On any given day of the week, the Bell residence in Little Rock’s Pulaski Heights neighborhood bustles with activity. Between Ray and Carrie Bell, their 9-year-old daughter, Caroline, and Carrie’s 17-year-old son, Candler, the house is a hub of game-watching parties, sleepovers, cocktail hours and formal dinners.
…
Drive-up appeal has a dual meaning for a waterfront home, as visitors can approach not only by car but also by boat. Designing a house that offers an enticing exterior from both vantage points can be a challenge, which is what architect Chip Chambers faced when he and his wife, Susan, decided to build a new home on Lake Windsor in Bella Vista.
“We decided early on that we wanted the front of the house to face the lake and take advantage of the view,” says Chambers, “but we wanted to create an attractive entry from the street to the house as well.”
The couple had settled on a 1-½ story Cape Cod-inspired cottage as their style of choice, a look that Chambers calls “as classic and enduring as a great pair of khaki pants.” Since the house would face west, he designed a deep front porch to screen the afternoon sun, and realized that by wrapping it around the sides of the house he could create sheltered entrances for guests arriving from any direction. “That porch became the most endearing element of the design,” Chambers says, a place to not only greet family and friends but also a gathering spot to enjoy the views of the lake.
…
It all started with a weekend visit to a friend’s vacation home on Eden Isle on Greers Ferry Lake. Smitten by the expansive lake views and the wooded backyards where neighborhood kids played freely, a Little Rock couple with three young children decided to look for a similar retreat of their own.
House hunting proved difficult though, as their favorite waterfront lot already had a 1970s era home on it, a place so dark and outdated that the family found it gloomy. “We walked away, but we ended up thinking about it for months,” says the homeowner. “The location was ideal and the bones of the house were good, so we bought it with the idea of giving it a fresh update.”
…
“Entertaining has always been a source of pleasure for us,” says Martha Murphy, who along with her husband, Vent, and their three daughters has hosted numerous parties at their Ft. Smith home and at a condo they owned on Lake Hamilton. The relaxed, summer get-togethers on the lake were their perennial favorites, though, prompting Martha and Vent to look for a larger place where extended family and friends could gather.
Their search led them to a water-view lot on Lake Ouachita, and they had begun drawing up house plans with designer Tobi Fairley, who had worked with them on their Ft. Smith residence, when an opportunity arose. A house next to their lot went on the market, and it boasted an excellent view of the lake as well as ample square footage. Even though it needed some remodeling, there was no doubt that reworking an existing house would be faster than building new,” says Fairley. The thought that they wouldn’t miss a summer of lakeside entertaining was enough to persuade the Murphys, and they opted for the change in plans.
Renovation work began in the winter months, geared around creating accommodating spaces for family and friends and updating the building materials in the early 1990s home. Laminate flooring was replaced with hardwood, custom cabinets were added alongside the living room fireplace and a wet bar was built into an unused portion of the entry hall.
The kitchen in particular needed to be overhauled to handle large-scale entertaining, and Fairley had it refurbished with new cabinetry for increased storage, high-efficiency appliances and easily cleaned tile and quartz surfaces. “We went for quality and classic styles so that the elements would be long-lasting,” she says. The existing bathrooms were similarly updated with a more streamlined floor plan and durable surfacing, and a new one was added alongside the guest bedroom.
At the onset of the project, Fairley and the Murphys had agreed that the emphasis of the home should be on the views. When it came to furnishing the renovated spaces, Fairley opted for a neutral color palette on the home’s main level to complement the natural setting and the vistas out the windows. From the brown and cream colors used in the living and dining areas, she mixed in bold strokes of green on the adjacent screened porch. “That seemed like a natural connection to the Ouachita National Forest that surrounds the house,” says Fairley.
On the lower level, a space designed as a retreat for the Murphy’s daughters and their friends and where the views weren’t as prominent, Fairley incorporated brighter colors to enliven the area. “The downstairs was darker, and we certainly didn’t want it to seem gloomy,” she says. “So we used reds and greens, plus a variety of patterns, to make it feel fresh and fun.”
Throughout the home, Fairley ensured that the furnishings would accommodate large gatherings. She incorporated a living room on each level, so that college-age kids could have a separate relaxing space from the adults. On the screened porch, she worked in two dining areas as well as multiple chairs, a sofa and even ottomans for extra seating. In the dining room, she included a table that can easily be extended to fit 10 or more guests. “We also used multi-purpose pieces whenever we could,” says Fairley, “like ottomans with removable tray tops and benches that double as seating or tables.”
The home’s transformation was wrapped up in time for the Murphys to enjoy it that summer, and they celebrated its completion by throwing a 4th of July celebration. “We’ve been entertaining here ever since, and it’s a full house on summer weekends,” says Martha. “For our family and friends, it’s become a destination, and we love that.”
Resources
Design: Tobi Fairley, Tobi Fairley Interior Design, Little Rock
Contractor: Robert Wortsmith, Wortsmith Construction, Mt. Ida
Tile: Elder Distributing, North Little Rock
Window treatments: Mountjoy’s Custom Draperies, Mabelvale
Appliances and bath fixtures: Metro Builders Supply, North Little Rock
…
When the cabin’s roof needed replacing, Kris and Bob agreed that the views from the third floor could be increased if they added dormers. “We had used the finished attic as a kind of dorm room for our kids and their friends and filled it with bunk beds,” Kris says. “Once the roof had to come off, we figured raising the roof line with dormers would be a great improvement. I really had no idea we would continue the renovation from there.”
“We’ve always been lake people,” says Ft. Smith resident Kris Klein. “We never thought we would be able to pick just one to visit, but when we came across this cabin on Beaver Lake in 1999, we had a change of heart.”
…
|
… |
 |
 |
Set the table for summer with a mix of textures and colors and your beautiful tablescape will become the topic of discussion. We began with a Daffodil tablecloth from Xochi and poppy-inspired table runner from The Kitchen Company, Conway. White dinner plates from Paul Michael, Lake Village, balance the vibrant red Vietri salad plates from The Full Moon, Little Rock. We topped them off with Danic cloth napkins in navy, gathered with Marble Curry napkin rings by Xochi, also available at The Kitchen Company. Red pillows, from Ken Rash’s, Little Rock, give a punch of color to any summer table.
…
At Home in Arkansas offers you a look inside the state's most inspiring homes. The magazine features monthly advice from the experts to help you plan your next remodel or redesign, entertain at home, or find Arkansas's best kept secrets. It is your definitive guide to the state's finest homes and gardens, design professionals, fashion and entertaining essentials, and premier shops and showrooms.
