Modern. Elegant. Sophisticated. From concept to completion no detail was spared, and it shows throughout the entire home. With floor to ceiling marble, large windows, and unique lighting and furniture, the Tomaltys built a masterpiece tucked away in Huntsville's Jones Valley. With a clear vision of using organic materials mixed with warm and varying textures; clean lines with minimal visual “noise”, Ashley Tomalty chose limestone, marble, solid oak flooring, vintage beams, and unlacquered brass to create the feel of her new home. She drew inspiration from architects including McAlpine House, Amber Interiors, and Jeffrey Dungan.
A focus on indoor/outdoor living inspired by the way people live on the west coast, a functionally designed kitchen, a home gym, a floating staircase, and a dedicated dog yard were all must haves in their new home.
"Indoor/outdoor living really became the focus early on. My husband works a lot of long stretches and is on-call quite often. We wanted to build a home that felt like an escape while still being in close proximity to the hospital," states Ashley. The kitchen has an 8 foot wide sliding window that pockets into the wall, and on that same wall in the living room is a 16 foot sliding door that also opens completely and pockets into the wall, essentially opening that entire wall of the house to the covered outdoor space. The covered outdoor space is set up with ceiling heaters as well as built in retractable screens to enclose the space and keep the bugs out. With the screens down and doors open, the outdoor living areas become a true extension of the indoors. The Tomaltys cook and eat at home almost every night and the island is the heart of their home. Ashley designed the kitchen around the way they live. The island is large, but has seating on both sides so it functions more like a table. "A lot of people tried to talk me out of an island that size, but I’m so glad I went for it. Essentially, when I’m cooking, I am at the head of the table. My son and his friends can gather and we always have room for everyone." She continues, "I have my own dedicated sink and dishwasher at the head of the island so I can easily clean as I cook and there’s no need for anyone else to come into that space while I’m working."
The master bedroom has a soft and peaceful feeling. There is a huge window looking out to the backyard with no other houses in view. "We can push open the window and hear the waterfalls in the pool while laying in bed. I love the vintage beams we ended up putting across the vaulted ceiling, and the leather pendants over the nightstands are so fun."
For 2 years, designer was Ashley's full time job. She remarks, "To a certain degree, I just didn’t understand how complicated of a project I was getting myself into until I was too far in. I tried working with a few designers but because I did have such a specific look and feel in mind, I ultimately had to be the one to make all the selections." Creating moodboards to continuously review and edit was helpful. For some things, she just wasn’t willing to take no for an answer, and found ways to bring them to life. "I actually ended up sketching the design drawings with specs for the floating stairs and outdoor sunken fire/conversation pit myself on graph paper and had some excellent subcontractors willing to make them work."
"I knew I wanted statement marble. The beauty of natural stone just can’t be replicated and each piece is one of a kind. Selecting the marble felt like selecting art in a way….I just knew when I saw 'the one'." Ashley made frequent visits to the local stone suppliers for months looking for the perfect pieces. When she saw the slabs the family ended up using on the fireplace, she immediately knew she had to have them. "I began working with Ceramic Harmony on the kitchen fairly early on. They went on a buying trip to Italy and sent pictures of some marble choices they were considering bringing back. I knew I wanted my marble when I saw the picture. The size was also important because I wanted the top of the island to be one solid slab with no seams." Ceramic Harmony was able to line up the veining from sequential slices of marble to create a truly seamless look for the hood, backsplash, waterfall edges, sink wall, etc. "I really wanted the marble to do the talking in the kitchen so I went with a cabinet color that wouldn’t distract, but chose heavy brass hardware from Armac Martin that will patina over time creating a lived-in feel."
Lighting selection was really important to Ashley. "It’s something I feel makes this home really unique in both the lighting selections and the lighting placement. I put fixtures in reading nooks as well as in niches in the kitchen, and hung pendants over where the side tables would eventually go. I feel those well planned touches make a big difference." Brad Lapidus at Richards lighting had several selection meetings, dealt with many changes, and made multiple sight visits to ensure the family was happy with the final result. We did under cabinet lights under all the floating vanities in the bathrooms and used very minimalistic recessed lighting to distract the eye as little as possible. "The majority of the lighting came from Visual Comfort, with a few selections from Arteriors and Hubbardton Forge." She continues, "I certainly tried to have some fun in certain areas as well, especially in the bonus areas, using green lava tile, with wild textured marble and fun wallpaper with monkeys drinking martinis."
Collecting art has been one of her favorite parts of decorating the house. "I’ve learned about so many artists from friends and family, Ashley states. "The dining room itself was completely designed around the artwork. I discovered that particular artist after seeing some other work at Design Supply in Birmingham, but ended up buying that piece directly from the artist in Canada." She continues, "Art is such a personal choice and you just get a feeling when you see something that really speaks to you and your aesthetic." The Tomaltys have collected other pieces of art during their travels. "I enjoy finding something meaningful when I go to a new country that I can bring back and implement in the design of our home. A sculpture from Greece and a painted vase from Vietnam are some of my favorites."
Through vision, a love for organic materials and minimalist style, carefully selected lighting, and artwork that speaks to them, the Tomaltys have created a space to call home that is truly a work of art.