When they picked a location and designed their new home, Blaine and Michelle McKinney wanted simple elegance, where they and guests could feel comfortable.

That the couple achieved their goal is evident even from curbside in Lakes Edge at Golf Village. Their version of the Bob Webb Charlotte II model displays a wrap-around porch, punctuated by a double door with clear glass of three textures – beveled, waterfall and antique – also used in a transom.

Adding to the warmth, Blaine and Michelle chose to have a brick, rather than concrete floor, on their porch. It reflects nicely the brick pavers used in driveways in all the homes in the gated community Bob Webb is developing.

The home’s doors open to a wide foyer, with cherry floors constructed with three random lengths – all shorter – that give a pleasant texture. The floors continue throughout the living area, and several Indian area rugs add to the warmth of the floors. The glass doors also help lighten the foyer, which echoes Blaine’s sentiment, “We love lots of light.”

Immediately, a wide-open arch exposes the attractive formal dining room, which the couple admits they rarely use. The rest of the first floor is more amenable to their lifestyle as empty nesters who often entertain and find that their guests prefer informality. The room is done in a deep red on the walls and ceilings, with white cove molding, trim and decorative pillars.

Through the French doors is Blaine’s office, which boasts built-in shelves and cabinets along one wall that house his electronic equipment, all of which is wireless. Michelle explains that the room, with a two-story high ceiling, originally was intended as a library and she foresaw high shelves accessible by ladder. All the wood, including a dormer window in the sloped ceiling, is stained a deep cherry to match the kitchen wood. A chandelier with globes that resemble candles was selected to fit the room. A library was never built because Blaine, previously retired, decided to begin working again and needed an office at home.

The foyer leads to the great room, with a window wall overlooking the seventh green of the Kinsale Golf Course, another factor in the McKinney’s site selection when they decided to move from their Muirfield Village home. The view includes a large pond, which puts the home “on the water,” which Blaine says was another wish.

To make the most of the great room, the couple decided against an attractive but space-eating second-floor stairway and landing next to the kitchen depicted in the original plans. They chose a straight stairway, custom built with designed rails with white spindles. The space now allows a glass dining table and four chairs, plus openness between the kitchen and great room.

In designing the home, the McKinney’s refurnished throughout, which allowed selecting furniture to highlight an area or room. For example, the kitchen dining table rests on a unique, tree-like support, with small birds on the limbs.

On the basement stairs between the dining room and kitchen, Michelle had builders abbreviate the walls that were to surround it and install short rails and spindles at the top to further open the kitchen and dining room. A door that had been planned there is now at the bottom of the stairs leading to the unfinished basement.

The kitchen’s boundary to the dining area and the great room is a 5-by-7 foot island with a black granite top that’s dotted with shades of brown and cream – a pattern likened to coffee, Michelle says, noting it’s a hard-to-find single slab.

The granite continues on other kitchen counters. They selected 42-inch wall cabinets and had them built-in to the 10-foot ceiling. A commercial grade gas range and oven and refrigerator are built-in opposite the island. Above the sink is a window overlooking the back and a dishwasher with a cabinet front beside it. Michelle says it was paneled because the couple wanted to feature the major appliances’ stainless fronts.

Prominent are chandeliers and hanging lights. Hand blown globes are on three lights that hang above the island. A six-light fixture is above the dining table. A large 12-light fixture is in the middle of the great room and is reflected in a large mirror built into woodwork above the granite-faced fireplace opposite the kitchen. A large semi-circular couch allows seating facing the fireplace or to view a large screen television that’s built into a custom cabinet along another wall.

A door opens from the great room to a brick landing, and then steps to a brick patio the couple designed with a delineated seating area and a food preparation area by a gas grill near a table with two chairs. The bricks are the same as were used on the front porch.

The couple’s master suite down a short hall past the kitchen was custom-designed. Michelle calls it their own private sanctuary. It has another built-in television and large windows overlooking the golf course. Space-saving pocket doors, which they selected for several tight areas, such as bathrooms, can be closed to separate the relaxation and sleeping areas.

In the bath, they chose not to install a tub or Jacuzzi, which they had before and rarely used. Instead, there’s a large glass shower, with a seat and multiple showerheads. They selected a twin sink marble top on cabinets that are slightly higher than normal to accommodate Blaine’s height. Between the cabinets is a marble-topped vanity with a chair. The walk-in closet is off the bath. In their quest for light, the couple added an exterior transom window the length of the sink tops.

Upstairs, two bedrooms are served by a common bath, with a tub/shower and a twin sink top. An attractive touch is the large mirror with beveled edges. One bedroom, which Michelle says is designed to give the feel of a bed and breakfast, has large windows overlooking the golf course. The other room, across the hall, is larger but not as light. But it has a sitting area and a television, which Michelle thinks is why guests often prefer it.

Finally, for comfort, they note the home is served by separate heating and cooling units for the first and second floors.

The couple had previously lived in a Bob Webb home and had no other builder in mind when they began searching for a new home and location. They found all that they wanted in a neighborhood, in a location and in amenities.

Now, the home that was almost made from scratch reflects their desires.

Duane St. Clair is a contributing editor for Luxury Living Magazine.