Water's Edge

“It’s safe to say that this kitchen is my favorite room in this home,” Shea says of the sprawling space in our latest project, Water’s Edge. The clients requested a Cotswolds-inspired feel throughout the home, a challenge given that the Cotswolds are all about cozy and this property is our largest to date with more than 20,000 square feet of living space. Bringing the Cotswolds to this kitchen meant introducing plenty of textures and natural materials like wood, stone, plaster, and brass.

The first thing Shea and the design team did to warm up this kitchen was to bring the same elements seen outside of the house into the kitchen. For the focal point, “we wanted to incorporate the stone from the exterior house all the way across and then do an integrated hood,” Shea notes, adding a beam of reclaimed timber the length of the cooktop to tie into the timbers used throughout the expanse of the great room. In the cooktop’s backsplash and integrated niches on each side is the same plaster you’ll find in the entryway’s barrel ceiling. “It’s a nice break from the stone but still feels warm and in the same color palette,” Shea explains. This highly textured look adds depth and movement to a space with its natural variations in tone. The raw state and perfect patina are reminiscent of a well-loved kitchen in the Cotswolds. Shea and the design team added depth to the space with mix-and-match white oak cabinetry, antiqued brass hardware, and a honed black granite countertop. Styling accessories finish the look with a brass pot rail, aged copper pots, and vintage wood cutting boards.

Moving into the double kitchen islands, Shea and the design team used a velvety grey-green shade (Fawn Brindle by Sherwin-Williams) on the lower cabinetry. Even though it isn’t a neutral, “it still reads soft and timeless and it adds so much to this kitchen,” notes Shea. On top of the cabinetry is a countertop that Shea says is one of the show-stopping elements of the space. “It’s actually porcelain not [marble],” she adds, and a bolder veining makes a statement on the two long island tops.

“In a kitchen that’s new, you have to look for places to add some charm,” Shea explains. In this oversized space, Shea and the design team did that by breaking up the symmetry in the island’s lower storage. One side is all enclosed with inset doors and the same antiqued brass knobs and pulls from the stovetop, the other side is left open on one end to display cookware. “It adds visual interest and keeps everything from looking so perfect,” she adds.

“We love a hidden door and that one is one of our best yet,” jokes Shea of the white oak door that’s concealed as if it is one of the kitchen’s cabinets flanking the stovetop range. Walking into the kitchen’s pantry you’ll first notice a darker shade (Inspiration by Portola Paints) on the walls. “I love to pick a few spots in a home to go dark and moody with the paint color,” Shea explains. “I love that this is a surprise when you walk in from the light walls and wood tones of the main spaces.”

A massive amount of storage and an additional sink and stoves complete the dark and moody kitchen pantry.

The 19-foot table that sits in the Water’s Edge dining room comfortably seats 18 and took 10 movers to position it into place. It is the longest dining table in Studio McGee history.

To style the sprawling table, Shea and the design team “leaned into the length” and sourced two, long vintage troughs and filled them with moss. “It can live there all the time without having to refresh the flowers,” Shea notes.

Overhead, a beautiful, linear light fixture follows the length of the table and serves as a pop of modernity in a space that’s filled with vintage and organic materials like wood and leather.

One of the biggest challenges Shea and the design team faced when designing the sprawling 20,000-square-foot floorplan of our latest project, Water’s Edge, was the square footage itself. The clients requested a Cotswolds-inspired vibe, which is all about quaint, cozy spaces with a classic and rustic country feel. Elsewhere in the home, this was accomplished by bringing in loads of natural materials like stone and wood, introducing lots of layers, patterns, and prints, and taking moments of visual relief to break up symmetry or deeply modern elements like a state-of-the-art entertainer’s kitchen.

But to really give the clients a Cotswold feel, Shea and the design team took one space to par down in scale, an “intimate nook,” says Shea. The hearth room was just the answer. Sitting off to the side of the great room but still connected in an open-floorplan fashion, the hearth room is a cozy space divided from the others by rustic timber beams. All three of the walls of the hearth room are covered by the same stone used on the exterior of the home and throughout some of the communal spaces of the home elsewhere. These building materials go a long way in creating a warm and inviting space without even taking into consideration the furniture and styling elements that are brought within.

“This room is all about creating warmth,” Shea notes. For the layout, Shea and the design team landed on two identical sofas facing each other and flanking the sides of the fireplace. In between, McGee & Co.’s Parker Coffee Table in black marble and steel sits with two sets of identical furniture pieces on opposite ends. “The furniture is very symmetrical on the large pieces,” Shea notes, “but it’s the accents that break it up.” For instance, the two sofas have different pillow styling sets. On one side of the room, built-in shelving houses an artful stack of wood, and on the other side of the room, built-in shelving flanks a built-in desk showcasing a collection of styling accessories collected by Shea and the design team. “Since this is a new build, antiques are key to making it have some soul and interest.”