home >> at home
A Sylvan Lake
home's easy,
striking warmth
provides a
comfortable
backdrop for its
watery vistas.
Lynne Konstantin I Design Writer
Brett Mountain I Photographer
0
nce
an old, tiny cottage with a
sweeping view of picturesque Sylvan
Lake, a majestic contemporary
home, built by a prominent local architect
in 1993, glistens with clean white lines and
reflections of the water.
"I'm a Pisces so water is very important to
me:' says the homeowner, a Jewish business-
woman. "I grew up on the water, and every
summer my aunts had cottages on the water.
So when given the chance, I really wanted
something on the water."
And water she got.
"When I walk in, I see water. Almost every
room has views of water, looking out onto a
world of peace and an ever-changing vista. I
can see rain marching across the water, the
moon rising over it. I love it?'
Beyond that, she says, she can barely place
a flower in a vase. So when it came time
to create an interior as spectacular as the
home's exterior, she tapped husband-and-wife
designing duo Joel and Jane Mettler, owners
of Mettler Interiors in Birmingham.
"I was actually at a shivah and asked who
did the gorgeous flowers:' recalls the home-
owner. "And Jane said, 'I did: I looked at some
of their work, and that was it."
Her two priorities: Play up the views and
make the home comfortable for entertaining.
"I'm a really good, passionate cook, and
I love to have friends and family over and
throw big dinner parties': says the home-
owner. "I told Joel and Jane the feeling I was
going for, that I wanted to warm up the space
and for people to come in and feel comfort-
able putting their feet up. They put everything
together to reflect that." ❑
Jane Mettler found
the drapery in the
dining room two years
after the gathering
room's painting was
commissioned (see
opposite page, top
photo). Above the
dining table and its
dark rattan chairs
hangs a high-tech
stainless-steel ring
with low-voltage
fixtures in polished
steel. They add a
sculptural contrast
to the soft shaded
lighting throughout the
rest of the room.
Do you have a home you'd like to share with the community? Contact Lynne Konstantin at Ikonstantin@thejewishnews.com .
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February 9 • 2012