From Crash Pad to Dream Home

Design by Lindsey Black Interiors | Story by Terri Glazer | Photography by Sélavie Photography

After many years of making the daily trek from their home in Crittenden County, AR, to the parochial school their children attended in East Memphis, a travel-weary mom and dad decided things needed to change. They decided to get a weekday place near the school, just to cut down on commuting time.

The couple bought a house off Shady Grove Road and quickly found they were falling in love with not only the convenient location, but also the neighborhood. Recalls the husband, “There are 15 or 16 kids in the 10 houses right around us and they’re all similar in age. And we really like this house, so we made the commitment that we were going to stay here. But we needed it to function the way we want to live.”

The homeowners brought in a team of experts, architect Colin McDoneil, general contractor RKA Construction, and designer Lindsey Black, to handle the transformation. Formerly home to two adults, the reimagined house needed to be fit for a family of four. It also had to have room for their wide circle of friends and family. “We want to be plugged in with our kids. I know the kids’ homes that I wanted to go to when I was their age, and we want to have that place for our kids. Kids are in and out of here all the time. Our oldest son is in high school and we had a 24-person homecoming party here last fall,” the husband says. Mom and Dad enjoy entertaining too, often hosting events ranging from extended family holiday celebrations to neighborhood get-togethers.

The project reworked the home’s layout, changing the function of several spaces, but the new design flows so smoothly it seems as if it’s always had the current configuration. The dining room makes perfect sense in its location on the front of the house. Its rectangular shape is just right for the large table and ten surrounding chairs. “I told Lindsey we wanted as big a table as we could fit in here,” says the wife. The homeowners also asked for wallpaper in the space. Black obliged with a sophisticated gray-green grasscloth. “It’s a big room, but it has a lot of openings, so patterned wallpaper would have looked choppy,” she says. “The grasscloth provides interest and works well in a room that has a lot of openings and windows.”

Twin, arched-top china cabinets frame an original painting by Melissa Payne Baker, while an oval-shaped bar cart repeats the curved lines. Black found the vintage piece years ago and patiently waited to place it with just the right clients. “I didn’t know if I was ever going to be able to part with it because it’s so special and unique!” she laughs.

The true star of the room, however, is the Visual Comfort light fixture above the dining table. The cluster of swirly glass spheres creates a cloud-like appearance that sets off the room and also adds visual interest to the home from the street view. Black says its size and shape made it the ideal choice. “When you’re dealing with eight-foot ceilings like this house has, you can’t have some of the grand fixtures. I went with this linear one that makes a big impact. It fills the large room but still accommodates the low ceiling well.”

Inspired by the dynamic decor they had seen at several local bars and restaurants, the couple knew they wanted dramatic wallpaper somewhere in their new home, and Black was thrilled to serve up a powder bath with a wild and whimsical pattern by British designer Emma J. Shipley. Black describes the paper as a longtime favorite that had been on her radar for a while, again, just waiting for the perfect placement.

The comfortable family room shows no sign of having originally been the home’s garage. Tasked with creating a spot where adults or teenagers would be equally comfortable spending time, Black came up with a design that’s elevated, comfortable and practically indestructible. Her biggest challenge came from the room’s shape; broad and a bit shallow, as is typical of a garage. Because of its width, the space didn’t lend itself to a traditional furniture placement. The designer’s clever solution came in the form of a pair of L-shaped sectional sofas. The arrangement minimized wasted space and kept clear pathways. Matching modern light fixtures hang over each seating area, and behind both sofas she placed a counter-height table and stools, a super spot to have a snack while watching a game or favorite show.

The room’s rear wall is home to a built-in bar that holds the homeowner’s favorite spirits as well as a whiskey bottle painting commissioned from local artist Nate Renner. More original art from Sara Ella Cole and a trio of vibrant serpent prints bring interest and drama, as does a full-length photo of John Wayne. The designer knew she wanted a large black-and-white photo, and the homeowners suggested “The Duke,” as the classic star bears a striking resemblance to the husband’s grandfather.

Black’s design choices for the room ensure that it looks as good today as it did when the project was completed a year ago, even though the room sees constant use. “The fabrics are very high performance, the rug is stain treated and the bar tables are metal. They can be wiped clean easily,” she explains.

“We told Lindsey we wanted our bedroom to feel like a luxury hotel room,” says the husband. Black delivered beautifully; her creation is at once sumptuous and cozy. A full wall of plush wool drapes looks impressive, and it also masks the room’s single, awkwardly placed window. “Usually when house plans are drawn, the primary bedroom has two grand windows and really feels like an owners’ suite,” says Black. “When you just have one little window it kind of makes it feel more like a spare bedroom. So we thought we ought to make it super dramatic; give them that hotel feel with a whole wall of draperies. They can open the drapes to expose the window, but when they’re closed it just feels like a little cocoon. Cozy. And the wall color—it feels very comfortable but not dark. It’s moody.”

A custom-made bed upholstered in velvet adds to the ambiance. “We paid a lot of attention and were really careful in selecting the art for this house,” says Black, pointing out a large botanical monoprint by Celeste Pfau and four sketches by Rachel Payne. The designer float-mounted the figure drawings in simple frames, allowing the atmospheric wall color to function as a “mat.”

The initial renovation plan involved only a few small changes to the kitchen, and the team was hesitant to suggest otherwise at first, as it was basically in good shape. As plans progressed it became clear that the walled-off kitchen wasn’t suited to the family’s needs, so a larger-scale redo got underway. Walls came out to open the space to the adjacent keeping room. Plenty of windows and crisp white walls give the room a light and airy feel. Black designed a simple door style for the cabinets and painted most of them in a warm neutral tone. Stained white oak on the island and two wall units gives the pieces the look of fine furniture. Cambria quartz counters and backsplash in a subtle pattern complete the kitchen’s updated traditional character. The project went on to revamp the rear entry and laundry room and add storage. Black made sure the new pantry had room for all the family’s small appliances, a favorite feature for the couple, who love both the easy access to often-used electrics and the clean, uncluttered look it allows on the kitchen counters. 

“Little things mean a lot” may be an old adage, but it rings true with these homeowners. While they love everything about their remodeled place, it may be the small details that they appreciate the most. “The outlets hidden under the cabinets, the USB ports in certain places, the phone app that controls the thermostats, lights, the TVs, the gate. The pop-up downdraft vent so we didn’t have to have a hood over the island. The fact that we took out a whole wall to move the windows over three inches so they’d be centered. The thought Lindsey and her team put into the custom details of all the finishes, the furnishings and upholstery, the art and the accessories took the project from good to great,” says the husband.

It’s clear this couple made the right choice for their family when they decided to go “all in” on the in-town house they initially envisioned as a temporary fix to reduce commuting. Even though their East Memphis residence lacks the massive square footage of their Arkansas place, they could not be happier. “What we gave up in space we were able to gain in flexibility with the kids and friends. It’s a quality of life thing. You couldn’t drag us off this street!” admits the husband.

More than just location, though, they are delighted with the reimagining of their former “crash pad.” The wife sums it up with one brief thought: “It was a house when we moved in. Lindsey and her team turned it into a home.”