Mary Laipple and her husband moved to the Sweetbriar Village from Moon Township. They chose that community because they wanted to live in the city without sacrificing amenities they grew accustomed to in the suburbs, like a garage and easy access into town. Their home has a two-car garage and is a quick commute to downtown or anywhere else the couple needs to go.
Since the couple’s last home was very traditional and they carried over many of those furnishings, Mary, an interior designer by trade, designed the space to be a blend of rustic and modern.
While she often instructs her clients to start the design process by selecting cabinetry, Mary and her husband started with the flooring. “We fell in love with this lighter wide plank country looking floor with black wax details,” she says. “We knew we wanted that flooring so we picked cabinetry to match it.”
The matching cabinetry is a taupe Decora shaker-style cabinet rubbed with espresso wax to bring out the details in the wood. Mary says she loves how the taupe cabinets have gray undertones that pick up on the aged look of the flooring and grays throughout the rest of the space.
A more modern element of the home was Mary’s choice in countertops. She selected sleek black soapstone that features fine white veining.
The black stone cascades down each end of the kitchen island and overhangs on one side to create a bar area where Laipple has tucked away a few modern barstools.
The kitchen backsplash features honed marble subway tile that is carried up to the ceiling and marble basket weave tile that frames the space behind the range. Mary says she went with honed marble to tone down the modern appearance of the stone and achieve a more soft and rustic look.
While all of the appliances are Jenn-Air Pro-Style in stainless steel, Mary opted for a contrasting black hood for her range instead of matching steel. “I wanted to bring the dark from the island soapstone over to the perimeter cabinets,” she says. “The black hood complements the black soapstone and other black details throughout the space.”