A Chateau-Style Solon Home Gives French-Modern Chic

Angela Corona arrived at Payne & Payne Builders’ Chardon offices with a clear vision of the home that she and husband Chris, owner of a manufacturers’ representation agency, planned to build on a wooded lot in Solon: a chateau-inspired residence that combined old-world architectural details with streamlined French-modern ease. 

“I was really drawn to this timeless transitional style that blends classic elements with modernness,” says Corona, a scientist employed by a medical communications agency.

Payne & Payne drew up plans for and constructed a 4,500-square-foot white brick-and-limestone abode with high ceilings, an open staircase, and crown and picture-frame moldings. Payne & Payne interior designer Becca Philipson helped the Coronas choose an eclectic blend of finishes and fixtures. Allison Smith, founder of Gem and Clay Interiors in Bath, assisted in selecting furniture and accessories. Together, they created the look of a sumptuous 19th- or early 20th-century country home renovated to accommodate two working parents and their two teenage daughters.

“We went for a combination of performance and luxury,” Corona says.

The color palette was literally developed from the ground up — in this case, from a black-and-white, marble-look porcelain tile laid in a diagonal checkerboard pattern on the foyer and kitchen floors. (“A marble floor in the winter in Cleveland would be a nightmare,” Philipson says of the stain-prone stone.)

Corona concedes “it was kind of scary” when Smith suggested painting the entire foyer, including the ceiling, Sherwin-Williams Iron Ore instead of the originally scheduled white. But the effect was as stunning as Smith envisioned.

“(The foyer) had all these pretty moldings on the walls,” Smith explains. “Painting it dark just brought out such beautiful shadow lines.”     

The great room was painted white, floored in dark-stained hickory, and illuminated by a glass-beaded chandelier hung from an ornate ceiling medallion. When the massive cast stone fireplace arrived from the manufacturer in what Corona calls an undesirable “pinkish beige-taupe” color without the desired black veining, Philipson hired faux finisher Keith Smith of Cleveland-based Esoteric Painting Designs to paint it to look like marble. She estimates it would have cost $15,000 to $20,000 to replace $5,000 cast stone with the real thing.

“We’re just thrilled with the result,” Corona says.

The Coronas preferred greens, browns, rusts and golds, which balance the austere black-and-white decor. The powder room, for example, was painted sage green, and Smith suggested upholstering the great-room sofas in a light-green performance velvet.

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Although the lower level was finished with a sectional and big-screen TV, the Coronas actually use the great room as a family room. A mirror placed on the fireplace mantel reflects the chandelier, showcasing it like a piece of art in its gilt frame.

“We definitely were inspired by Parisian apartments with the beautifully adorned fireplaces and the moldings,” Smith says.

A mix of cabinetry finishes and countertop colors combined to create what Philipson considers one of her favorite kitchens. Maple cabinetry stained a deep chocolate was hung over black quartz-topped white counterparts flanking a stainless-steel gas range. The island was stained the same deep chocolate but topped in a white quartz used on a stretch of white cabinetry in the bar area. Corona and Philipson decided to extend the quartz up the wall to the ceiling.

The brown and gold veining moved Philipson to suggest installing Medina-based Fittings’ brass-and-glass shelving unit in front of the window. The company’s brass legs support one end of the island countertop, which extends beyond the cabinetry to create a table for two. 

But the kitchen’s main draw is a Gem and Clay-designed banquette situated under a punched metal globe lighting fixture. Smith covered the seat and channel-tufted back in a low-maintenance whiskey faux leather. Corona added an antique pedestal table she bought at FIG Chagrin in Chagrin Falls. The find, which had been painted white, was repainted Iron Ore and the top raised to a comfortable height.

“It’s more of a hangout spot,” Corona says of the arrangement. “The kids are always doing their homework at the banquette.”

The banquette area doubles as the dining room, which the couple decided to forego adding to the floor plan.

“We haven’t missed it,” Corona says, adding that it suits the casual gatherings the family hosts. Entertaining guests in the kitchen isn’t a problem when it comes to keeping it tidy. 

READ MORE: Jen Picciano’s Gates Mills Kitchen Remodel Was Inspired by Cleveland Restaurants

“You can throw all the (dirty) dishes into the (butler’s) pantry,” she says.

While Corona initially balked at painting the foyer black, she had no reservations about painting the owner’s bedroom Sherwin-Williams Urbane Bronze. Smith designed the bed’s teal performance velvet headboard with curves that “cradle” the flanking sconces that already had been installed. She designated a reading nook by papering a section of wall in a hand-painted floral and installing a shelf and white powder-coated metal reading light over a gray performance velvet chaise.

The finishing touch was a clawfoot soaking tub in the owner’s bath. Corona considered it de rigueur in a new-build version of a grand-old-home update. 

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