71 www.wrightsvillebeachmagazine.com WBM Mediterranean furnishings and sleek industrial finishes. The themes unfold to the tune of Italian love songs and dimmed lights digitally controlled and programmed from Batson’s iPhone. The look is a blend of styles that reflects both Mark and Kelly Batson’s personal tastes. “She’s more traditional,” Mark Batson says. “I tend to be more con-temporary though, but you’ll see this house is a total mix.” Taken from the same quarry where Michelangelo plucked marble for his statue of David, yards of Calcutta gold marble veneer the cen-tral kitchen island and counter back splashes. Banks of white lacquered Euro-style overhead cabinets tooled with lift-up hinges open from bottom to top, while side-by-side refrigerated coolers and freezers anchor the west end of the kitchen. Walnut cabinets were fabricated by Batson’s Tongue & Groove. He and Kelly selected the ultra-modern chandeliers. Commercial grade storefront win-dow glass meets in corners. Hinged portholes open into the rooms. The finished epe deck soars above the landscape. North light pours into the art-filled spaces. Bisected by an elevated light well through which sun shines from clerestory windows, the kitchen and living rooms are subtly defined. Batson alone designed the floating fireplace from the home’s thematic finish materials: wood, glass and metal. Perforated niches contain hand blown glass. A faux Mona Lisa hangs over the hearth. Plush furnishings are arranged around a circular wool rug. Siblings share a hall bath and balconies while the parents occupy the third floor aerie that includes a waterfront bed chamber, dressing rooms/walk-in closets and a master bath also tooled with Calcutta gold marble and gilded his and hers vanity sinks and mirrors. home of distinction
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