation of king crab, scallops, and shrimp on a cushy bed of pasta and the spiciest of Tuscan marinaras, the Pasta al Nero at Aria Tuscan Grill is a seafood dish that embraces color.

The Recipe INGREDIENTS 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil 2 tbsp. Shallots, Diced 2 tbsp. Garlic, Sliced 4 cups Marinara 1/2 cup Heavy Cream 6 oz. Lump Crab Meat 16 Shrimp, Peeled, Deveined 1 lb. Squid Ink Pasta Salt and Pepper To Taste

METHOD On medium, heat Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a sauce pan. Add the shallots, garlic and chili and sauté until soft.

Add the raw shrimp and cook until flesh-toned. This should only take a few minutes. Next, add marinara and cook until it starts to simmer. Add the cream and crab meat and reduce

until the sauce reaches a smooth consistency but still has enough liquid to cover the pasta. Toss the cooked squid ink pasta with the sauce until coated, then plate, and top with crab claws. Serve to your soon-to-be-veryhappy-guests.

SEE THEIR MENU: ariacharlotte.com

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Yafo’S hummus Yafo shares their hummus recipe, a surefire staple that is without a doubt one of the best starters in town.

STYLING BY THE PLAID PENGUIN PHOTOGRAPHY BY LUNAHZON

For the chickpeas

FOR THE HUMMUS

1 quart Dry Chickpeas

7 cups Chickpeas, Cooked

1 tbsp. + 2 tsp. Baking Soda

1 cup Tahini ½ cup Fresh Lemon Juice

METHOD

¼ cup Olive Oil

Cover chickpeas with water and

2 cloves Garlic

soak overnight with 1 tbsp baking soda. Strain chickpeas and

METHOD

add to a pot with fresh water and

Place tahini, lemon juice, olive

2 tsp. of baking soda. Bring to a

oil, garlic, and chickpeas into a

boil. Skim shells from the boiling

food processor and blend. While

water. Once shells are removed,

mixture is blending add 1/2 cup

reduce to a low boil and cook un-

of water until mixture thins out

til chickpeas are soft (2 hours).

to desired texture. Add salt and

Strain chickpeas and cool.

cumin to taste and serve.

FOR A BIT MORE INFO: www.yafokitchen.com

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The Mandrake’s

CHILEAN Sea Bass PHOTO BY JAMEY PRICE

The Mandrake’s pan-seared sea bass is a white-and-gold treasure of a dish.

The zucchini bed’s fresh garden aromas and the savory tenderness of the fresh catch make for a beachy dinner perfect for the summer palate.

The Recipe INGREDIENTS 4 oz. Chilean Sea Bass 2 tbsp. Grapeseed Oil 1 Medium-Sized Zucchini 1 tsp. Kosher Salt 1 tbsp. Minced Garlic 1 tbsp. Grated Parmesan 1 tbsp. Truffle Oil Flowers To Garnish Micro Greens To Garnish

METHOD With a paper towel, pat each side of the sea bass until dry. Add salt to each side of the fish. In a sauté pan add grapeseed oil and heat over medium. While oil is heating preheat oven to 350 degrees. Once the oil in the pan begins to smoke, remove from heat. Lay sea bass on a hot pan and place back on stovetop. Cook both sides for two minutes each. Then put the sea bass in

the oven until the fish reaches 135 degrees. Use a mandolin to cut zucchini into spaghetti noodle-style pieces. Transfer freshly cut zucchini to a serving bowl and mix in garlic, parmesan, and truffle oil.

Remove sea bass from the oven and place on top of zucchini mixture. Garnish with flowers and micro greens and serve.

SEE THEIR MENU: themandrakeclt.com

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Comida’s

MARGARITA The Plaza Midwood restaurant serves up elevated Mexican food and some of the city’s best margaritas.

PHOTO BY JAMEY PRICE

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Delicious margaritas are an essential part of a happy life. The folks at Comida pride themselves in hand-juicing all of their mixers in house. They are especially proud of their sour mix, which is made inhouse daily using the freshest citrus available. After all, when making margaritas, you should use the best sour mix available. If you can’t make your own and have to opt for the store-bought kind, be sure to look for a simple list of ingredients: citrus, sugar and maybe a little citric acid. The color should be reminiscent of a homemade key lime pie.

Ingredients

2-3 tbsp. Kosher Salt 1 Lime Wedge, Cut In Half 2 oz. El Jimador Reposado 1 oz. Patron Citronage 3 oz. Comida House-Made Sour Mix Approximately 2 cups Of Ice Cubes Method

Spread salt on a small plate. Using one half of lime wedge, moisten one side of a 15 ounce highball/bucket glass in the shape of a small V. Dip moistened side of the glass. Set aside. Fill a cocktail shaker with approximately 1 cup of ice, add El Jimador Reposado, Patron Cintronage and Comida Sour Mix. Shake vigorously. Strain into prepared glass with remaining ice. Garnish with remaining lime wedge quarter.

FOR A BIT MORE INFO: www.comidaclt.com

We’ve washed ashore in Uptown Charlotte

Carolina Seafood at its Best Oyster Bar | Fresh Catch Seafood | Craft Cocktails | Craft Beer 704 • 412 • 2616 --- SeaLevelNC.com 129 E. 5th St. --- Charlotte, NC 28202 FREE PARKING --- WALK-IN --- CALL AHEAD SEATING --- RESERVATIONS

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RHINO & WALKER

BY STEPHEN PHILPOTT | PHOTO BY JP GRICE

A brandy-barrel-aged barleywine is complemented perfectly by Rhino’s Avacado BLT

Beer and food pairings are supposed to capture the flavors, textures, and aromas of each item; Our pairing purposely doesn’t do that.

It was meant to capture decadence.

Decadence often takes years of planning to craft a superior product, something that others will want

to follow. Olde Hickory Brewing has built a name for itself by consistently crafting some of the boldest ales in the Old North State.

So it’s only fitting that we pair the rare and decadent Brandy BarrelAged Appalachian Walker, a beer with notes of chocolate, fig, and

brandy, with an ABLT from Rhino Market & Deli; a simple yet mindblowingly delicious avocado, bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich on Duke’s sourdough bread that comes down to the sum of its parts.

FOR MORE INFO: www.rhinomarket.com

BEER: Appalachian Walker | 2015 | Brandy Barrel-Aged Barleywine | Olde Hickory Brewing Company | Hickory, NC SAMMY: ABLT | Rhino Market & Deli | Charlotte, NC Special thanks to John-Paul Parker

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The FOLIO

FOUNDATIONS

MODER N CL ASSICS The Artisan Mentality of Franรงois & Co. INTERVIEW BY COREY MILLER

By painstakingly re-creating and refining traditional methods and discovering lost arts, Thierry Franรงois and his creative team of skilled artisans and stylists are able to bring both heritage and history to life. We spoke in detail with Thierry to find out how his deepseated love of classic stone-working techniques engendered the passion behind this artisan company.

DESIGNER • 112 | VIGNETTES • 114 - 126 | BLUEPRINT • 128

FOUNDATIONS • 100 | FURNISHED • 106 | maker • 108

The FOLio

The FOLIO

FOUNDATIONS

Thierry François of Francois & Co. talks architectural design, authenticity of materials, traditional methods refined, and the discovery of lost arts that help him and his company bring both heritage and history to life.

What was your first exposure to architectural design?

I have always been captivated by architecture. As a young kid I can remember walking for hours fascinated by the stone work, roofing clays, and iron details that surrounded me. Wandering the streets of Paris, Avignon, Rome, Venice, and Florence — I was always studying and sketching the buildings above and the stone paths below that lead me through these beautiful, historic cities.

What kinds of products and materials does François & Co. specialize in creating?

All François & Co. products are created with the principles of au-

thenticity, ingenuity and scrupulous attention-to-detail. Our offerings include architectural stone, pewter, brass and copper range hoods, staircases, and a far-reaching collection of historical reproductions of fireplace mantels. Additionally, we have created flooring materials of extraordinary pedigree and workmanship in antique French limestone and French oak.

How did you become interested in the materials you use?

Over time I wanted to learn more and more. I wanted to know just how the stones were created. How could they be laid without cement?

“I longed to resurrect these traditional arts, to create contemporary versions of these timeless classics.”

-Thierry Francois

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Or positioned so perfectly they could stand centuries of wear like the ones in front of Santa Restitude’s Chapel in my village — Calenzana, Corsica. What were these woods? How were they seasoned, combined? And where did that marble come from? How did the artisans get these irregular shapes for their roof tiles? And the color of the glazes? How? None of these wonders went unchallenged. I studied with my eyes, as well as my hands.

Touching, smelling, and dreaming of ancient techniques. Through this process an appreciation for art, beauty, and craftsmanship became my driving force and has informed all we do at François & Co. You mentioned the authenticity of your materials. What exactly does this principle of authenticity mean to you?

Each and every one of the François & Co. Period Reproduction pieces is born from the original antique — “The Master Piece”. We scrupulously follow molding techniques and the exacting processes used by museums to capture and preserve the integrity of masterworks

Experience luxury at home

GJK Building & Remodeling is a full service design-build remodeling company based in Charlotte.

We have built our stellar reputation by providing the best products available, unparalleled craftsmanship, and outstanding customer service. From a complete home remodel to a new kitchen or an inviting outdoor living space, we can design and create exactly what you’re looking for. We invite you to contact us for a complimentary consultation

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FOUNDATIONS

“I studied with my eyes, as well as my hands. Touching, smelling, and dreaming of ancient techniques.”

-Thierry Francois

of all kinds. We “seal” details down to the tiniest blemish — a labor-intensive process our skilled mold-makers follow to deliver a product that is a beautiful thumbprint from the original artist.

These distinctive French classics include a far-reaching collection of historical fireplaces characterized by extraordinary pedigree and exacting workmanship. Our French Collection is made up of exquisite reproductions of antique masterpieces. The golden age of French classical architecture, spanning from the 16th to 19th centuries, is rendered in the warm textures of hand-carved limestone and Scagliola Stone. Each of these mantles carries the weight of a rich and beautiful heritage.

What is that — Scagliola Stone?

Scagliola, pronounced “sca-lee-ohlah,” is a centuries-old technique for

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creating ornamental stonework that mimics fine marble and limestone.

The technique came into fashion in 17th century Italian Baroque buildings and continued to flourish in Europe and America through the 20th century. Some of the finest examples can be found in luxurious European residences and ornate churches. François & Co. Scagliola is created by hand, using the meticulous techniques and materials of the original masters.

You also work with wood. What inspired that branch of Francois & Co.?

From the Palace of Versailles, to a humble 18th Century French cottage, there is something compelling about a fine, antique wood floor. In my travels throughout Europe over the years, I have been fortunate enough to encounter many examples of exceptional architectural beauty.

The more I study these pieces, the

greater my appreciation for them.

This includes the floors beneath my feet. Unlike other surfaces, a wood floor is a warm, living thing, each one as unique as the tree it came from. It has a character all its own, expressed in the fingerprint of the grain, its particular luster, its texture, age and patina, in its very imperfections. But I am never satisfied until I know the story behind each one. What lost art or forgotten technique was used by the original artisans? What kind of wood is this? How was it milled? How was it worked? Seasoned? How are different woods fitted seamlessly together? How did the craftsman achieve this particular finish?

François & Co. seems dedicated to an old-fashioned sense of design, hand-working with both wood and stone. How would you sum up this artisan philosophy, in a few words?

I longed to resurrect these traditional arts, to create contemporary versions of these timeless classics.

François & Co.’s culture is founded upon my early childhood memories [in Europe] and the artisans who came before us. We offer a celebration of the time-honored techniques that have kept architecture alive throughout history.

FOR A BIT MORE INFO: www.francoisandco.com

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furnished

MARKET curated

ABSTRACT IN A BIG WAY Earth tones, unique abstract brush

SELECTED BY LAUREN CLEMENT

strokes, and brilliant composition make

Charlotte interior designer Lauren Clement of Lauren Nicole Designs shares her favorite finds and industry trends on display at the world renowned High Point Furniture Market.

this abstract and so many others at the market must-haves.

PRINTED & PILLOWED

LIGHT ACCENTEd Natural gemstones were showcased

Bright colors, fun

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prints and oversized

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patterns are big

and lamps.

players in upholstery this year.

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One of the most unique trends in the furniture industry involves the merging of art and fabric

The number one trend

to create colorful and awe-

at the Market was

ABSTRACTION

most definitely agate, a natural stone that

Large abstract artwork was

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in just about every showroom

this beautiful table.

at High Point Market. It’s the

inspiring pieces.

perfect way to add a pop of color and interest that unites the room design.

VASES IN MARBLE

At Lauren Nicole Designs, we’ve loved marble for a long time and are happy to say: marble is still predominant in home furnishings. It instantly gives a space elegance, especially

PATTERNED

when used to accessorize.

To keep your space balanced, showcase your

MARVELOUS GEOMETRY

ELEGANT LIGHTING This lamp’s tower of

prints and patterns

Marble materials

marble exemplifies

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stand on its own.

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Shown: Montclair Relief, Montclair Flat and Hollywood Grand Pattern, from the Studio Moderne™ Collection by Michael Berman.

What will you create?

Authentic, handcrafted tile and stone since 1952. www.walkerzanger.com

Tile & Stone Showroom 2116 Hawkins Street Suite 500 Charlotte, N.C. 28203 704.583.7000

Slab Gallery 1331 S. Mint Street Charlotte, N.C. 28203 704.583.7010

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maker

COCOCO The Comfortable Couch Company is reviving Carolina history and ensuring the tradition of quality furniture.

T

BY SUNNY HUBLER | PHOTO BY JAMEY PRICE

The history of hand crafted furniture in North Carolina is a storied one, but, as we all too well know, largescale manufacturing and overseas production has proliferated while small businesses have often struggled to stay afloat.

When a handmade couch company featuring American hardwood frames and a completely custom-made approach, cropped up in Charlotte in 2010, they quickly filled a niche. The Comfortable Couch Company is reviving Carolina history and ensuring the tradition of quality furniture crafted by dedicated family operations can continue for future generations.

Husband and wife Steve and Danielle Sechrest and their business partner, Gary Mangione, combined their areas of expertise to found COCOCO. The Sechrests, who run the retail, product development, and customer service end of the business, and Mangione, in charge of manufacturing, quickly found success by pairing simple values with a luxe product.

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They manufacture their pieces in Newton, NC, and currently run three different showroom locations: one in Atlanta, managed by the Sechrests’ daughter Lilli, a New York location, and their largest showroom, a rustic, high-ceilinged old cotton mill in Cornelius. In that space lies nearly one thousand different leather samples available for customers to select from, and hundreds of different fabrics.

“We saw pretty early on that there is an opening for us to develop a national brand and everything that has happened since has only served to reinforce that belief,” Steve Sechrest says. “There are lots of great small

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MAKER

“There are lots of great small American companies building their businesses the right way and it’s important to support those businesses.”

companies in America building their businesses the right way and it’s important that we support those businesses.”

In keeping with that commitment, COCOCO does things differently. Unlike many furniture manufacturers, COCOCO makes the furniture and sells it directly to the public. There is no cookie cutter, production line stamp aesthetic to be found here: everything they do is made to order, ensuring a one-of-a-kind luxurious quality and a high degree of personalization for each and every piece.

When an order comes in, a single upholsterer will complete the entire product. Every design is a fully collaborative process between COCOCO and the customer.

While potential customers can peruse the COCOCO website, to place an order one will have to call or stop in to start the process; it remains very important to the

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Sechrests and Mangione that they actually interact with each client to find exactly what that customer wants.

To keep their product both affordable and high quality, “we run a very lean operation,” Steve Sechrest explains.

“Because everything is made-to-order, we do not stock anything. When a customer orders a couch, we order the materials to make it. So, for all of the reasons above, we don’t fit into a perfect niche.”

A small, craft-driven approach with deep American values is timeless, and it has served the COCOCO cofounders well. In recent years, they have gained customers nationally and internationally and been featured on the home improvement FOX television show, Home Free.

FOR A BIT MORE INFO: www.cococohome.com

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DESIGNER

“There’s no reason a sophisticated, modern environment shouldn’t be available at work and at home.”

LIQUID

BY SUNNY HUBLER

Michael Standley and Michael Williams’ Charlotte-based Liquid Design firm is bringing cutting-edge contemporary architecture to the Queen City and across the United States.

C

Charlotte’s Liquid Design stands on the cutting edge of sophisticated, contemporary design. The firm was started over 15 years ago by business partners Michael Standley and Michael Williams. Even though Liquid Design has consistently pushed the envelope, Standley says that their design style is less about challenging Charlotte’s traditional architectural aesthetic and “more about designing in the style that we know and have a deep-seated passion for.”

Their signatures include large, clean open-living environments, expansive windows that allow for lots of light, and the use of unique building materials.

The two bring extensive experience, collectively and individually. Standley attended Virginia Tech and Williams the University of Tennessee. After, Standley trained in Italy and Williams in Poland. Both credit their international work with shaping their design preferences and cultivating their love of modern design.

In the 1990’s, the two met while working for a Charlotte architecture and engineering firm. Their visions aligned, and the two decided that with Standley’s eye for process and implementation and Williams’ dynamic vision they could launch their own firm in Charlotte.

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Liquid Design allowed the men to actualize the types of projects they were so eager to see.

One of their first major clients was creating the US National Whitewater Center, and today Liquid Design continues to include both residential and commercial work in their practice, in the Charlotte area and beyond, to include locations like Arizona, Illinois, and South Carolina.

“There’s no reason a sophisticated, modern environment shouldn’t be available at work and at home,” Standley says.

Liquid Design brings careful attention to all steps of the architectural process to create their clients’ dream spaces. They call their approach to architecture a holistic one; both men are licensed general contractors, and consider the interior design of all their projects as well.

“It’s important that a space is more than just a collection of rooms,” says Williams. “Once we can get to the heart of their family’s inner workings, we can then design a home to reflect their lifestyle.”

FOR A BIT MORE INFO: www.liquiddesign.net

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BEAUTIFUL VIGNETTES | BEDROOM

BEDSIDE

A

BY COREY MILLER

South Park’s Bedside Manor inspires do-it-yourself interior design, a fact expertly reflected in this beautiful-but-simple bedroom space.

At Bedside Manor, guests can find a selection of the finest Italian linens, softest Egyptian cotton towels, and the fluffiest down comforters and pillows, but they also provide all the necessary details that tie a room together.

Accents like the candle scent that simply is home and that throw that makes your living room seating a real sofa — these are the features designers curate ever-so-carefully to complete a space. With its extraordinarily welcoming staff trained to understand on-trend color palettes and chemistry in all textiles and materials, this South Charlotte home goods retailer isn’t just a home emporium; it’s a place where interior decorating aficionados wander the aisles looking for customers to inspire. They’re dedicated to making you happy, in-home and in-store. Your home is

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their patient, so to speak, and these good folks have excellent bedside manner.

This modern but classy bedroom is a good example of Bedside Manor’s knack for selecting home pieces that embrace their space. The stark urbanness of the white brick wall is made homey rather than sterile by the silky choices adorning the bed. The hard aluminum look of the bedside table and the architect’s lamp provide adequate visual balance with the cushy bed and the curvy plants and art, making for a space that is at once aesthetically clean and lastingly inviting.

FOR A BIT MORE INFO: www.bedsidemanor.com

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19725 OAK STREET #5 | CORNELIUS, NC 28031 | 704-892-6680 | COCOCOHOME.COM |

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BEAUTIFUL VIGNETTES | KITCHEN

THROWING CLAY This kitchen renovation by Catherine Whitney of South End Kitchens was inspired by her client’s story and love of baking.

C

BY LESLIE BROOKS | PHOTOS BY KNOBLEZADA PHOTOGRAPHY

Catherine Whitney of South End Kitchens believes that “design should reflect your personal style.”

When she was charged with renovating a kitchen for a client who “loves to bake,” she approached the project with this mentality in the forefront of her mind.

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This dynamic space blends the functionality of a modern kitchen and the essentials of clean design with the client’s personal story.

A gorgeous solid walnut display cabinet was installed at the center of the space. This fundamental component was created to house

the extensive pottery collection of the client’s late husband. The supreme craftsmanship of the display cabinet quickly draws the focus of the eye, allowing the artistry of the pottery collection to be enjoyed and fondly remembered.

The opulent depth of tonality in the display cabinet’s walnut counter further serves to accentuate the rustic qualities of the original oak flooring. Together, the two provide a visual amalgamation of honeyed summer tones and the dark, warm depth of serene woodland. In a consistent style, a walnut desk area provides elevated square shelves to display additional selections of the client’s beloved pottery collection, all beneath the warm luminosity of recessed lighting.

Juxtaposing the earthy notes of natural wood are starkly colored Nordic white cabinets that are paired with a Kingston recessed door style. Two glass-inlaid displays frame a variety of stylish tableware which are stored upon matching shelves. Capped with polished hardware, the choice of an

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BEAUTIFUL VIGNETTES | KITCHEN

island Brookhaven inset cabinet installment adds a flare of sophisticated country life to the kitchen’s aesthetic. Additionally, the cabinet’s beautiful veneer and hoary tint seamlessly flow parallel to lavish veined marble counters. Cut to a square edge; the gorgeous marble counters elevate this kitchen with a luxurious but practical design.

A backsplash of the same tiled marble bridges the cabinets and countertop with an artistic upward momentum. Running the length of the sink and above the stove, a unifying spread of patterned marble marries the reflective elements of the elevated vertical lines found in the cabinets with the grounded hor-

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izontal counters. The backsplash even retains hints of the outdoors beyond its medium with an elegant honeycomb arrangement.

Other melodies of the natural world serve to unify the kitchen.

Walls half painted in a copse inspired hue seamlessly connect the space to a stunning bay window

breakfast nook. Extending down the adjacent hallway, the repetition of white in the molding and paneling give the kitchen renovation an inclusive sense of effortless harmony, a true rarity and a sight to behold.

FOR A BIT MORE INFO: www.southendkitchens.com

LANDING SOON 2173 Hawkins Street, Unit G

704.819.6972

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BEAUTIFUL VIGNETTES | CELLARS

THE WINE ALCOVe The cellar in this Lake Norman home is a compact elegance, acting as a valuable addition to the basement’s aesthetic rather than a simple storage space.

BY COREY MILLER | PHOTOS BY JAMEY PRICE To make a wine cellar Tuscan, it seems, you need more than just a rack of the finest Italian wines.

The owner of this Lake Norman home enlisted Cellars South to assist in a complete redesign of his wine cellar, allowing for an attractive addition to his Mediterranean style home that’s more than just storage. His dream wine cellar is abundantly Tuscan: The Montepulcianos and Chiantis now look right at home.

This kitchen alcove was a pre-existing “passive” cellar, meaning it was simply a closet with wine racks — hardly a luxurious space for storing fine and vintage vino. Due

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to the homeowners’ love of wine and their growing collection, they wanted to turn their passive cellar into a climate controlled space. To do so the entire interior needed a complete demolition. A proper vapor barrier was added, along with insulation and moisture resistant sheetrock, and a beautiful rough cut stone was applied to the walls. Tearing down the walls allowed for an entirely new (and inherently more fashionable) set of racks, and the folks at Cellars South made a point to refit the room with some of the finest mahogany wine racking available.

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BEAUTIFUL VIGNETTES | CELLARS

“Closet wine cellars have become wildly popular.

Wine cellars aren’t just in basements anymore.”

These “closet” wine cellars have become wildly popular.

“Wine cellars aren’t just in basements anymore,” explains Karen Torbett of Cellars South. “We have converted kitchen pantries, linen closets, half baths, and spaces under stairwells.”

Indeed, this space might have been little more than a pantry before, with a window from the kitchen viewing into the cellar. It now completes the downstairs, adding the perfect ambiance to the entertaining area of the home.

This cellar is meant to be seen, and thanks to Cellars South, the homeowners have a new wine cellar they can be proud to show.

FOR A BIT MORE INFO: www.cellarssouth.com

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BEAUTIFUL VIGNETTES | OUTDOOR LIVING

A

M E DI T E R R A

At the heart of this European Modern home is a piece of the warm Mediterranean itself.

BY COREY MILLER | PHOTOS BY MATTHEW BENHAM

A casual Mediterranean style home wouldn’t feel very Mediterranean without an interesting body of water, and this villa’s courtyard space is nothing if not interesting: The pool’s got more than the typical number of corners, and the chairs cool off in the shallow end.

A few years ago, the pool wasn’t quite so interesting: It was a water-less mess of a courtyard. Like some European masterpieces, this home became a home in phases. This now extraordinary home was partially built in 2007. Despite the inspired vision of local designer Jim Phelps, this beauty sat ​sadly unfinished for years. In 2013, a new owner enlisted Benham Builders to “correct all of the property’s deficiencies.” Jim Benham and his team set to work stripping brick and re-stuccoing the entire house, adding the tile roof, new railings and entrance features, and garage doors. They rebuilt the travertine patio and balconies, transforming

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the unfinished courtyard into an oasis of luxury: They added new tile, pool finishes, water features and every other beautifying feature they could manage, evolving Phelps’ original plan into a Mediterranean palace with a bit of the sea itself gracing the center.

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BEAUTIFUL VIGNETTES | OUTDOOR LIVING

It’s a natural imperative that a home of this distinct regional style echo the colors of sea and sky, and the pool ensures that those southern European blues get

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their due. The minimalistic body of water doesn’t dominate this outdoor lounge, though: It’s rather a natural element of the warm Tuscan aesthetic, like a calming stream winding

through an equally calming, stuccoed Iberian townscape. That stucco, by the way, is a vital addition to this living area’s outdoor spa ambiance.

The beautifully plastered exterior walls and sloping terracotta roofs really bring your eyes downward and in, narrowing this courtyard-pool space down to the level of coziness you’d expect in a charmingly compact European street.

The placement of the pool space prevents views of the Piedmont greens that surround it. Hiding away from the troubles of the world outside is all too easy in this nevertheless outside area: Enclosed here, in the Mediterranean warmth, relaxation is inevitable.

FOR A BIT MORE INFO: www.benhambuilders.com

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Mountain Modern

T

Rob Carlton blends the high land with high design in the Nethermead.

BY LESLIE BROOKS | PHOTOS AND COVER BY David Dietrich

The hallmark of great architecture is a design that effortlessly unites base construction materials with a poignant use of space. When an architect can interweave functionality and beauty, he or she creates thought-provoking structures that transport us from the mundane to the magnificent. As our understanding of extraordinary design has evolved, the industry has sought to unite efficient, sustainable building materials while seamlessly integrating the scenic beauty of the outdoors into our living spaces. Carlton Architecture is not only accomplishing this challenging feat, but doing so with a deft and capable touch.

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BLUEPRINT

Nestled in the heart of Biltmore Forest just outside of Asheville, Nethermead is a pristine example

of how Rob Carlton and his team are pushing the boundaries of “green design.” This extraordinary home of 3,900 square feet muddies the line between indoor and outdoor living through the use of what Carlton calls a “modern form and sensibility.” Countless windows usher in the temperate mountain sunlight while simultaneously framing the natural beauty of the surrounding Biltmore Forest area. A seamless transition from the open-air porch to the inside of the home further serves to invite the outside in.

This cohesive design aids in creating an effortless evolution from outer to inner rooms especially in the case of the expansive back porch, which is only separated by a single glass wall.

The soul of Nethermead’s living space is united beneath a single structure; the clean, bold lines of an exposed timber frame rise vertically to meet a “pavilion” roof. A “continuous ceiling” merges the outdoor terrace and interior spaces with a straightforward ingenuity.

The use of slatted louvers in the gables keeps the home cool, diffusing the sunlight cast on it while an elegant cap of dark matte, metal roofing contrasts visually against

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the radiant inner warmth of the interior. The choice of a gable additionally provides an element of traditional aesthetic, augmented by a cleverly conventional entry, which corresponds to the surrounding community’s strict architectural constraints.

Even when abiding by the immediate community’s standards, Carlton’s design fosters an air of originality within its walls. While the façade of the home is reminiscent of colonial and romantic architecture, the interior soothes occupants with the warm luminosity of clear-finished cypress walls and rich, dark-stained, white oak floors. The deep overhang above the garage echoes that of the back pavilion and helps marry the sleek New England saltbox curb appeal with the open mountain design of the back porch.

This juxtaposition of interior and exterior, modernity and traditionalism, speaks to the architect’s playful interpretation of the rules.

The soul of Nethermead’s living space is united beneath a single structure.

“The home has a modern form and sensibility.

It is site responsive and simple in form.�

- Rob Carlton

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BLUEPRINT

Alongside its overtures of modern design, the Nethermead maintains a dazzling warmth and intimacy.

Within the kitchen, a clerestory of windows illuminates the area with natural lighting. The dark verdant of the hand-rolled backsplash compliments the rich, organic tones of the surrounding wilderness spilling in from the windows. Paired with the earthy tonality of wormy chestnut cabinets, a sense of natural authenticity infuses the kitchen with the feel of a modern farmhouse. There’s a balance of control and release between the elements of this home, down to the construction of the counters. A similar delicacy and finesse can be found throughout the thoughtful selection of elements used in the construction of the Nethermead house. This meticulous unification of design is tangible proof that Carlton has a passionate drive to help his clients “realize their dreams.”

What the Nethermead’s aesthetic achieves is no simple thing. Carlton’s design takes a clean modern approach

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and makes it rustic with evident ease. The resulting home is invitingly playful — Appalachian with a modern edge. An effort was made to create a dwelling that interacts with the natural world girding it, and it shows in every facet of the home’s construction. Alongside its overtures of modern design, the Nethermead maintains a dazzling warmth and intimacy. Through its rendering of mountain geniality in a modern vocabulary, the Nethermead offers natural grandeur with an effortless fluency. Regardless of the cultured luxury within, it’s easy to find oneself ushered into this mountain respite.

Truly, Carlton’s Nethermead is an improbable blend of down-home hospitality and innovation.

FOR A BIT MORE INFO: www.carltonarchitecture.com

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BLUEPRINT

River Road Whitney Powers of Studio A Architecture marries sustainability with sleek modern design in her Johns Island River Road House.

BY SUNNY HUBLER | PHOTOS BY Richard Leo Johnson of Atlantic Archives, Inc.

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Whitney Powers of Studio A Architecture in Charleston has led the firm since its inception in 1989. Her lowcountry River Road House is the perfect example of Powers’ ability to marry sustainability with a sleek modern design.

Powers calls Johns Island the Charleston area's “last stand” against much of the rampant commercialism in real estate. There is a scattering of family owned farms there that offer community supported agriculture shares and fresh, seasonal produce for chefs in a growing restaurant scene.

The River Road project site is on the island's northern edge, near the 18th century Fenwick Hall Plantation. The site is positioned between an expansive coastal landscape and a maritime forest.

Powers had to grapple with the idea of building a single family residence in a remote locale. For her that meant considering a complete live/work arrangement for the family and a system of sustainable targets to ameliorate the transportation requirements of the unique location.

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Powers’ dissected the 5,000 square feet of functional space into intertwined but independent elements: the primary dwelling, work quarters, and guest quarters.

The home itself is a four-bedroom with a combined living and kitchen area and an adjoined dining and library area. There is also a master bedroom/home office suite, and a two-bedroom guest wing.

“The private space of the master bedroom displays its own energy with a window seat extending as a bay

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BLUEPRINT

from the building skin and signifying a level of engagement with the landscape simultaneously rich and tactile,” Powers explains.

Materially, the elements of this home are marked by earthy shades - copper, wood and pale green cementitious panels.

Outside is a screened porch, second floor terraces, and a deck level pool. To add further detail to the outdoor living space, Powers' also designed a private rooftop garden of herbs and succulents at the upper terrace formed over the guest wing.

Sustainability was an important feature in this project. The technologies included in the home design are, among other green features, a roof that filters rainwater, geothermal HVAC, windows constructed of reclaimed cypress, rain-screen wall construction, efficient lighting, water-saving plumbing, and materials with highly recycled content.

Powers has a visionary eye when it comes to her design, and she talks about her work the way an artist might talk about her canvas.

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“The forms and spaces, sculpted to the landscape and the sunlight, are a labyrinth of light and dark, severe and delicate, transparent and opaque," she says.

“The home is at once a spectacle and a celebration, where technology merges home and office and where landscape and artifact combine.”

FOR A BIT MORE INFO: www.studioa-architecture.com

“The home is at once a spectacle and a celebration, where technology merges home and office and where landscape and artifact combine.�

The EXPLORED

weekender

The EXPLORED

BY SUNNY HUBLER PHOTOS BY JAMEY PRICE OR PROVIDED BY THE VENDUE

adventurer • AMY VERMILLION • 152

The Vendue in Charleston strives to be more than just your standard hotel: This boutique art hotel is an attraction all its own.

weekender • 140 | CAROLINA TOWNS • 148

ART’S RETREAT

The EXPLORED

weekender

“Everyone already has a vision of what Charleston is, but we wanted to do the unexpected.”

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The particular charm of Charleston, South Carolina has been well-documented. You know it: This longtime tourist attraction and southern gem is beloved for its immediately recognizable traits. Whether you’re a southeastern local planning a weekender or a traveler looking to explore the pre-Civil-War-era inspired coastal city, you’re in it for the palm trees set against quaint cobblestone streets, the lavishly colored rows of historic homes, the South Carolina landmarks, and the authentic southern cuisine.

Charlestonian John Weitz knew all this already when he bought a row of buildings in the historic district, intent on opening the brand new hotel that would become The Vendue.

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“Everyone already has a vision of what Charleston is,” Weitz says. “But we wanted to do the unexpected.” Today, his vision has emerged as the Vendue Hotel. It sits in the French Quarter — the heart of what many consider “classic” Charleston — but the experience it offers is anything but traditional. The Vendue is a boutique hotel experience unlike any other you can find in the city…or anywhere else for that matter.

The striking 250-year-old structure, now home to the hotel, was once a warehouse that mercantile ships used to store grains and textiles. The space was eventually revitalized in the 1970’s and by 2012, Avocet Hospitality Group bought the space. The Vendue was reborn.

Elizabeth Bradford Time + Terrain August 13 – November 19 Pine needles, reflections, Pamlico Sound, 2015 (Detail)

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Weitz, who grew up in Charleston, knew all the familiar beats of a local hotel. “What,” he asked himself, “is somebody not doing?” Certainly no one was doing arts-boutique hospitality. Two years later in 2014, owners John and Lisa Weitz conducted an extensive renovation that revealed The Vendue as it is today.

This renovation also unveiled their new contemporary southern cuisine restaurant The Drawing Room, a coffee shop called The Press, and a new rooftop bar with panoramic views overlooking the city.

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What really makes The Vendue such a standout is its wholehearted dedication to its mission. Many hotels simply end up being ancillary to your vacation - a place you eagerly leave first thing in the morning and to where you will return only to sleep. But The Vendue has taken painstaking measures to become a big part of the attraction for travelers, as an arts-infused oasis for people looking to soak up Charleston in a whole new way.

There are 84 beautiful rooms and suites each individually furnished,

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“We are always just trying to push the envelope and inspire at every turn.”

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featuring a mix of modern, classic, and antique interiors. No two rooms in The Vendue look alike, and the art is changed out of each room every several months.

Inside The Vendue, art tours are given by their staffed docent, there are various programs and rotating exhibitions available to guests, and there is even a studio space to host the hotel’s artist-in-residence. Fred Jamar, a Belgian painter, has been the hotel’s artist-in-residence for the past year and a half, and he can oftentimes be found at 26 Vendue, available to chat with guests and showcase his current work. Each afternoon, the hotel hosts an art reception with wine and canapés.

All throughout the hotel is a stunning collection of art curated by

contemporary-realist Queen Street gallery owners Robert and Megan Lange. There are more than 300 pieces in The Vendue just waiting to be discovered: a bold assortment of painting, sculpture, and mixed media.

“When we renovated,” John Weitz explains, “we knew we were going in the art direction but we had no idea what the art would be.” That part was entrusted entirely to the Langes.

“It’s not about what we like; rather, we want them [the Langes] to say ‘this is what the art world wants you to see,’” Weitz explains. “That is how we decide what art we will put up. Really, we are always just trying to push the envelope and inspire at every turn.”

FOR A BIT MORE INFO: www.thevendue.com

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U PSTATE CH A R M

Greenville, South Carolina at a glimpse, through familiar eyes.

BY LESLIE BROOKS | PHOTO BY SEAN PAVONE

Sprawled at the foot of the drowsy Blue Ridge Mountains lays the energetic city of Greenville.

Encased in the stunning beauty of the natural world, Greenville has provided me with an authentic glimpse of traditional southern charm emboldened by a race toward urban modernity. It’s one of the few cities I’ve found that nurtures start-up culture, has an evergrowing metropolis, and still preserves a sense of small town warmth. The filaments of intimate city streets, a blossoming culinary scene, and an impassioned artistic community, have been woven together to create a city that offers me, and the many others who are strolling along its streets, an exceptional experience.

Everyone in Greenville knows that one of the gems of downtown is Falls Park in the Historic West End; a naturally formed site along the Reedy River that has been preserved and developed around. Bowing gracefully across the heart of the park is the Liberty Bridge.

The cable-suspended bridge is a unique construction that seems to hover effortlessly over the falls and gardens below. Lower-lying trails within the park connect downtown to RiverPlace, the Greenville Zoo, twenty-

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two miles of footpath known as the Swamp Rabbit Trail, and beyond that hikers and bikers can reach Furman University’s beautiful campus or the quaint town of Traveler’s Rest. Additionally, the works of many local artists are displayed in the park, along with a stage for the performing arts.

The stretches of natural rock formations, tumbling falls, lush green lawns, and fragrant gardens bring that hometown mountain charm to an up-and-coming city.

On a sunny day, it’s the perfect place where I can grab a frozen mango bubble tea from O-CHA tea bar and detach from the hustle of city life with a good book.

Greenville’s artistic community is another facet of the city that has yet to stop amazing me with its continuous pursuit of artistic innovation. Alongside talented local artists, there are dozens of studios, exhibits, galleries, and co-ops in or near the epicenter of downtown. Several art museums offer me the chance to greedily take in national touring collections and exhibits from local artists. Perhaps most significantly, in the spring of each year, Greenville invites artists from the local region, nation, and globe to partici-

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pate in an overwhelming weekend long event known as Artisphere, which showcases culinary, visual, and performing arts.

When I’m in the mood for something good to eat, I don’t have to look far. As an avid foodie, what I consider memorable cuisine isn’t just about a dazzling flavor profile or a breathtaking presentation, but it’s about that intangible something that just cannot be quantified. I’ve found that unnamable quality in the hand-selected and in-house cured meats, local cheeses, homemade pickled veggies, and fresh honeycomb on chef’s meat board at Bacon Brothers. I taste it hidden within the ‘even lazier paella’ at the Lazy Goat. I can discover it anew at Soby’s, Southern Comfort, Smoke on the Water, or any number of local restaurants. And when I’ve gorged myself on more than my fair share, I can always stuff in a bite or two of the Chocolate Moose’s salted caramel chocolate cupcakes.

At the end of the day, when my head hits the pillow, there are a myriad of viable possibilities if I want to stay on North Main. On top of my list is the Westin Poinsett, conveniently nestled in the heart of the city,

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and steeped in downtown charm. If refined elegance and sophistication are what I’m in the mood for, I can be assured that I will find it in the luxurious rooms of the Poinsett. In contrast, if I desire something peppered with a more urban aesthetic, the Hyatt Regency on North Main has it. It is conveniently located next to the new restaurant Roost, and has a beautiful windowed façade. Inside, the hotel sports a stunning openair atrium, along with modern sculpture within it, as well as just beyond its polished glass doors.

Greenville is a city that has charmed me with its traditional take on southern hospitality mixed with a dash of the new. It’s a place of fertile soil for entrepreneurs looking to plant their seeds. There are the fruits of a budding culinary scene I’ve had the privilege to sample, plenty of opportunities to indulge in the performing and visual arts, and miles of scenic trails to explore.

From wine to art cellars, Greenville has a bit of everything to offer.

FOR A BIT MORE INFO: www.visitgreenvillesc.com

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PU LL AWAY Designer Amy Vermillion takes a break from her artful interiors for some outdoor creativity with Rocky Creek Sporting Clays.

BY COREY MILLER | PHOTOS BY JAMEY PRICE

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“When I got out of the car, I’m sure they were thinking, ‘Oh great — who’s wife?’ ”

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With a deafening boom and a far-off crack, Amy Vermillion grins, relishing the distinct sounds of a well aimed shotgun blast. While the sounds echo off of the woods of the Rocky Creek Sporting Clays Oak Course, general manager and shooting instructor Chris Cantrell looks on approvingly. “She’s actually a really good shooter when she can take a moment to shut her brain off,” he laughs.

Interior design extraordinaire Amy Vermillion seems to enjoy some repose for her overactive creator’s mind.

Her design work is renowned in Charlotte for her “comfortable” creations. She embraces the cleanness of negative space

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in order to complete designs rather than needlessly filling them with overly-wrought pieces. A master of focusing on every important detail, Amy’s been endlessly lauded for her ability “to look beyond what’s in front of her,” and that’s precisely what she cannot do when she’s shooting. In this sport, the launch of the clay demands the shooter’s complete attention. “You have to turn everything else off,” Chris Cantrell advises.

At this sport-shooting destination, Amy is able to break from work in favor of some simple but thrilling fun. She first encountered a skeet thrower at the Union County home of one

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“It’s like yoga, but, you know — with ammo.” of her contractor colleagues. The catharsis she had felt firing a handgun for the first time was nothing compared to the buck and thunder of shotgun target practice. Pretty soon, she found herself exploring Richburg, South Carolina’s Rocky Creek Sporting grounds, at an event where she was the only woman shooting. “When I got out of the car,” she jokes, “I’m sure they were thinking, ‘Oh great — who’s wife?’ ” Amy shot pretty well that day, due to either luck or some determination to prove herself among the men. Since then, she’s turned it into a hobby — a regular retreat, even.

Coming out here and shooting really is a kind of refuge. Her instructor Chris is responsible for much of the welcome and comfort she feels in this sporting haven. “We have a really good rapport,” Amy explains, praising instructor Cantrell’s amicability. Despite what is considered a predominantly male sporting landscape, Amy’s “never in-

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timidated here.” Rocky Creek isn’t too far across the border, but it’s just far enough away from the hustle of Charlotte and her endlessly impressive design work, which is often all-consuming. For Amy, it provides a rejuvenation not unlike what she could find in a day spa. “This is the only time that I can stop my mind,” she says. “When I come out here, it’s beautiful and it’s quiet: I turn my phone off, and I’m able to just focus for a moment on nothing but that clay coming out.”

She’s able to shake off all of her worries and expectations from the design world, and find joy and catharsis in another kind of art. Amy’s healthy new hobby is proof that the sporting life has no demographic. “It’s like yoga, but, you know — with ammo.”

FOR A BIT MORE INFO: rockycreeksportingclays.com | amyvermillion.com

THE MOUNTAIN COMMUNITY With love of the natural and respect for the freedom of its members, Blue Ridge Mountain Club allows its prime real estate and community to grow organically.

BY COREY MILLER | PHOTOS BY FUEL

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About halfway between Boone and Blowing Rock, North Carolina, the straight stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway splits into a couple different directions. Take the private road. You’ll find yourself on a plateau of sorts before too long, with the only 360 degree view of blue-green Appalachia this side of Grandfather Mountain.

Those gleaming hearths visible on the mountainsides all around are joined by some palpable sense of place. This is the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountain Club, a hidden community which prides itself on its outdoorsy amenities and natural sense of community, but which could sell itself on its views alone. Leave the public parkway for the private one, and you’ll probably struggle to find a good reason to leave again. Here, both the mountain laurel and the community grow freely.

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Growing is already a pastime for this idyllic community. With an already hefty colony situated atop two of the area’s highest ridgelines, it’s done little else since 2010. Pretty soon, that central mountaintop will be teeming with the sound and movement of life unlike anything these hills have ever seen. The foundations of a massive clubhouse are now the indisputable focal point of this Olympian plot, an amalgam of sticks and bricks heralding something more. It’s not hard to imagine entire walls of glass facing out toward that landscape euphoria: Anything less transparent would be unethical. After some healthy interaction with family and friends, members recline on the green while facing the blue. A natural upward curve in the land makes for a soft, grassy amphitheater enclosed only by lavender rims in the distance — a

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half-bowl perfect for rebounding the melodic procession of mountain sounds from an adjoining stage (which also doubles as a dining area).

This project, unfinished though it is, exemplifies so much of what drives the folks stewarding this community.

This soon-to-be sublime compound isn’t just placed onto this peak. It’s built into it. Like the whole of Blue Ridge Mountain Club (BRMC), it is very much part of the land.

No one had to cut into this mountain to make this communal flat space. The community’s peak was provided by the natural shift of the blue ridges, just as the winding roads throughout the community hug the rounded earth, rather than carving through it. Practically every rhododendron is preserved, because Blue Ridge Mountain Club doesn’t lord itself over nature. Reggie Bray, the

club’s Director of Marketing, insists that every piece of architecture situated on these 6200 acres of lush high land “looks like it belongs.” It all fits.

As they’re built, Reggie explains, “each property contributes” to the picturesqueness of the whole. The earthy hues and timber designs compliment their surroundings, and without warning, Watauga County has itself another rustic paradise.

The land provides the space, and the club builds on it respectfully.

That natural foundation reinforces every facet of the Blue Ridge Mountain Club. It’s not your typical private housing community. There are no manmade, spongy greens or sandtraps here. “There are plenty of communities that fit that niche, and that’s wonderful for those places and their members,” says General Manager Jim Pitts, “but that isn’t us.” No, this club’s amenities are preinstalled. The river valleys, creeks, waterfalls, and trails are all maintained, but otherwise untouched.

The property includes the “Blue Hole,” famous among locals and Appalachian State University students as the most pristine swimming hole in the region. It’s located mere minutes from North Carolina’s best ski slopes, surrounded by a labyrinthine network of trails, and home to some of the most well-hidden fly fishing spots, but Blue Ridge Mountain Club’s most unique amenities may just be its neighbors. The flourishing liberal arts university town of Boone is, well, a great boon to BRMC members, and the quaint village of Blowing Rock, with its artisanal shops and adorable eateries, offers a handcrafted welcome without parallel in Western North Carolina.

From Boone’s heavily caffeinated, boundlessly creative student population to the warm, resoundingly musical locals whose roots run deep into their land, the town’s chronic youthful energy is reflected in every welcoming smile and every rootsy guitar strum on King Street. A short drive (or a purgative hike) from this bustle of activity is the affluent composure of Blowing Rock, which rests on its own, slightly more tranquil ridge of blue. Grab a hearty bite at Woodlands Barbeque or an exquisite couple (or four) courses at The Best Cellar one evening, setting yourself up nicely for a drowsy evening — and why shouldn’t you? You’re a few minutes from home, where the oak expanse of your back porch waits, with the crackle of its stone fireplace and a view that may just

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force your drooping lids open.

These preexisting mountain communities are so downright evangelical in their love for their elevated homes that this new community can’t avoid getting caught up in all that only-in-Appalachia intimacy.

Blue Ridge Mountain Club doesn’t really feel like a new community, though. Freshly constructed but notably lived-in, it’s a village wholly committed to upholding the values of the proverbial Mountain Town. Jim, Reggie and the other minds behind the Blue Ridge Mountain Club have removed the “silly restrictions” from the development side of things, in an inspired effort to encourage freedom in building and mobility within the community. They want homeowners to grow within this community, not out of it. “As a member’s career changes

or improves, he or she can upgrade, so to speak, to a better situation within the club,” Reggie explains.

Even the real estate, it seems, is distinctly organic. There are vacationers and there are full-time homeowners on these mountaintops, but there’s no distinction between primary and secondary homes.

Your property at Blue Ridge Mountain Club, according to one member, is a “primary gathering place.”

A sort of generational bridge, it’s home not just for each inhabitant, but for a family’s legacy. The individual families choose to gather at the club because of the larger family of members. When Mountain Club families get together, they get together here, where the skies open and the mountains beckon.

In this club, the “club mentality” amounts to a very deliberate kinship building. It feels like its own town not because of a superfluity of buildings or a central, manufactured grid, but because of the club’s extraordinarily organic means of achieving togetherness. That’s what sets it apart: “There are other places with pretty views,” Reggie Bray explains. “There are places like this, in the mountains, but if we don’t have a sense of place, we don’t have anything. That — that sense of place — comes with human interaction, with people sharing experiences.” Blue Ridge Mountain Club affirms the notion that sticks and bricks don’t make for a community.

Like the indefinable allures of the mountain lifestyle, it’s something more intangible than that.

FOR A BIT MORE INFO: www.blueridgemountainclub.com

WITH PURPOSE Legendary Charlotte architect Murray Whisnant is purposeful, very much a man of substance over style.

Architect, furniture maker, designer, and artist, he dresses professionally for business meetings, but only to a self-prescribed point of practicality, and no further. There’s a simplicity to his every conversation. He’ll explain what a design means, but he won’t needlessly praise or embellish it. It’s a structure, and it “does what it’s supposed to do.”

BY COREY MILLER | PHOTOS BY JAMEY PRICE AND GORDON SCHENCK

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The Murray Whisnant Story

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Murray’s “Swan Song,” a huge rectangular array of 70s TV dinner trays, was made of abjectness and less-than-appetizing potato paste meals. A beautiful work of art, it is nonetheless a relic of a lonely time in his life. Whisnant, now in his early 80s, admits to having found some delight in the bottoms of those all-too-contemporary meals. “I love the forms of the TV dinners,” he laughs. “They’re certainly better than the food.” These tin shapes, simple though they are, appeal to his modern artist sensibilities. The fact is, they’re functional. They serve their purpose. Like Murray’s mid-century modern masterworks, they are the solution to a problem.

Much like those TV dinner trays, Murray’s current home has a purpose. The angular forms making up his house were inspired by the skeleton of a ship, but you’d never know it — this design was easily applicable to the plot of land, and it is at its fundament a work of exceptional utility. In the bowels of that ship is Murray’s home studio, where he paints, channeling his Charlotte heritage through a medium not altogether unlike his architectural illustrations. A hobby taken up in his golden years, Whisnant’s gargantuan square paintings of Queen City fauna were foreshadowed by his earlier “landscapes.” Slightly less colorful (but hardly less detailed) leaf motifs frame his beautiful drafts of some of the most angular and modern commercial buildings in the Charlotte and Triangle areas. His old drawings are browning now, exuding a retro sort of elegance, but they’re merely estimations of the real thing. Murray’s work, both commercial and residential, has helped define the modern landscape of North Carolina architecture, and he can’t imagine having done otherwise.

He’s been in the business for a while. Born and raised in the Queen City, William Murray Whisnant graduated from Charlotte Central High in 1950 and began his studies at North Carolina State University’s School of Design shortly thereafter. He worked with three firms in Charlotte after his 1956 graduation, before partnering with Charles Wheatley in January 1960. He wouldn’t found his own firm, Murray Whisnant Architects, until 18 years later.

Separating himself from the established industry wasn’t tough, as he was already well-known in Charlotte. His divergence was provoked by a difference in creative philosophy. Murray’s inspired schooling at NCSU (of which he only says good things) and his early experiences in the architecture industry were at odds with one another. He found that Americans, and our architects as a result, were mostly interested in a particular sort of design. “When I look at today’s world of American architecture,” he muses, “it’s clear that the secret to success is embracing what I call ‘reminiscent’ design.” Murray believes that, in the States, we’re always fondly looking back, restrained by our remembrance of things past. “If you want to be successful in Charlotte architecturally, build a house that looks like what you find on a jigsaw puzzle box.” European and picturesque, these homes are beautiful, sure, but they’re a bit out of place in the present environmental climate. “With a planet consuming its resources at an alarming rate,” Murray believes architecture should have a moral basis. “In today’s world, we’re fortunate: We can design buildings that produce all the energy they consume without them looking like an addition to the International Space Station.”

As fun as pretending can be, most of us Carolinians are not Europeans. Murray Whisnant’s brand of artistic expression — he hopes — has always been one of honesty. American architecture should be honest with itself, should emphasize itself, rather than the successes of models far away and long ago.

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PREVIOUS SPREAD: Murray Whisnant’s Calabrese Home design.

Murray in his studio. THIS PAGE: The courtyard and pool at Murray Whisnant Home II. An architectural drawing of Providence Medical Center. The front elevation of Murray Whisnant Home I. The “mast” of Murray’s current home.

“You retire from a job.

I never had a job.”

- Murray Whisnant

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“Things like the Boeing 787 liner and Wright Brothers’ airplane in 1903…they’re both beautiful and they remain beautiful in the same way, as pure answers to the problems they were meant to solve.”

Murray’s instinct has always been to progress the art by identifying and meeting the needs of a form, as opposed to imitating what other artists have done with that form. “The school of architecture was about learning to be problem solvers, not stylists,” Murray stresses. The best (and craziest) architects derive a particular joy in seeking out these problems. The original Whisnant home at Sharon Hills Road sits on a hill that rises over 50 feet in elevation from one end of the site to the other.

Reinforced steel beams had to be incorporated into this structure, which would become as dramatic as a mountain home but with all the geometric, Bauhaus flourishes. The house’s design fits into the wooded incline as if it was always meant to be there, hugging the sloped earth like a boxy, white-andred outcropping of rock. Perched precariously on a strange site but also large enough for a family, this home is emblematic of Whisnant’s strategy: His niche is “appropriate” design — appropriate for the site, the budget, and the clients’ wishes.

For Murray Whisnant, trend is a trap, and at 84, he’s speaking from experience. “I know that if you’re incredibly stylish,” he says, smiling like a schoolboy, “take a photo of yourself and wait thirty years for a good laugh.”

If an architect wants to be timeless, he avoids style. “No one designing a Boeing 787 liner is thinking about style, you know? Things like the Boeing 787 liner and Wright Brothers’ airplane in 1903 — those were never about style. They’re both beautiful and they remain beautiful in the same way, as pure answers to the problems they were meant to solve. Like anything truly beautiful, they demand that we view them intellectually.”

Murray’s designs are themselves unalterably cerebral, each of them one-of-a-kind, but he’s never seen his career in that light. In Murray’s mind, his designs exist outside the realm of what’s been overdone not because of some labored attempt at reaching that place, but rather because he simply creates in a way that makes sense. “If, in the end, there’s something that makes a design distinctively mine, well,” he shrugs, “that’s great.”

He’s a humble man. On occasion, it seems, Murray’s utilitarian approach to describing even his own work sells himself short. Good architecture solves a problem, and Murray’s biggest problem may be his modesty. Luckily his breathtaking works carefully address these humble tendencies, speaking proudly for themselves. Murray Whisnant’s design is distinctively his — all of it. His work is without classification, and thus can only be described as Whisnant-esque. He laughs at the notion of his own style though, reasserting his Appropriate Design philosophy: “I guess, if you set out to solve a problem, style may follow.”

Indeed, some semblance of style has followed, but it’s an autonomous one rather than manufactured, making Murray one of the most visionary American architects still working today. He’s helped shape modern American architecture for over half a century, and he’s not going to stop doing so any time soon. “You retire from a job,” Murray, who’s currently working on two new architectural projects, explains. Ever the pragmatic modernist but never lacking some old-fashioned wit, Murray grins. “I never had a job.”

FOR A BIT MORE INFO: Visit Murray Whisnant’s studio on East Boulevard in Charlotte, NC or you can see his modern furniture design at the Bechtler’s The House That Modernism Built.

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THIS PAGE: Designs by Murray Whisnant include the Carmel Presbyterian Church and Pentes Design. Murray Whisnant sits in front of his leaf paintings at his East Blvd studio.

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Over 50 of the Queen City’s finest luxury home industry providers you need to know when building, remodeling, or designing your dream home.

HOME & DESIGN GUIDE

2016

From left to right: 1st ROW: A sophisticated library built

by Arcadia Homes. The sun sets over an Ashley J designed home. Charlotte Lucas sits in her contemporary space.

2ND ROW: Amy Vermillion in a luxury bathroom she recently designed.

A New Old custom build embraces the authentic Irish Pub. Frank Smith stands proudly in front of his most popular design. A Gerrard Builders French Provincial. 3RD ROW: Vahid and Leila Zahabiuon of Charlotte Rug Gallery. A Simonini luxury staircase.

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2016

HOME & DESIGN GUIDE

To build, remodel, or decorate the perfect dream home you need to work with the best. Luckily for you, the Queen City has some of the finest home industry providers and purveyors in the state. To narrow down your search for the best, we have compiled a list of over 50 names in the industry that you need to know and that can help that home dream come true. From the most creative interior designers to the most dependable home builders, from fine furniture to the most unique materials, you’ll find it here.

Liquid Design

With over 20,000 slabs and 200 varieties for customers to hand pick from their warehouses, AGM’s selection of the finest quality marble is unparalleled in the southeast.

The duo of Mike Lee Standley and Michael Williams make up this concept, with a portfolio of architectural projects that adhere to a strict design budget while retaining flexibility to constantly changing future trends.

Thierry François has been crafting fine wood surfaces and stone mantles since 1997. Some styles are rooted in the distant past, while others are inspired by modern architecture. It’s the intersection of these two schools of design that makes Francois & Co.’s techniques uniquely timeless.

Cadenza Granite & Marble

Cutting-edge technology and traditional Carolina craftsmanship come together at Cadenza’s headquarters and manufacturing plant in Concord, providing the southern Piedmont with a vast selection of hand-built luxury countertops.

Ruard Veltman has a tendency toward beautiful traditional design that incorporates modernistic elements. His vision of a Carolina home is always an inspired one, as he’s constantly redefining traditional residential neighborhood settings and pristine natural environments.

Arcadia Homes

AGM Imports

François & Co.

Ruard Veltman Architecture

The minds behind Arcadia Homes are synonymous with the constant pursuit of liveable luxury, a philosophy they want to share with their clients. They believe that a custom home shouldn’t be built without first building a lasting client relationship.

Grande Custom Homes

Murray Whisnant Architects

Murray Whisnant has been building homes in this region for 60 years, and he hasn’t let up yet. Today, he designs beautiful modern furniture while taking on the occasional home project. Murray’s brand of modernism was one of the first in Charlotte, and his work today is legendary.

An unlimited license contractor and a certified green building professional, this progressive member of the North Carolina Home Builders Association stays informed on new trends and ideas in luxury home building.

Gerrard Builders

A portfolio of exquisite styles ranging from French Provincial to New England Colonial discloses everything clients need to know about Bryan Gerrard. Every home design draws deftly from a diverse skill set in an effort to please even the most of discerning Charlotteans.

Frank Smith Design

Architectural designer Frank Smith understands the importance of creating beauty. His custom homes and renovations are designed to evoke an emotional response, which is precisely what the best art should do.

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GJK Building and Remodeling

Garry Knowles and his team are firmly invested in quality over quantity, working only a few projects at a time to preserve the craftsmanship and attention-to-detail that their clients deserve.

Chiott Custom Homes

Jonathan Chiott and company are a home-building juggernaut, with almost unparalleled efficiency in production and in product.

from England in 1996, establishing a new custom home building operation here in Charlotte. Their years of experience in the London home industry are implemented in every Charlotte and Charleston project.

Hubert Whitlock Builders

Founded in 1957, this firm is now headed up by Hubert Whitlock’s children, who have maintained the founder’s vision for quality homes and renovations, while shaping the company into one of the premier home builders in the metropolitan Charlotte area.

Kingswood Custom Homes

Though he’s been in the real estate business since 1977, Peter Leeke and his wife Louise found their way over

New Life Building SupplIES

New Life is a customer-oriented company, supplying Charlotteans with every home accoutrement from cabinets and counters to siding and roofs for nearly four decades.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT A Grande Custom Homes living room and dining room. A beautiful living room furnished by Good’s Home Furnishings. Gorgeous windows from Clark Hall Doors. Popular Charlotte designer Lauren Clement of Lauren Nicole Design. OPPOSITE PAGE: A stunning Majestic Bath bathroom vignette features clean lines and modern fixtures.

New Old Custom Homes

Mary Ludemann and New Old have built a strong, diverse professional team of licensed builders, architects, interior designers, and support staff, each skilled in state-

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2016

HOME & DESIGN GUIDE of-the-art design technology and exceptional management practices.

Amy Vermillion

A designer who needs little introduction around these parts, Amy Vermillion has worked all over the place, including up the air: In addition to her Charlotte home projects, she also designs jet interiors.

Ashley J Design

Ashley Jimenez and her team are constantly in touch with the latest in materials, design trends, and industry technology, guaranteeing her clients only the best of design opportunities.

Barrie Benson

Barrie is known for infusing architecturally traditional homes (like her 1950s ranch) with a dash of modern youthful energy and color, utilizing her fresh take on European and American 20th century furniture, art and collections.

Cellars South

The folks at Cellars South specialize in turn-key custom wine cellars for every kind of wine drinker, from the budding wine enthusiast to the hardcore collector.

Charlotte Lucas

Integrating antiques and family heirlooms into new designs Charlotte Lucas focuses on providing perfectly proportioned rooms and one-of-akind designs for each client.

Dwell by Cheryl

Interior designer Cheryl Luckett understands the Charlotte family.

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A family’s inner workings — what matters to them, and what makes a space theirs — not only interest her, they inform every facet of her career, and every corner of her residential spaces.

Lauren Nicole Design

The folks at Lauren Nicole believe that your home should be a reflection of you. They take care to respect your style, budget, and needs to provide you with a space that represents your unique personality.

South End Kitchens

Designers Catherine Whitney, Allison Randleman, and Tracy Collins make up this design studio, a luxury kitchen designer located conveniently on South Boulevard. They’re endlessly friendly and helpful, but most importantly — they serve their clients espresso!

Tiffany Lee Design

Specializing in both commercial and residential design, this Corneliusbased design firm sprang from the mind of Queens University of

Charlotte alum Tiffany Lee, who’s been enhancing spaces since she was a little girl. Years of experience are invaluable, and her interiors prove it.

Traci Zeller

If Traci Zeller’s orderly, graceful interiors aren’t enough, she also offers her very own line of textiles and accessories which provide her clients with simple answers to every design need.

KBN Interiors

The accomplished interior designers at KBN Interiors combine years of experience and numerous awards to create show-stopping interiors from start to finish, including 3D renderings and perspectives to selecting the final touches.

FERGUSON

For 63 years, Ferguson has supplied homeowners and professionals with quality appliances, plumbing and lighting fixtures, and hardware.

Visit their showroom near uptown for inspiration and a meeting with a product expert for an unparalleled shopping experience to luxuriously outfit your home.

FIBER SEAL

Since 1971, Fiber Seal’s signature fabric conservation formula has been protecting carpet, furniture, and fabrics from damage and spills in both residential and commercial spaces.

ISABELLA

At Isabella, customers shop luxury linens and home furnishings that create a comfortable home. Clients work with expert interior designers

to find their personal style and conceptualize dream spaces and make them reality.

J. LANDON

J. Landon is Charlotte’s answer to the lighting question. From wall mounts, ceiling fans, and hardware to chandeliers, furniture, and accessories, their website and showroom display an impressive array that is sure to fit any home’s need.

Shain Gallery

Located in Myers Park and owned by Gabrielle Shain-Bryson, Shain Gallery represents over forty different nationally and regionally acclaimed artists — a fact that’s been pleasing art enthusiasts for a while now.

Elder Gallery

Known for its expansive showroom space, Elder Gallery’s selection of represented artists offers one of of the widest varieties of styles, media and subject matter in the Queen City.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT The designers from South End Kitchens. A beautiful GJK remodel.

A Kingswood build entitled Cassique. Up-and-coming Charlotte designer Cheryl Luckett. OPPOSITE PAGE: A beautiful vignette features Stickley Audi & Co. furniture.

CimarRon Sky Gallery

The newly opened Cimarron Sky Gallery brings Western art to the American southeast, offering a brand of art completely unlike anything other Charlotte galleries are exhibiting. Owner and director Tim Rowley believes in building strong relationships with his exhibited artists, in turn building a gallery of art that’s truly worthy of the American legend it depicts.

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HOME & DESIGN GUIDE LaCa Projects

LaCa Projects is expressly dedicated to the presentation, development, and promotion of Latin American art and culture. The gallery has a couple of strong assets, including some beautiful, modern exhibition rooms, world-class art, and a passionate gallery director in Neely Verano.

Bedside Manor

With a welcoming staff trained to understand color and chemistry in all textiles and materials, this South Charlotte home goods retailer is dedicated to making you happy, in-home and in-store.

WALKER ZANGER

Walker Zanger’s Charlotte showroom offers impressive stones from quarries throughout the world, each individually selected and evaluated by the company’s experienced stone masters.

Clark Hall Doors

For over 40 years, this company has been creating elegant hardwood and iron entry doors using the finest quality timber from all over, with the thoughtful exclusion of endangered wood species.

Classic Attic

Like any good old attic, this fine furniture and home accessory consignment retailer is fully stocked with treasures from the most affluent neighborhoods in the Queen City.

COCOCO Home

The Comfortable Couch Company’s remarkably comfortable pieces are

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bench-made in their small plant in Newton, North Carolina, finally meeting the growing demand for quality, affordable American-made furniture in the Carolinas.

Magnolia Emporium

Randolph James’ bespoke home decor, gift, and interior design firm, located in The Gold District of historic South End, is driven by its owner’s love of travel and colorful design.

DeWoolfson Down

Comforters, pillows, and featherbeds, filled and sewn with hand-selected European white goose down, are this manufacturer’s specialty: All orders are finished and shipped within 12 to 48 hours directly from Dewoolfson’s North Carolina factory. They’re efficient and elegant.

The Majestic Bath

Good’s Home Furnishings

Oasis Pools Plus

Visit Good’s Home Furnishings for all your quality home furnishings needs. Their showrooms offer some of the best furniture pieces and value in the industry.

This outdoor living showroom has been providing Charlotte with high quality outdoor furniture, swimming pools, spas, and grills for 37 years.

Hearth and Patio

CHARLOTTE RUG GALLERY

This family-owned retailer of patio furniture, fireplaces, and more has expanded its reach to Northlake, continuing a nearly four decade tradition of product quality and excellent customer service.

One of the largest selections of artisan rugs in the state, Charlotte Rug Gallery offers semi-antique and antique hand-knotted rugs from the most sought-after rug producing centers in the world.

The Majestic Bath in Charlotte offers an extensive selection of the finest faucets, tubs, sinks, toilets and cabinet hardware. Their designer kitchen and bath fixtures are ripe for the purchase at unparallelled, affordable prices.

Stark Home

The Charlotte store exemplifies Stark’s mission to supply beautiful and unique carpets, rugs, fabrics, and furnishings while exploring world markets to ensure they always offer the best new products.

Stickley Audi & Co.

This high-end furniture store line with a selection of fine wood pieces, oriental rugs and other home accents has been in business for over a century.

Sub-Zero and Wolf

This Worthington Avenue showroom is your Charlotte stop for Westye Bakke’s pioneering brand of kitchen appliances, which have been redefining the American kitchen for nearly a century.

tion of natural stones, including marbles, quartz, and soapstone.

Their team provides support throughout the entire project, including home follow-ups to ensure quality service.

BIRD HARDWARE

COUTURE KNOTS

Charlotte native Ali Nikrooz brings designer rugs to the Queen City at prices so affordable they’d threaten to unravel the rug market elsewhere. He and his team are committed making your interior a personal couture statement.

BOTTEGA STONE

Bottega Stone’s Charlotte showroom features an impressive collec-

From a well-stocked showroom to professional installation, Bird Hardware’s Charlotte location provides hardware and fixture solutions for any home.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT An impressive modern space created

by Liquid Design. Larry Elder of Elder Gallery showcases his collection of art.

Barrie Benson sits proudly in a wonderful space she designed. A colorful rug from Couture Knots. OPPOSITE PAGE: A rustic kitchen from New Life Building Supplies.

SIMONINI

This award-winning Charlotte home builder provides custom homes and renovations while staying true to their mission of excellence and elegance.

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The INDEX

JUNE/JULY

2016

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AGM Imports................................................63 Arcadia Custom Homes...........................45 Ashley J Design...........................................32 BRAHM..........................................................143 Bedside Manor.............................................79 Ben Bowen Real Estate.............................71 Bird Hardware.............................................127 Blackhawk Hardware.................................87 Bottega Stone..............................................111 Bridgewater Capital..................................113 Bruce Julian ..................................................150 Cadenza .........................................................121 Carolinas HealthCare System ...................53 Cellars South .................................................46 Charlotte's ....................................................44 Chiott Custom Homes .................................16 Classic Attic ...................................................48 Clean Catch ...................................................99 Clifton Larson Allen .....................................47 Cococo ...........................................................115 Coffey & Thompson .....................................44 Cottingham Chalk Hayes ...........................59 Couture Knots ..............................................119 Craft Tasting Room .....................................97 David's LTD .......................................................2 Dewoolfson Down.......................................66 Diamond Springs .........................................93 Diamonds Direct .........................Back Cover Dr. Robert Lowe, DDS ...................................29 DwellNova ......................................................10 Elder Gallery ..................................................57

Epicentre ........................................................91 Fahrenheit .....................................................83 Ferguson Bath, Kitchen & Lighting .........73 Fiber Seal .......................................................122 Francois & Co. ..................................................12 Frank Smith Residential Design ...............20 GJK Design Build Remodel ......................103 Gerrard Builders ...........................................22 Good's Home Furnishings ........................50 Grande Custom Homes .............................40 Isabella ............................................................35 J. Landon Lighting .......................................117 KBN Interiors ................................................127 KLM Massage ................................................74 Kingswood .....................................................31 Laca Projects ................................................60 Lake Norman Realty...................................... 18 Land Rover Charlotte ..................................27 Lauren Nicole Designs ..............................109 Lindley Law ....................................................43 Liquid Design ................................................52 Lucky Clays ....................................................151 Magnolia Emporium ..................................126 Majestic Bath ...............................................105 Malibu Boats ................................................145 McDevitt Agency ..........................................14 Metrolina Auto Group................................... 6 Midwood Smokehouse.............................. 99 Movement Mortgage ..................................67 Nestlewood Realty...................................... 65 New Life Building........................................ 147

The STOCKISTS

Noble Food Pursuits................................... 89 Oasis Pools Plus........................................... 123 Omni Hotels ...................................................84 Paul Simon Women...................................... 37 Perry's Fine Jewelry..................................... 36 Piedmont Town Center............................... 85 Pink Hanger ...................................................34 Premier Sotheby's..........................................8 ReSalon ..........................................................34 Remax Exclusive............................................ 4 Reside Charlotte ...........................................77 Ritz- Carlton Charlotte............................... 95 Rolle Oral & Facial Surgery...................... 149 Sally's Optical Secrets.................................. 61 Schiele Museum........................................... 151 Sea Level .........................................................97 Simonini Luxury Homes............................. 49 Sister's Cove ...................................................51 South End Kitchens.................................... 69 Sporting Gent ..............................................179 Stark Carpet ..................................................39 Stickley Audi & Co. .........................................72 Subzero Wolf Showroom ..........................125 Tiffany Lee Design....................................... 78 US National Whitewater Center ...............24 Walker Zanger............................................. 107 Windsor Jewelers........................................ 33

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