3 Cornett had already gutted the kitchen and bath, performing a total renovation. He had also changed the hardware to Waterworks fixtures, updated the chrome and marble in the kitchen, replaced the lighting, added woodwork and paneling, and stained the oak hardwood flooring a warm golden brown. For a fresh look for the Byrnes, Cornett took away all of the wall coverings and painted the walls with Farrow & Ball paint in soothing colors like French gray, which sometimes looks green or blue or taupe, depending on the light throughout the day. To lighten up the entryway, the Byrnes had glass screen doors built so they can keep the front door open and let billowing light in. As the cook in the family, Becky Byrne loves the kitchen. It’s fairly small, but there’s plenty of display space for her collection of Quimper pottery from France.
Convenience is the name of the game for townhouse living. There’s an elevator from the garage at the basement level that goes to the first and second floors. It is convenient for transporting loads of groceries from the car to the kitchen, but the homeowners don’t need to use it for anymore than that, because their West Highland Terrier keeps them both running up and down the stairs quite often. The townhouse association maintains all the green space. Becky has a little planting bed out back but is “over the yard work” she used to do when she had an elaborate garden. “My husband, too, would rather spend his Sunday mornings doing something besides trimming the ivy,” she said. With no plans for future renovations, the Byrnes are happily enjoying every square foot of their townhome and the ease of a low-maintenance lifestyle. “We should have done it years ago,” Becky said. “We love it.”
“Small and functional is more efficient than these big monster kitchens,” Cornett said. Two entrances into the kitchen make entertaining easy, and the Byrnes do enjoy hosting cocktail parties and dinners at their home. 3 Just the right size for cooking and displaying the homeowner’s Quimper pottery, the kitchen has a television above the double oven. Behind the refrigerator is a built-in floor-to-ceiling cabinet from an old pharmacy. The previous owner, interior designer Lannie Cornett, put in a coiffured ceiling and bead board paneling.
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4 The homeowners replaced a chandelier in the front hall with a wrought-iron lantern they purchased in Naples, Fla. A member of Becky Byrnes’ family owns Cox Interiors in Campbellsville, who made mahogany storm doors for the entry. With an extra pair of front doors, the main set can stay open while the glass-paneled doors let in natural light.