6 minute read
Coastal Cottage on the Lake
By Ray Hunter Photography by Walt Roycraft
1 This impressive coastal-inspired lake house is just south of the Nicholasville border in Garrett County. Jim and Kathy Topolski purchased the home roughly ten years ago and have been making ongoing renovations for the past five years. The house is 3,500 square feet and contains five bedrooms, situated nicely on the deep end of Harrington Lake.
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Jim and Kathy Topolski’s impressive 3,500 square-foot coastal-inspired lake house is just south of the Nicholasville border in Garrett County. It contains five bedrooms and is situated nicely on the deep end of Harrington Lake.
“We were already renting a home in the same subdivision, but this house sat on a perfect lake lot, and we had to have it,” Jim said. “It’s such a beautiful setting, and the property has direct lake access to the shoreline.”
The Topolski’s purchased the home roughly ten years ago and have been making ongoing renovations for the past five years. “Sometimes you can still see a bit of the old house; sometimes you can’t,” he said.
Jim is the owner of American Deck and Sunroom Company, a Bryantsville based design and build firm specializing in custom decks, deck stairs, patios, screened rooms, and sunrooms throughout Kentucky and the surrounding states. With over 20 years of building experience, Jim decided to complete the renovations to his home and outside deck himself. Kathy decorated most of the interior with a bit of help from her husband.
“It’s been a slow process, and we’re not done yet,” Jim said. “But we’ve made a lot of upgrades that I’m very pleased with.” Jim said the renovations began on the home’s exterior to “increase the curb appeal.” “We wanted to work on the deck right away because the lake is such a picturesque location,” he said. “There are always deer and fox playing in the back yard, which is great until the deer eat all the flowers.”
On the interior, the couple installed vaulted ceilings with coffered pine throughout the home. Coffered ceilings are a classic architectural detail consisting of rectangular, square, or octagon grids in three-dimension sunken or recessed panels.
“I’m a big fan of 360-degree architecture, and we wanted to see as much of the lake as possible from the inside,” Jim said. “So we equipped the home with as many large, solid windows and doors as we could.”
The foyer highlights this trend, with large Atrium doors leading to the outdoor deck that are four feet long each, making that wall 16 feet of solid glass that looks straight out onto the lake.
The family uses the spacious foyer as an “all-purpose” room, a central gathering place where they play cards, put food out for guests, and wrap presents. This charming space captures the memories of the original structure while providing more space and creature comforts.
“We were going for a coastal style with that feeling of peace and fun that you get from being near the water,” Jim said.
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“Kathy designed most of the interior and made some brilliant choices throughout the house that really give off that vibe.”
The master bathroom is a prime example of the lakefront living motif and one of the couple’s favorite rooms in the house. The four-foot by six-foot peaked window behind the wooden clubfoot tub draws the eye to the beautiful scene outside and makes the space feel airy and light.
“Every morning, we have animals and wildlife out that window, just stopping by to say hello,” Jim joked. “But it’s so heavily wooded and private that we don’t worry about it much.”
Jim and Kathy love to entertain, so naturally, the kitchen is the most impressive and often used room in the house. The enormous kitchen features custom cabinets, two dishwashers, two sinks, a huge sideby-side refrigerator and freezer, and a double oven with an electric induction cooktop.
“One of the sinks is made of hammered copper, and the other has a butcher block countertop,” Jim said. “I love the functional layout, and we’re definitely not cramped for space.”
The Topolski’s have put a lot of work into this house, but according to Jim, it has been a labor of love. “We absolutely love it here. We’ve raised our boys on the water, swimming, boating, and jet-skiing,” he said. “Now we get to have the grandkids over and share the magic of the lake with them, too.”
2 The spacious, open kitchen is the home’s centerpiece and the Topolski’s entertaining endeavors. The layout is functional, and the couple is not cramped for space. The broad quartz entertainer’s island is lit up from underneath, making the surface look glass-like, and is surrounded by bourbon barrel barstools. Lighting fixtures with 24-inch glass globes hang over the bar giving the room an attractive, out-of-scale appeal.
3 The signature shiplap walls continue throughout the house and into the formal dining room pictured here. Also of note is the unique wagon-wheel coffered wood ceiling that draws the eye up and makes the room feel much more prominent. Jim chose the two tall captain’s chairs to give the space even more coastal character.
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4 Because of the several separate seating areas, Jim described the main living room as something more like a “lobby in a hotel.” Three oversized, comfortable couches surround an enormous wooden entertainment center, making the area perfect for watching the game or enjoying movies together. Original to the home is the flagstone fireplace and a balcony looks over the space, leading to the upstairs guest room/playroom.
5 To the right of the flagstone fireplace, the large living room continues into this nook next to the front door. This sitting area features an exciting round rug that is the perfect statement piece and compliments the grandfather clock that the couple purchased from a shop in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
6 This spacious area in the foyer is between the main living room and the outdoor deck. The family uses this as an “all-purpose” room, a central gathering place where they play cards, put food out for guests, and wrap presents. The large Atrium doors to the right are four feet long each, making that wall 16 feet of solid glass that looks straight out onto the lake.
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7 The upstairs “balcony room” doubles as a guest room and playroom for the Topolski’s grandchildren. The space is vast and spans almost the entire length of the house. Featuring two queen beds for overnight visitors, the room leads out onto a patio door overlooking the deck, yard, and lake.
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8 The other side of the balcony room that serves as a playroom to the children is nestled under the dropped-down roof with knotted-pine ceilings, providing the space with the whimsical energy of a “princess tower.” The giant stop-sign window overlooks the front yard.
9 The master bedroom features shiplap walls and rough-sawn wooden planks arranged as horizontal panels that give the room a dramatic, distressed feel. The Topolski’s love the look and the rustic texture of shiplap because it gives off genuine coastal cottage vibes. Present but not pictured in the master is a large fireplace with a wood surrounded mantle and TV insert.
