Renovations in Court of Champions home focused on kitchen, patio

Lynn and Cliff Stidham’s home at 4 Court of Champions offers a stunning view of not just one, but three greens on Nicholasville’s Champions golf course.

The idyllic setting of the property, along with Cliff’s affinity for golf, is what prompted the couple to purchase the home in 2010, said Lynn, who along with her husband practices law at their Lexington firm, Stidham & Associates PSC.

Situated on a five-acre lot and featuring more than 7,000 square feet, the four-bedroom, two-story brick home includes a newly added, expansive covered patio with fireplace and a fully redesigned chef’s caliber kitchen.

“My favorite area of the home is the covered back porch area, which we added when we bought the house in 2010,” Cliff said. “I enjoy building a fire in the outside fireplace and entertaining with game-watch parties outside, using our two outdoor televisions.”

The couple worked with architect David Sullivan to design the elaborate patio space, which features quartz tiled flooring, a natural stone hearth and wood beam ceilings.

The design team for the couple’s complete kitchen redesign included Sullivan as well as Chris Russell, owner of Cucina Kitchen & Bath and interior decorator Shannon Lisk.

The inspiration for the new kitchen came via Lynn’s love of marble tiling, which is utilized in the custom tilework surrounding the six-burner Thermador gas range. The couple also redesigned the layout of the kitchen, installing the deep farmhouse sink in the center island and adding black forest granite countertops and custom white cabinetry. They added two new dishwashers, dual ovens and a warming tray and accented the space with unique pendant lighting that gives a nod to Lynn’s penchant for modern design elements.

“The kitchen is where I spend most of my free time,” Lynn said. “I love to cook. And even though it’s been over five years since we renovated the kitchen, I’m still happy every time I walk into it.”

While the couple has loved living on the golf course, they’re ready to downsize. Their son, Luke, is a sophomore at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. So, they no longer need as much space, Lynn said.

“I’ve loved the entertaining space in this home. When we move, we’re going to be looking for the same kind of thing.”

In addition to the newly redesigned kitchen, the home’s first floor also features a home office space, a formal dining room, a sun room, a unique den space with built-in bookcases – which the Stidhams use as a piano room – and a sizeable living room which boasts vaulted ceilings, a wet bar area, plus a fireplace and built-in entertainment center.

“When you walk through the first floor of this home, it’s just like you’re on vacation because every room has a view of the golf course,” Lynn said.

The golf course amenities have been a hit with Cliff: “I’ve enjoyed the convenience of living on the golf course and being able to come home from work and play a few holes,” he said.

Upstairs, the home features four bedrooms, each of which has its own full bathroom. The couple’s spacious master suite includes a sitting room and a large en suite bathroom with tiled flooring, a glass shower and a stunning, stand-alone tub. The suite also features sizeable his-and-her closet space, including a cedar closet space for out-of-season storage.

Downstairs, the home’s finished basement offers a sizeable living room space, a rec room area for pool and ping pong and an exercise room, as well as storage areas.

“When we bought the home, we redid the kitchen and added the new outdoor patio space with the thought in mind that we really wanted to do those areas right,” Lynn said. “And those two spaces are really where we’ve spent most of our time.”

This story was originally published May 8, 2016 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Renovations in Court of Champions home focused on kitchen, patio."