After living in northwest Cary for fifteen years, Libby and Bob Padula agreed it was time to build their dream home. With two kids grown and one teenager on his way out, they dreamed up a custom home and set about making it a reality. Over the years, Libby Padula had been gathering ideas and plans for what she wanted in a custom home, but putting into effect what she envisioned was a task. “I’m only a designer at heart,” says Padula. “I bought my first antique when I was twenty-one—an old pine box that said Libby’s Fine Foods on it. But since then, my passion for antiques has grown, and particularly French antiques have caught my eye.”

A lover of cooking and entertaining, Padula spent a good deal of time designing her ideal kitchen, complete with a French-country feel and plenty of space for lounging and entertaining, as well as antique and interest-bearing elements. “I knew I wanted a nice bright kitchen with lots of white, but I also wanted the warmth that the French-country aesthetic imparts,” she explains. A perfect jumping-off point was the statement-making antique brass Fournier range hood she purchased from François & Co. Hanging above the island are antique pendant lights that Padula found from a dealer in High Point, and a pair of Visual Comfort sconces tie everything together from there.

In keeping with the French aesthetic, Padula customized a Lacanche range, which was made in France, and used it as the focal point in the kitchen. “I spent fifteen years cooking on a horrible stovetop, and I knew when we built this home that it was time to get the range I’ve always wanted,” she says. For the backsplash, Padula wanted interest but didn’t want to upstage the range and hood, so she chose brick finished with messy grout and painted white. Just above the range, she included a herringbone pattern. “The team installing it thought I was crazy when I asked them to keep the grout job messy,” she laughs, “but I knew exactly what I was envisioning, and the texture it adds is just what I was going for.” Paired with authentic Carrara marble countertops, complete with etching, from ROCKin’teriors, the overall look is thoughtful, warm, and decidedly French. “I know marble is finicky, but I just love it so much, and it’s the patina I wanted. I worked with Rebecca Rotella at Kitchen & Bath Galleries, and she helped me so much with the functionality of my kitchen,” Padula says. “I use every single inch of it, from the antique copper pots on the wall that I’ve collected over the years to the high-performing range. It’s highly, highly functional.”

Instead of a formal dining table, Padula opted for a sitting area to keep things inviting and warm. An interesting collection of midcentury-modern pieces, antiques, and thoughtful layering creates the perfect keeping room.  Overall, the project was the ultimate love story of design and passions colliding, resulting in a truly personal, infinitely comforting, and enviously practical design—the unicorn of kitchen living. “Honestly, I love living in this kitchen day to day,” says Padula. “It perfectly accommodates my older children when they come home to visit, and it will transition well as me and my husband age.”