Glam kitchen for mom of twins featured by House Beautiful in May tours

Before Elizabeth Garvish and her 8-month-old twin boys move into their Buckhead home this spring, Atlantans can tour her kitchen.

The new home is the location of House Beautiful’s 2016 Kitchen of the Year, created by Atlanta designer Matthew Quinn. It’s the ninth year, but the first time the magazine is featuring a new home in the free event, set for May 14-15.

“Atlanta has been kind of under-recognized for so many years as being a design powerhouse. Finally, we’re getting recognized, which is exciting,” said Quinn, principal of Design Galleria Kitchen and Bath Studio and author of “Quintessential Kitchens by Matthew Quinn: Volume One,” published in 2016.

Garvish, an Atlanta immigration attorney, plans after the tour to move into the 4,200-square-foot, four-bedroom home with a basement, which was built by Michael Ladisic of Ladisic Fine Homes.

“It’s really something quite special and intimate for a homeowner to open their home to House Beautiful and to open their home to Atlantans,” said Sophie Donelson, editor in chief of House Beautiful.

Breaking the rules

Stainless steel, brass and chrome combine in the kitchen, showcasing the mixed metals trend in design.

“People have been always so scared of mixing metals,” Quinn said. “Stainless steel is typically the predominant metal in the kitchen. When you take brass and put brass with grays, it really warms that gray up, and it looks beautiful when you mix it with stainless steel.”

The kitchen features a new Thermador 60-inch range with six gas burners and a double griddle, above a 36-inch-wide oven, steam/convection oven and warming drawer. For the backsplash, linear bronze glass tile — the first installation of this new AKDO collection — spans from the countertops to the ceiling and sets a shimmering backdrop for the kitchen. White marble tile with stripes of gold gilding create a dramatic sunburst around an oval window in the bar. Bronze-lined window frames add a warm glow, Donelson said.

“It’s this sort of ingenious, offbeat move that visitors will adore – you’ll never think of windows the same way again,” she said.

Quinn uses pops of metallic and blue throughout. Teal glass tile, a new collection from AKDO, lines the walk-in pantry, which has glass doors and stainless steel shelves.

“The tile is the most adventurous part of the kitchen,” Quinn said.

Cool, kid-friendly features

Garvish said she imagines hosting everything from birthday parties to casual pizza nights with friends in her home. At the end of the island (by Downsview Kitchens) a custom rounded banquette by Bjork Studio features a drop-down armrest with a charging station and booster seats. A drop-down step stool was built into the island.

For safety, drawers holding utensils, such as knives, can be locked. The Grohe faucet features a foot control for hands-free operation.

Designing with ‘sexy’ curves

The brass and pewter hood, the first installation of this Quinn-designed hood as part of his collection for Francois & Co., and the rounded design of the combo island/table add movement to the kitchen’s modern design.

“The geometry is fairly crisp, but there are some sexy curves,” he said.

Garvish appreciates that the interior design is more edgy and transitional, which fits with her eclectic style.

“With his keen eye and the way he does things, he made the space probably work the most efficiently and be the most beautiful for us,” Garvish said.