Dream Kitchen- A Guest Post by Kathy Sandler

It all began with instagram. And then the article where I saw this photo and more. For those of you who do not know her, Kathy Sandler is super talented with the camera AND the written word. One day she started posting photos of one of the greatest kitchens I have ever seen, and I just HAPPENED to be on instagram at the time. And then came her article, revealing more from her tour of the Nashville Symphony Show House. One rarely sees a show house that is so consistent in style throughout. In fact, this is a highly unusual show house. I begged Kathy to share the kitchen with my readers, and I encourage you to continue on to her site to continue the tour of this home, after you visually devour this amuse-bouche of a dream kitchen. Please welcome our guest, Kathy Sandler, designer and Chief Blogtrix of Live The Fine Life:

Here’s Kathy:

I have the honor of belonging to a group of design centric locals, gathered together by the ladies of Forest Home Media. As a member of their tribe, I enjoy perks like sneak peeks, private tours and special events in the home and garden sector. Their latest excursion took us to preview the inaugural Nashville Symphony Show House.
The house a ‘Contemporary Folk’ collaboration between the architect, über talented Nashville newcomer Wade Weissman, builder Alan Looney’s Castle Homes, and several prominent local designers, was designed by Weissman for his brother’s young family. They graciously agreed to allow their home to be used as a fundraiser for the city’s Grammy Award winning Symphony.
Until a few weeks ago, I lived within walking distance of the house (which in suburban Nashville terms means I drove past it a few times a week), and enjoyed watching the progress of the 5500+ square foot build. When invited by Forest Home Media to a Garden Party Preview, I happily made the trek back out to my old neighborhood to get a look inside this beautiful property.
The details in the home are refreshing and best displayed in the enormous and well-appointed kitchen. To say the massive room is the star of the home doesn’t give it its due. It is the sun and the other living spaces appear to rotate around it.
Upon first glance from the dining room, you become instantly aware you’re about to enter a very special space.

Castle Homes’ in-house designer, Caroline Weigel, pulled out all the stops when designing this kitchen. Light streams in from the large two-over-two windows and the vaulted wood-planked ceilings emphasize the vastness of the space.
The 12′- 6″ island seats at least six people. Made from a felled 300 year-old oak tree, the planks on the countertop were given a cerused finish (a process that raises the grain of the wood), and then whitewashed to give it an even more greyed, aged appearance.
To give you an idea of the scale of the room, the Darlana pendants from Circa Lighting are each 54 inches long, making for a little under 10 feet of task lighting for the island alone!

The subway-tiled vent hood is one of my favorite features in the room. The crown molding detail along the lower edge adds visual interest to a utilitarian piece of equipment. It also balances the weight of the 48″ Wolf range. The countertops in this area are a quartz surface from Caesarstone. An integrated refrigerator tower, one of a pair along the back wall, adds height to the right side of the cleaning zone.

A look in the other direction reveals ample storage space that serves as a Butlers Pantry for the dining room. A mirrored display cabinet reflects daylight back into the space. More integrated appliances, including refrigerator drawers and a glass front SubZero wine tower, are on many a kitchen designer’s “If I win the lottery list…” including mine!

The mirrored backsplash at the pantry’s bar not only multiplies light in the kitchen, it reveals the cozy brick fireplace that runs parallel to the island. No detail was overlooked in this luxury build.

In Nashville real estate listings, it’s common to see the phrases, “Entertainer’s dream” and “Chef’s kitchen. They’re tossed around loosely, and home buyers are quick to discover both terms are off the mark more often than not.
Sadly, this home is not for sale and the island countertop is one-of-a-kind, but there are lots of ideas you can borrow from this beautifully designed space. The kitchen, a true collaboration conceived and created by the team of Wade Weissman, Castle Homes, and Caroline Weigel not only earns the designation of a “Entertainer’s dream/Chef’s kitchen,” it exceeds it!

Was I right or what? How incredible is this kitchen?! Many thanks to Kathy Sandler for sharing it with us. Be sure to see the rest of the house, and more on HER beautiful website. Her photos are spectacular and get ready to laugh- her wit will catch you off guard when you least expect it. Read her Nashville Symphony Show House article here.