Asheville Citizen-Times from Asheville, North Carolina • Page 33

HOME GARDEN ASHEVILLE CITIZEN-TIMES SATURDAY, AUGUST 8, 2009 House mixes history with beauty "H'I'I 3 1:1 Ksvln and Rhonda Gentry's historic Kenilworth horn la a mixture of Spanish revival, baroqua and Kalian architecture. i22k NUTS BOLTS The home: A Spanish Revival home on a 34-acre lot in Kenil-worth. Built in 1922 by James Madison Chiles, the house also has Italian and baroque influences. It has five bedrooms and four bathrooms, plus another 1,300 square feet of exterior living space upstairs on three balconies. The exterior is stucco, the roof tile, the floors wood, the walls plaster.

Italian tile adorns the bathrooms. The. homeowners: Kevin and Rhonda Gentry. He's an architect of Masters Gentry Architects. She's a pharmacist The team: Kevin Gentry furnished and decorated the home before marrying Rhonda a year also did the landscape, which features three courtyards, all with fountains, with the help of Israel Egandu, of Tiller of the Soil (tillerofthesoil.com).

The home was renovated in stages, by several owners, most recently in 2007. a The dining room features baroque accents, such as gold scroll-work on the walls. The arched quad-leafed doors lead to the piazza. if i 5 History of the home Real estate developer James Madison Chiles built the home in 1922 with proceeds from his development of the Kenilworth neighborhood. "He brought the idea of subdivisions to Asheville," said Kevin Gentry.

"This was his masterpiece." At that time, Kenilworth was its own municipality. But as with West Asheville and Oakley, it was annexed into the city of Asheville. Mission style Kevin furnished the home in Mission style, which is synonymous with Arts Crafts. In fact Kevin went to the Bassett Furniture warehouse in High Point to buy out the remaining pieces in its Grove Park collection when he learned it would be discontinued. "What I love Is because he's an architect he was able to draw out the rooms and.

know exactly what pieces he needed," Rhonda said. Tne collection extends beyond couches, end tables and chairs to a case clock, dining set lamps and other accents. Courtyards and balconies Three interior courtyards below are bal-anced by three balconies above, places where party-goers often perch to watch the action II Jf III hi llM KEU.Y GEIZENTANNERSPECIAL TO THE CITIZEN-TIMES Kevin and Rhonda Gentry pose at the ntranca to their historic Kenilworth gold-leaf scroll accents in the dining room and twisted rope-styled columns on one side of its exterior. As for wood, the library black walnut paneling milled off the site. Other woods in the home include mahogany, oak and pine.

While much of the home is original, the wide plank flooring, set on an angle in the kitchen. Is not. A world of woods Despite its Mediterranean feel, the Chiles House has baroque accents, including Strings of whtto lights add ambience to whit's called the piazza Just outside the dining room. An upstairs balcony overlooks It TO VIEW THE HOUSE OF THE WEEK, TEXT BY POLLY MCDANIEL PHOTOS BY DAVID DEFTRICH SPECIAL TO THE CITIZEN-TIMES ft 0 IF 8 Vr 4 -SSTQO The "pink" Italian tile bathroom Is one of the most talked-about features of the borne. Actually, Is a deep hot pink, almost fuchsia.

Note the coal fire grate the waR, housing a pUfar candle la tWs scene. This balcony Is off the master bedroom at Kevin and Rhonda Gentry historic Kenilworth ServioeGroiip v7 r'rSl RdiaWece for over 30 ycaW..