Family Affair

They may be empty nesters, but Larry and Lynda D’Urso built their new Winding River home on five acres of riverfront in Bradenton as a center for family gatherings, and the heart and hub of the place is a gourmet kitchen that regularly turns out meals for their children and their spouses, plus a growing clan of 15 grandchildren (and two more on the way). 

The 9,000-square-foot home with separate 3,000-square-foot porte cochere was built by Arthur Rutenberg Homes/M. Pete McNabb, and the interiors were designed by Lisa Lalaounis, ASID, of Compositions & Company in Clearwater. Bob Ostrowski, partner in AlliKriste Fine Cabinetry and Kitchen Design, collaborated with the homeowners and Lalaounis to create a state-of-the-art old-world kitchen to complement interiors brimming with antiques.

“They’re avid collectors and they love to travel,” explains Lalaounis, who ferried her clients to Tampa, Orlando and Atlanta to choose kitchen tiles, granite, flooring and lighting that would enhance the old world AlliKristé custom cabinetry. “With Bob’s layout, everything is right at our fingertips,” Lynda D’Urso explains. “My daughters-in-law are great cooks, and with this kitchen they love to jump right in.”

Packed with every modern amenity, the old-world kitchen’s custom cabinetry, 1, by AlliKristé has painted glazed finish, glass cupboards and stepped heights to look as if they’d been acquired over time. The couple’s collection of 80-plus antique light fixtures includes the kitchen chandelier, 2, of iron and hand-carved wood, and antique iron rods with vintage Tiffany-style glass pendants, 3, suspended over the bar. A contemporary Sub-Zero refrigerator, 4, is camouflaged with wood panel overlays detailed per the clients’ request with antique-inspired freezer latches that Ostrowski sourced from Roseland Icebox Company. Form meets function at the child-friendly bar, 5: A practical iron footrest replaces the typical metal bar with beautiful Mediterranean scrollwork (also on brackets) forged by Sarasota Ironworks & Railings. Hand-painted angels finished with an etched effect embellish the custom range hood, 6, which is framed to create the look of a hearth with rustic wood beam mantel stained to coordinate with ceiling beams. Designer Lalaounis chose a hand-thrown ceramic-look tile, 7, from Agape Tile Works in Largo, and then customized a palette of paprika, mustard and pewter for a rustic backsplash, 8, above the Viking range. Hand-picked at Mystic Granite in Orlando, the Black Beauty granite countertops, 9, installed by Sarasota Stone & Granite, are flecked with red, hunter green and rust in counterpoint to golden travertine floors, 10.