Written by: Susan Zingraf/Photos by: Daniel Feldkamp
When homeowners Jim and Kimm Arnold of New Albany got engaged last year, their wedding wasn’t the only thing they planned. With six months until their big day, “I decided I wanted to have our wedding at the house,” Kimm explains, “So we needed to redo the first floor.”
The house had traditional and ornate style, and Kimm desired a more modern look, highlighting the couple’s interests in art and glass, to set the stage for their wedding day and beyond.
She worked with designer Neal Hauschild, owner of Nth Degree Companies, who helped usher in a bright, clean contemporary style. “When I told Neal the timeline, he said ‘no problem,’” Kimm remembers, as she embarked on the two big projects simultaneously.
Dressing up the kitchen
The kitchen underwent the most dramatic change with the reconfiguring of cabinets and moving from a dark mahogany look to a crisp white and grey palette. A second doorway was added between the living room and kitchen to open and improve flow.
The kitchen island was extended on both ends, creating counter seating on one side and additional workspace on the other, and a white quartzite countertop on the large island maintains the bright, modern feel. Kimm chose the island chandeliers to help balance the modern with a classic feel. “I wanted the kitchen to feel dressy, but not that you couldn’t feel at home in it,” she says.
Making the sunroom shine
Just off the kitchen, the once segregated sunroom became a connected and inviting living space. Previously, a terra cotta toned room without heat or air conditioning and doors closing it off from the kitchen, it functioned mostly as a pass-through to the garage and outdoor patio. By removing the doors, adding a heating and cooling unit, and brightening the color scheme, the sunroom now connects with the first floor as a welcoming and relaxing sitting room.
The ceiling lighting was inspired by the dramatic ceiling in the lobby of the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, created by artist Dale Chihuly. The sunroom fixture is a custom design of wavy glass pieces in flowering shapes reminiscent of the famous hotel lobby and Chihuly style. “Each piece was hand blown with specified color and design,” explains Hauschild. Recessed lighting shines through the glass plates to illuminate the sunroom and the work of art overhead.
Great room glows
In the great room, Hauschild incorporated the couple’s artwork, area rugs, Versace sectional sofa and player piano with new components, including new chandeliers, fireplace tile, chairs and other furnishings. “We wanted to keep a light, airy, contemporary feel by pulling in tones of grey, taupe and cream,” he says.
The chandeliers are fluffy hanging globes encompassed in goose feathers. Kimm first saw this feathered fixture in a restaurant in New York, and loved it ever since. Seeing it in the showroom, she was sold. However, “Jim wasn’t convinced,” Kimm says. “So Neal and I had to work on him a little bit.” Luckily, Jim came around eventually to accepting the two goose feathered spheres (coining a descriptive nickname for the pair). The whimsical chandeliers soften the vastness of the two-story living room space and set the tone with ambient light.
Other light fixtures reflect the couple’s love of glass and modern design. In the dining room, the royal blue glass chandelier with flowing arms, by Cyan Design, embodies the style of Murano glass. In the foyer, a tall chandelier of interconnected rectangles with light linen shades, from Fine Art Lamps, illuminates the two-story entryway and staircase with modern flair.
Looking back on the experience with all the planning, decisions and construction, Kimm remembers it all as positive, “The process with Nth Degree was so professional, it was not chaotic for me at all, and it all came together.” Six months later, without a minute to spare, the first floor beamed with modern elegance for guests, the wedding and the Arnolds’ happily ever after.
Resources: Designer: Neal Hauschild, Nth Degree Home; Lighting, furniture and accessories: Nth Degree Home; Window treatments: Hunter Douglas; Fireplace stack stone: The Hamilton Parker Company; KITCHEN Pendant lights: Fine Art Lamps; Floor: Porcelain tile, Floor & Décor; Kitchen countertops: Naica quartzite, Mont Granite; Kitchen backsplash: Calacatta Marble subway tile, Floor & Décor; Kitchen island: Sunnywood; Kitchen stools: Nuevo; Appliances: Wolf Cooktop, Electrolux refrigerator; GE Monogram wall ovens and warming drawer, Wolf coffee machine, Sub-Zero undercounter wine storage; all from Ferguson; Entry bench: Interlude Home; DINING ROOM Credenza and chairs: Theodore Alexander; Chandelier: Cyan Design; Lamps: Interlude Home; GREAT ROOM Sectional: Bracci; Tulip chairs: Rosedale; Cocktail table: Interlude; Credenza: Marge Carson; Lights: Goose Feather, Vita; Wall art: “A Field Day” by John Donnelly, purchased from the Marcia Evans Gallery; SUN ROOM Light: Viz Art Glass; Rug: Nourison; Table and white chair: Nuevo