Annual Homes & Design Issue 2017
In this custom-built home by Dexter White of Dexter White Construction, traditional features, fashionable design styles, and exceptional materials come together to create a fresh take on a Neoclassical Georgian home. Designer Katie Pratt and residential home designer Jon Greenfield joined forces with White to help take this home to the next level.
Striking exteriors comprised of Old English French Quarter brick in a random-laid pattern with Savannah ivory mortar play a prominent role in this home nestled on six wooded acres. The same brick is carried throughout many features inside the home. Dormers, dark shutters, and half-round guttering add visual interest to the otherwise unbroken façade. Traditional evergreen landscaping and multiple archway entrances to an interior courtyard accentuate the home’s Georgian and Neoclassical styling.
The wine bar is an interior room that perfectly showcases this home’s unique brickwork. “This room was one of my favorites. It turned out great and we were actually able to use a thinner version of the exterior brick to fit the space better,” White explains. Mirror image brick archways and an arched tongue and groove, custom-stained pine ceiling bring a soulful styling to the space. With storage for nearly 100 bottles, plus an extra-large wine chiller, this is a spacious state-of-the-art beverage center. White and gray-veined quartz counters and a geometric glass pendant light brighten the space. See more from Dexter White Construction at dexterwhiteconstruction.com.
Adjacent to the wine bar is the dining room. The monochromatic color scheme is broken up by impactful pops of orange in the corner recessed shelving. Large casings and two-piece crown mouldings emphasize the craftsmanship of the space, and picturesque windows soak the room in sunlight. A rustic table is juxtaposed with dual crystal chandeliers which feature beaded arms that project the light into shimmering fragments. Linen upholstered chairs add to the table’s rustic charm, and a vintage-inspired rug continues the neutral colors of the seating area, forcing the focus to the light fixtures, shelving, and opulent draperies. The understated center of the room elevates the surrounding features to full focus.
Through the dining room, custom installations cultivate an old-world feel. “The owner calls this the ‘China Room.’ We gave them swinging café doors with porthole windows and a wall-full of custom cabinets,” White says. Show-front cabinetry displays the family’s silver pieces and tableware.
Vintage-inspired pendant lights reinforce the old-world feeling in an all-white plantation style. “This is a very traditional room to incorporate,” says White. Paired with plantation shutters and red oak flooring, this room is a stylishly Southern space that is highly useful while entertaining.
One of the most notable features of this home is a brick archway spanning the divide between the kitchen and the living room. It adds rich character consistent with the exteriors of the home and the wine bar. The same brick is carried through to the fireplace in the great room.
(above) The great room boasts custom-cut and rustically finished pine beams. “These beams were brought in and finished in a shade that matches the kitchen cabinetry to tie those rooms together,” White says. Matching sofas face each other, divided by a large leather ottoman. Wingback chairs in a gray plaid add a softer look, married to the various blues, browns, grays, and golds found in the cushions, silk drapes, and rug.
(below) Custom-built cabinetry in two complementary tones extend to the ceiling, complete with a rolling ladder for ease of access. Stainless steel appliances and concrete-look stools accentuate the gray veins in the quartz countertops.
The master bedroom invites just a hint of French provincial styling into the mix with a plush, upholstered bed frame, spindle-legged oak furniture, and a draping linen duvet cover. However, the au courant gray walls and shiplap found in the siding and ceiling keep everything feeling fresh. The adjacent sitting room continues the refreshing color scape with light neutral tones in the sofa, chairs, and hide rug. Chandeliers for both spaces elevate the complete aesthetic and catch sunlight from the numerous windows. “We were able to add a lot of windows to the sitting area, which gives the homeowners a cheerful little nook to just hang out or read. But because the sitting room is further off from the main bedroom, they didn’t lose any privacy with those windows either,” White explains.
