Homes and Gardens Archives - Page 41 of 46

French Dressing

July 24, 2009 by ark_admin

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.

“People are always coming in and out,” says Carrie, a stay-at-home mom and freelance photo stylist. “I like to call it my little party jewel box.” Last January, she and her husband Ray, who owns a printing company, traded in their 6,000-square-foot home for a 2,700-square-foot 1947 red brick colonial. They replaced the existing garage with a master bedroom suite and laundry room, and discovered that with this one addition, the home’s smaller size was well suited to their lifestyle. “It made sense for our petite family,” says Carrie, whose son will be heading off to college next year. “We live in this house much more easily than the other because it brings us all together.”…

On the Waterfront

June 30, 2009 by ark_admin

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.

Instead of placing the driveway in front of the house and interrupting those views, Chambers and his business partner, Brian Soule’ of Chambers & Soule’ Design Builders, created a circular driveway that winds through the wooded lot and culminates alongside the porch. Rather than add a garage directly on to the house, they built a detached one nearby, a choice that Chambers says helped to keep the home from feeling too large and allowed more trees to remain undisturbed. They took a similar approach in designing a boathouse, using the foundation of an old picnic structure on the site as a starting point.

In classic Cape Cod style, Chambers and Soule clad the exteriors of all three buildings in shingle lap siding, and followed with tongue and groove cypress for the porch ceiling, cedar for the trim, and Smokey Mountain bluestone for retaining walls and walkways. “Then we mixed in the blue double-hung windows,” says Chambers, “to add some color and whimsy and a more casual feel.”

Whether guests arrive by car or boat, an inviting home with a welcoming front porch now greets them. “We were going for a classic look, the time-tested image of shelter, of home,” says Chamber. “A place that could be appreciated by any generation.”

Resources

Architect and project manager Chip Chambers, Bella Vista
Director of construction Brian Soule’, Gravette
Builder Chambers & Soule’ Design Builders, Bella Vista
Interior design Vanessa Jacky-Davis of Christine’s Interiors, Bentonville
Landscape architect Clay Bakker, S & S Creative Landscapes, Bentonville
Windows and Doors Marvin, retail locations statewide
Building Materials True Value, Bella Vista

The Casual Cottage

June 25, 2009 by ark_admin

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.”

They called in Little Rock designer Cortney Singleton, who knew the area well from spending her own childhood summers on the lake and subsequently working with several clients to update their Eden Isle homes. “I’m used to the architectural style and 70s era design elements,” says Singleton, “and this place had the typical dark paneling and trim, plus old carpeting, even in the bathrooms.”

Painting all the walls and woodwork white became the starting point for transforming the 1,900 square foot home, and replacing the carpeting with light-colored hardwood floors further brightened the spaces. Within this now-neutral shell, the homeowners’ goal was to create family-friendly rooms that had the crisp, clean and inviting feel of a lakeside retreat, and Singleton chose a color palette of soft beiges, tans, and blues to create that effect.

“Family-oriented yet crisp can be a tricky combo,” says Singleton, “which led us to choose furnishings with slipcovers and use natural linen instead of pure white—something that would be more forgiving with kids coming in and out of the house.” She opted for pillows, rugs, and other accessories in blue and tan to enliven the rooms and mixed in tables with a dark finish for contrast.

As a final unifying element, she topped the windows with white linen curtains. “Rooms with white walls can seem cold and sterile if you aren’t careful,” says Singleton. “The curtains were the perfect way to soften the space, and by sticking to the wall color, they didn’t distract from the view.”

To accommodate visits from friends and family, the homeowners converted a large bedroom into a guest suite, complete with a queen-size bed and built-in bunk beds. “The room had an awkward alcove,” says the homeowner, “and building in the beds proved a great solution for making use of that space and adding extra sleeping quarters.” Singleton outfitted the suite in bright blue and green bedding and accent pieces, using colors that complemented the rest of the house while creating an inviting retreat for guests.

The homeowners’ favorite space for entertaining was a small deck directly off the living room, which offered the best view of the lake but was too tiny to hold outdoor furnishings. As part of their home makeover, they enlarged the area, adding a sink, refrigerator and ample seating, then completed it with a wide stairway leading down to a fire pit near the lake’s shoreline.

“We now have so many comfortable places to hang out, and we look forward to being here as often as we can,” says the homeowner. “I can feel my stress lift away a little bit just by walking through the door,” adds Singleton. “Even if I’m here working and talking design, you can’t resist kicking back in one of those chairs and relaxing for awhile.”

Design Resources

Interior design Cortney Singleton Interiors, Little Rock
Contractor Ron Pearce Construction, Heber Springs
Rugs and living room furniture Cobblestone and Vine, Little Rock

Lakeside Luxe

June 25, 2009 by ark_admin

“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

Rustic Retreat

June 25, 2009 by ark_admin

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.”

Kris’ husband, Bob, grew up coming down from Chicago to visit his grandmother’s cabin on Bull Shoals, and Kris and Bob have spent their married life vacationing on many of Arkansas’ lakes; however, after having four children and eventually buying a boat and other water-sports gear, the family was forced to haul two cars for each trip. It was then that Kris looked into Beaver Lake. “We really just stumbled across it,” she says. “The cabin had a view of the water and property that would allow us to build our own dock and leave all our water toys here.”

Initially the Kleins invested in the outside of the home, building walkways to the water, a dock and landscaping. “The cabin was built in 1978, and the interior was filled with many of the original avocado-green appliances and gold finishes,” Kris says. “We didn’t worry about updating it the first ten years because we saw it all fitting for a lakefront vacation home.” But over the years, Kris accumulated an idea book filled with magazine pages and photographs of décor and design that inspired her. “I never knew what I was going to do with that book until it came time to replace the roof,” she says.

Working with local builder Carroll Evans and Ft. Smith-based architect Sarah Howe, the Kleins ended up expanding the home’s footprint ten feet toward the water, which accentuated their lakefront views. They added two bathrooms, one on the third level for the kids, and since it was not unlike the Kleins to host 20 people over a weekend, they also expanded the kitchen, living and dining areas. The old shag carpet was replaced with wood planks salvaged from barns in the area, and the team created several custom pieces using local materials, including a staircase with hand-hewn logs. “Throughout the process, I would think out loud, and Carroll and his team would make my dreams a reality,” Kris says. “It was so easy and rewarding working with them.”

To take in the water views, a deck was added to the top floor, while the original decks on the bottom and main level were expanded along with the home’s footprint. One of the final touches, designed to allow the Kleins to further enjoy the cabin’s natural setting, was an outdoor fireplace. “We visited Carroll’s home, and he had a free-form outdoor fireplace that we really liked,” Kris says. “For our 30th wedding anniversary, which occurred when the house was being finished, I asked Carroll to build us one as a surprise for Bob and to incorporate his grill into the space.” The finished area has become a favorite spot for entertaining and cooking, thanks to the built-in grill and cabinetry. Evans even incorporated a leftover slab of granite from the kitchen remodel as a counter top for a prep and serving area. “The granite piece came from cutting the hole for the kitchen sink,” Kris says. “They didn’t waste anything, and it made for such a usable and beautiful outdoor room.”

Throughout the renovation, Kris and Bob’s children were away at college or pursuing their careers, and hadn’t seen the work in progress. The big reveal came that Thanksgiving with a large gathering for family and friends. “We had everyone up for the holiday, and that was the first time they had seen the finished project,” Kris says. “Looking back, I don’t know how we managed in the smaller, out-dated home, but now we can really spend a lot of time on the lake with family and friends and enjoy all aspects of our stay.”

Resources
Builder/contractor: Carroll Evans, Evans & Evans, Huntsville
Architectural planning and interiors: Sara Howe Interior Design, Ft. Smith
Stonework: Johnson Landscape and Construction, Berryville
Plumbing and lighting fixtures: J & B Supply, Ft. Smith
Tile: Acme Brick, Ft. Smith
Dining room chandelier: Now and Then Shoppe, Ft. Smith
Furnishings: Vintage Cargo, Eureka Springs

Aquatic Oasis

June 24, 2009 by ark_admin

When faced with the challenge of converting a driveway and carport area into an inviting courtyard, landscape designer Chris Olsen had a ready solution. “We used the transformative power of water,” he says, “to turn a space that was barren and hot into a place that’s enticing and cooling.”

His clients, Bill and Jane Hardin, envisioned a welcoming garden in place of the existing side drive along their Little Rock home, and Olsen obliged with a plan for a brick-lined patio featuring a raised pond and fountain. “Water subliminally softens a space, adding the element of sound, plus something to look at and touch,” he says. “I find that raised ponds are especially good for this, since you can sit on the edge and feel closer to the water.”

He began by adding brick retaining walls to form the pond and painting them to blend with the white exterior of the Hardin’s home. Antique brick was used for the courtyard flooring and semi-circular accent walls, one containing the pond’s water fountain and another defining the boundary of the garden. Within the pond, Olsen created two planting areas rimmed with bricks and created a channel where water flows between them. “We didn’t want a gushing waterfall, but the faint sound of water flowing into the pond,” he says. “With the brick walls as a backdrop, the sound ricochets around.”

Olsen filled the planting areas with a wide variety of water-tolerant plants, including canna lilies, oat grass and obedient plant, and then turned the main section of the pond into a habitat for koi and goldfish. “That made the pond into a destination, a place to come sit, feed the fish and watch them for awhile,” he adds.

Alongside the new courtyard, in an area where water drainage had long been an issue, Olsen added more water-loving plants and created a thriving bog garden. Since the property’s existing retaining walls held in moisture, he was able to fill the area with arrow arum, pickerelweed, variegated carex grass, sweet flag grass and other varieties common to waterside settings. “As the plants grew together, they created this lush garden,” says Olsen. “You’d never suspect that it had been a problem area.”

For a final burst of bright green color, he planted masses of horsetail reed underneath Crepe Myrtle trees that flank the Hardin’s house. “Including water plants in all the areas tied them together,” says Olsen. “They became a good solution for dealing with the site’s challenges, and created a unique look as well.”

Resources
Landscape design: Chris Olsen, Botanica Gardens, Little Rock

Cottage in the City

May 25, 2009 by ark_admin

Cottages have played a significant role in the lives of Nancy and Charles Vines, who have been remodeling and building them for the past 25 years. Their latest project in Little Rock’s Heights neighborhood is a new house with all the trappings of a historic home. “People are always surprised when I tell them it’s new construction,” Nancy says. “The original house had already been removed when we purchased the lot, and we loved the neighborhood of quaint bungalows.”

Real estate is Nancy’s true line of work, and it has led to her passion for interior decorating and landscaping. “Over the years, my husband and I have both enjoyed remodeling and living in cottage-style homes,” she says. “It’s very rewarding, and we have learned so much from each house.”

Nancy and Charles agree that the home’s lot plays a huge role. “When people ask my opinion, I always tell them to think about the type of home you want to build before buying a lot,” Nancy says. “We waited for the perfect site so we could build what we wanted.” They had their minds set on a charming cottage with all the classic details to which she and Charles admit they have always been drawn. “We especially wanted a lot with alley access so we could position the garage in the back, and enough space to have an open floor plan and several outdoor areas,” she says.

The duo has developed a reputation for their love of cottages. “My friends laugh that I always have a white picket fence and a porch swing,” she says. “For this home, Charles and I drew our own plans, and our nephew, an architect with Totty Designs, finalized them.” The one level, two-bedroom home gives the exterior appearance of a two-level thanks to the pitched and gabled roof, and the brick, which the Vines bought from Antique Brick in Little Rock and had painted, is one of many authentic cottage features. From the shutters on the windows and dormers to the classic front porch with traditional bead-board ceiling and inviting wicker furniture, the façade of the home is cottage chic. “We’re into porches,” Nancy says. “I think of a picket fence with roses and a front porch when I think of cottages, and that’s what we did.”

On the interior, an open living area, which leads to the kitchen on one side and the screened porch on the other, anchors the 2,220-square-foot home, and Nancy chose a color palette of reds, blues and yellows as a nod to her French country style. “I enjoy creating country French interiors with a mix of eclectic furnishing, and we decided upon several main elements that would carry the style throughout the house,” Nancy says. The hand-scraped maple flooring from ProSource in Maumelle was one of Nancy’s selections, and it immediately greets guests with its rich color and depth of detail. The kitchen includes whitewashed cabinetry, and, from Marshall Clements in Little Rock, a 1920s farm table, which Nancy says helps make the kitchen the hub of the home. “That’s the conversation place,” Nancy says. “Everyone always finds themselves in the kitchen.”

French doors in the living area lead to a 400-square-foot screened porch, which is also a favorite spot. “We entertain out there, read and I even have a television,” Nancy says. The porch opens onto a courtyard garden, complete with a flagstone patio, pergola and teak furnishings. Highlighting the space is a recirculating water fountain with a bronze statue, which has held prominent distinction at each of the Vines’ homes. “I found the statue of the girl at Grand Finale in Little Rock probably 15 years ago, and I just had to have her,” Nancy says. “And, I surely couldn’t leave her behind when we moved.”

For the Vines, this cottage is a culmination of their years of remodeling and construction, and while Nancy admits they have made mistakes in their previous projects, they’ve never made the same one twice. “This is truly the cottage we’ve always wanted,” she says. “There is nothing we would change, and we’re in the best location, within easy walking distance to the grocery store, restaurants and shops.”

Design Resources
Architect: Brad Totty, Totty Designs
Building materials, windows: Kaufman Lumber, Little Rock
Exterior shutters: Timberlane
Brick: Antique Brick Co., Little Rock
Screens: ProWindow and Door, Little Rock
Stone: Carr Stone Co., Mayflower
Flooring: ProSource, Maumelle
Appliances: Metro Builders Supply, Maumelle
Cabinetry: Duke Custom Cabinetry, Roland
Bedding, draperies: Joyce Holt’s Window Works, Little Rock
Interior shutters: BlindMart
Furnishings: Haus Werks, Cobblestone & Vine, 1-40 Antique Mall, Marshall Clements, Fabulous Finds, Little Rock
Fabric: Larry’s, Little Rock
Dining set on screened porch: Blue Swede Shoes, Bryan

Cottage in the Country

May 25, 2009 by ark_admin

On most mornings, Jeff Chapman and Stan DuBois can be found in their kitchen, sitting at the breakfast table and watching wildlife out the window. Deer cross the meadow and finches congregate in the trees as the sun rises over the Ozark Mountains, the view enticing the pair to linger for a few extra moments before they’re off to work in nearby Eureka Springs at their home furnishings store, Vintage Cargo.
…

Cottage Garden

May 25, 2009 by ark_admin

For Blanche and Charles Hearn, the decision to purchase their 1940s-era cottage in North Little Rock was based as much on the yard as it was on the house. “We liked the style of the home, but the back yard was especially appealing,” says Blanche. “It had two levels and some stone retaining walls, and I could immediately see possibilities for what I could do with it.”

Blanche, an avid gardener, envisioned a multi-leveled cottage garden that would wrap around the side and back of the house and terrace down the hillside. After working out a design, she and Charles, owners of North Little Rock’s Hearn Furniture, began the transformation. They repaired the existing stone steps and walls, and built additional ones to define paths and planting beds. Installing a stone patio eased the transition between the house and garden, and adding a pergola made of cypress created a focal point and shaded the walkway between upper and lower levels.

Within the garden beds, Blanche’s goal was to “design a green base and then use flowers as inserts,” she says. To do so, she used the existing azalea and abelia bushes, and supplemented them with boxwoods and other evergreens. For color, she brought in perennials—cannas, phlox, rudbeckia and more—that would thrive in the yard’s mix of shade and sun. Throughout the process, friends and fellow gardeners shared some of their favorite plants, giving Blanche daisies, hostas and hydrangeas to work into the beds.

As a means of blending the stone façade of their cottage with the garden, Blanche and Charles planted Boston ivy and coaxed it to grow up the walls. Within a few years, it covered the back and side of the house with a lush layer of green. “The house and the garden seem to fit each other now,” says Blanche. “We’re enjoying the end result, and we enjoyed what it took to get here.”

Design Resources
Pergola carpenter: Jerry Nott, Little Rock
Custom-milled cypress: Robert and Chad Word, Thornton

RENEW

April 21, 2009 by ark_admin

Angela Duke’s Glenwood house stands as her family’s home base, yet it’s been in a design transition for years. “The house originally belonged to my grandparents,” she says. “Throughout the years, it’s gone through several remodels, but I never felt like it was finished.” With her son Clark living in Los Angeles and her other son, Chandler, soon to be graduating high school, she felt it was time to rethink the house. She contacted interior designer Tobi Fairley of Tobi Fairley Interior Design in Little Rock, with whom she had worked on many previous projects. “I know Tobi gets my style,” Angela says, “and I was ready to start from scratch.”

The 1960s ranch-style house has a comfortable atmosphere, thanks to the large rooms and numerous windows that offer views of the Caddo River, and Fairley’s goal was to complement the mid-century architecture with the furnishings. “She wanted a space that was both relaxing and beautiful for her, and one that would remain functional when her family visits,” says Fairley, who began her design with the color scheme. “Every woman looks beautiful in warm peach, coral and rosy hues, and I pulled the blues from the river and nature views,” she says. “I kept each space primarily monochromatic, which lends a more calming atmosphere, and I incorporated lots of original artwork.” As an avid collector, Angela enjoyed outfitting the home with works from Arkansas artists. “I joke that if I had to choose between art and furniture, I would pick art,” she says.

Although the home has a large footprint, there were only two bedrooms, and Angela had turned a den into a room for Clark. Now, she and Fairley decided to transform the boys’ spaces into suites. “With Clark living in Los Angeles, we gave him a full guest quarters and converted the basement into a bedroom, living area, fireplace, bathroom and office,” Angela says. “Chandler has his own suite set up in one of the original bedrooms with the same amenities.” Fairley chose red, black and white, a perfect 1960’s modern scheme, for Chandler’s room, and the basement unifies the entire house with pops of blue, orange, black and white.

“I think the basement is one of my most successful remodels ever,” Fairley says. “By painting the entire basement white, I really made the most of the slightly awkward space, and you can’t discern that the ceiling is less than eight feet tall.”

Angela couldn’t be happier with the completed home. “I really feel like it’s finished now,” she says. “I finally have closure, and I can just enjoy it.”

Design Details
Interior design: Tobi Fairley, Tobi Fairley Interior Design, Little Rock

French Dressing

On the Waterfront

The Casual Cottage

Lakeside Luxe

Rustic Retreat

Aquatic Oasis

Cottage in the City

Cottage in the Country

Cottage Garden

RENEW

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