When Gail and Chuck Maxwell purchased a lot on Fayetteville’s Mount Sequoyah, they knew they had found the perfect place to build their dream home. They also knew they wanted the process and structure to be environmentally responsible and innovative, including the home’s open floor plan kitchen. Luckily, they already knew the right person to help carry out this mission—LEED-accredited designer and longtime friend, Missi Walker. Working together, the trio perfected the recipe for a green kitchen.
Apartment Living Goes Green
Built in the late 1960s, the four building apartment complex near the University of Arkansas campus in downtown Fayetteville was a testament to its time, complete with dark paneling, shaggy carpeting, closed off rooms and dank kitchens and baths. When new owners purchased the property in 2010, the 96-unit complex was in dire need of an update.
Despite the condition of each apartment, the complex was structurally sound, and the downtown locale offered all the benefits of urban living, with easy access to campus and the Fayetteville trail system, as well as shops and restaurants. “There was tremendous potential here to renovate these units in an economically feasible way and create a healthy, sustainable setting,” says Jeremy Hudson, partner in MC3 Multifamily real estate management and one of the developers of the property. “We saw an opportunity to make this a truly green apartment complex and offer a style of living that didn’t exist here.”
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Lakeside Living, Redefined
At Home in Arkansas: Tell us the backstory on how this family of four from Little Rock created this retreat on Greers Ferry Lake.
Scott Paterek: They were originally drawn to the land, which has a dock and a beautiful view of the lake. They built a custom home on it, and then two years later the tornadoes that went through this part of the state destroyed it and they subsequently re-built.
AHIA: How damaging was the tornado?
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Serenely Chic
A Floating Garden
“A garden should be a nice place to visit year-round,” says Mark Gibson of Green Thumb Garden Center in Little Rock, which he helms with his sister, Marlene Murphy. As specialists in water gardens containing aquatic plants and fish, they have a creative and unique solution for season-less beauty: floating island planters. Comprised of a buoyant foam base that holds potting soil and plants, a floating island ensures there’s something alive and green in outdoor spaces even when land plants begin to wane, from the peak of summer to the dead of winter.
A floating island is surprisingly easy to build and maintain, and is ideal for anyone with a pond or area of water that needs some attention. And in a koi or fish pond, its benefits extend to providing shade and protection for fish, and oxygenating and purifying the water as well.
Here’s how to create your very own floating garden:
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Summer Soothers
One Clever Item, Three Fresh Looks
Summer living calls for easy, versatile pieces, offering the chance to break from tradition and loosen up your decor. To inspire your vacation-time style, At Home asked three top designers to create fresh combos for a summery setting, all based on one piece of furniture.
The item? The new, modern classic Ghost Buster commode, designed by Philippe Starck for Kartell. While the simple lines evoke a French chest, the transparent or opaque plastic construction keeps the look light.
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Made to Measure
Penny Stanley’s home near Searcy has been a fixture on her family farm since it was built in the late 1930s. However, its original kitchen, which was last renovated more than 20 years ago, lacked adequate countertop space, and it was too cramped to accommodate guests while Penny prepared meals. Ready for an update, Penny enlisted the help of interior designer Beth Davis to give it the style, functionality and comfort of a modern-day kitchen. “Many people entertain more casually than they used to,” Davis says. “They want an interaction between the kitchen and dining areas.”
Davis began by knocking out the wall separating the kitchen from the dining room. She then replaced a small alcove at the far end of the kitchen with a spacious eat-in bar, and extended the length of the countertops. These changes allow friends and family the freedom to mingle or eat at the bar, giving Penny additional place for prepping and serving meals as well.
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Historic Meets Happy
Renovated and Refreshed
Old World meets cool contemporary in an updated home that’s elegant yet comfortable for family living

At Home in Arkansas:In the years since we last featured this 1920s Hillcrest home, it has changed ownership and undergone a dramatic renovation. When did the current homeowners contact you about a design overhaul?
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