Ceiling Art

Paramount Homes created this luxury kitchen with top-of-the-line commercial-grade appliances, maple cabinetry and granite counters. The oversized island in this Tuscan-inspired kitchen offers not only countertop work space, but also snack-bar seating and its own recipe/organization center.

"We consider the ceilings in the homes we build to be actual artwork," says Carolyn Villani, vice president of sales and marketing for Jackson, N.J.-based Paramount Homes. "New homes often have such volume in their ceilings these days that, when you do just a standard height one, it seems a waste of potential drama."

Villani says a connection to the past served as the inspiration for the tin-ceiling detail that was added to the recessed tray above an oversized kitchen center island in this top-of-the-line model home. The 5,600-square-foot model is one of four that Paramount features to showcase its ultra-high end, 35-home development in Manalapan, N.J. "To make this home stand out, we chose to appeal to a buyer's sense of nostalgia. It recalls the interesting details that can be found in this area's older homes."

Details such as this tin ceiling harken back to homes of the past and create a sense of nostalgia for potential buyers.

The use of 54-inch cabinets in key areas of the kitchen, including alongside the range hood, gives the entire space a more "majestic" feel, says kitchen designer Joe Laudisi.

The Tuscan-inspired kitchen reflects the builder's dedication to quality design and materials, as well as a savvy grasp of the local, upscale market. "We merchandised this home as a turnkey product," says Villani. "We built it with every upgrade because we wanted a buyer to be able to say, 'This is exactly what I want.' We know that our high-end buyers are very busy and don't always want to spend a lot of their downtime sitting in a model picking out the details."

The sitting area, incorporated into a bay window across from the large center island, is one of the kitchen's most appealing features, says Villani. "People just love it because it serves as a comfortable conversation area right in the hub of this family-oriented home. This kitchen really demonstrates the home's overall livability."

Another of the kitchen's notable features is its distinctive maple cabinetry, accented by handcrafted details. "Today, cabinetry is used to express the overall feeling of the home," says JML Sales kitchen designer Joe Laudisi, who worked closely with Villani on this project. "It's really a way to bring luxury right into the kitchen."

This model home was completed in May 2003.