Layering Neutrals

• Designer Kaitlin Kelly designed this show home for the Vesta Home Show in Memphis, Tennessee.
• Kelly used Cambria natural quartz surfaces for the show house because of their beautiful appearance and durability.
• Kelly used Cambria throughout the home in the kitchen, butler’s pantry, bathrooms, and laundry room because of the surface’s beauty and versatility.

Designer Kaitlin Kelly partnered with Eagle Builders on this model home for the Vesta Home Show in Memphis, Tennessee. As with many model homes, there was no client guiding the design decisions. So, aside from the architect-designed floor plan, Kelly had freedom to make interior design selections she says she would have made for her personal home.

Kelly was somewhat involved in overall space planning and had a larger role in details like the ceiling design, a custom stair railing and front door created by a local iron worker, and, of course, the home’s hub—the kitchen.

The floor plan is a traditional open concept. An arched cased opening delineates the living room and eat-in kitchen and provides some organically shaped “ying” to the rectangular-shaped “yang” of the kitchen cabinetry and countertops.

“The little detail of adding in an archway doesn’t cost a lot more, and it adds a bit of character,” says Kelly, who sought a sense of fluidity throughout the house. Her intentional choice of only two paint colors supports that continuity. Those colors, walls in Shoji White and cabinetry and trim mouldings in Accessible Beige, both by Sherwin-Williams, are a nod toward the warmer white color trend we’re seeing in interior design.

“I love beige,” says Kelly, who looked forward to the opportunity to use Cambria warm white quartz design Hermitage in this home. “I absolutely love this [quartz] design. It works well with the paint colors and goes with everything. It’s just beautiful.”

Kelly was already familiar with Cambria from her background in commercial interiors. She worked in Manhattan designing corporate spaces where she “pretty much only used Cambria for countertops.” She says, “I’m not specifying natural stone in a commercial setting. So, I spent a lot of time in the material library learning the difference between quartz manufacturers, and I think Cambria is top-notch quality. I also just love Cambria’s designs. It’s the closest you can get to a natural-looking stone. So whenever a client wants quartz, Cambria is always my go-to.”

As for Kelly’s specific countertop selection for this home, she prefers Cambria natural quartz designs like Hermitage that feature swirls in tight and open patterns, creating lighter and darker pools of color. She says, “It portrays more of a marble or granite look,” for the kitchen countertops and waterfall island that captivate in this space.

“I did a lot of waterfall edges in my commercial days, for durability,” says Kelly. “Co-working spaces get beat up and spilled on. I like Cambria for its low-maintenance cleanability. It’s just so easy to wipe down. And waterfall islands are a timeless look.”

Kelly added a 5-inch Cambria quartz ledge above the kitchen’s Café range, a simple fabrication and installation that adds visual refinement that is also functional. A paneled refrigerator and dishwasher match the cabinetry. And cabinet pulls, sink faucet, and light fixtures, all in brass, are the finishing touches in this tonally balanced transitional space.

For cohesion, Kelly also used Hermitage quartz surfaces in the butler’s pantry, on a bar near the dining room, and on built-in shelving that flanks the living room fireplace. She says, “We talked about doing wood tops [on the built-ins], but the Hermitage helps round out the open concept by tying back to the kitchen countertops.”

Kelly deviated from her love of Hermitage in a bathroom where she topped a floating vanity with a 2½-inch-thick mitered countertop in Cambria’s MonTaaj™ design. She says, “MonTaaj may be my second favorite Cambria design because it’s also beige, and because it’s probably the closest I’ve seen any quartz surface come to Taj Mahal quartzite,” a stone beloved for its beauty but that is less durable than Cambria natural quartz surfaces.

In another bathroom and in the laundry room, Kelly threw in a splash of color with Cambria’s Bellingham design. Its mesmerizing marble-like waves of dark gray and black swirl bring depth and character to those spaces.

If you share Kelly’s affinity for a tone-on-tone aesthetic, be sure to follow her tips for adding texture and depth so your rooms aren’t visually flat. She used textured cloth wall coverings, glossy tiles, and Venetian plaster along with fluting on the coffee table, fireplace surround, and cabinet fronts. Nubby bouclé or raised pile chenille fabrics can also provide textural and visual variation in tonal spaces.