Whether it’s a cozy, thatched-roof cottage or the Edwardian splendor of Downton Abbey, interiors with an English accent remain popular more than two centuries after throwing off British rule.

When Catherine and Mark Pugh and their three children returned to Birmingham after seven years in Atlanta, they chose an established neighborhood of traditional, English-influenced homes. But their home was a newer one for the neighborhood, so Catherine set out to “traditionalize” the 4-year-old house in keeping with its surrounding structures and her preference for English style.

While the Pughs have an overall remodeling plan to be implemented in the coming years, the conversion of a closet into an office is the only construction that went into the initial transformation of the interior. The rest was done with paint, fabric and furnishings, and the help of Jenny Edwards of
J. Edwards Interiors.

LEFT: The breakfast area mixes styles to create a comfortable, visually amusing area appropriate for casual meals. “You have the gamut of traditional and updated and fun here, ” Jenny says. A display of transferware sets an English- cottage tone, with echoes found in the ikat pillows and the curves of the banquette. No-nonsense Windsor chairs are joined by playful, washed-finish stools covered in beige-and-blue-striped fabric. The striking iron chandelier was custom-made to complement the length of the English table. RIGHT: To introduce the home’s English style, Jenny used vintage botanical prints in the entry. The stone-topped iron piece keeps the space from feeling overly dressy.

The house originally felt dark to the new owners. The Pughs’ previous home featured more dramatic reds and golds, and Catherine was ready to lighten things up. “She wanted to keep it quiet and calming, ” says Jenny. “So we carried the soft colors throughout. It works to maintain the flow.”

The living room exudes an air of confidence and formality — just enough to mark it as a special, guest-ready area without being stultifying. A baby grand piano creates the focal point of the space. To balance the heft and black lacquer glossiness of the instrument, Jenny used natural fabrics with the lightest infusion of color, as found in the linen floral pillows, “to help make it not so serious.” Elements such as a cloverleaf ottoman covered in soft-hued silk also offset the assertiveness of the piano.

The family room emphasizes comfort while retaining a hint of formality. The room’s connection to the outdoors—French doors  lead to a bluestone patio and pool surround—is reflected in the use of greens and blues, as well as in the bird-motif fabric on the armchairs.  A leather chair and ottoman were selected “to make the room not so frilly, ” Jenny says. The unexpected elements of a zinc side table and  an antique gate fashioned into a glass-topped coffee table lighten the mood. An antique Tabriz rug pulls it all together.

Other rooms exhibit variations on the stately-homes-of-England theme, from a formal-feeling powder room to an unselfconsciously elegant dining room. The mode is established with various antiques, such as a classic Chippendale chair in the living room and the Tabriz rug in the family room, mixed with complementary new pieces.

The occasional unexpected element, such as an abstract painting, keeps the space from feeling overdone. “I have conservative, traditional taste, ” says Catherine. “Jenny pushed me to have some cooler things, to  throw in some ‘funky’ here and there.”

All the elements add up to the across-the-pond effect that the Pughs sought. “The inside has a real English feel, ” Catherine says. “I love it.”

LEFT: This teen’s bedroom is a confection of blue and white. Jenny worked with 15-year-old Ashleigh Pugh to create a fresh, crisp environment that introduces a contemporary edge. RIGHT: The master bedroom’s custom-made barley-twist bed is dressed in floral linen with a skirt of mini-check fabric that is also used for the drapes. An antique Oushak rug offers luxe padding underfoot.

MEET JENNY EDWARDS

According to Chinese philosopher Confucius, if you find a job you love, you’ll never work a day in your life. Jenny Edwards followed that advice, turning an interest in the decorative arts into J. Edwards Interiors, a business devoted to beautiful and functional homes. Early on, she learned the joy of putting together furnishings and fabrics, colors and collectibles, to create a room that satisfies the senses. “I have always had a love for pretty things, ” Jenny says. “I grew up around it because my mother helped people with interiors.”

Launching her business in 1998, Jenny focuses on finding, creating and arranging “pretty things” in a multiplicity of styles — traditional, transitional, and modern — to help homeowners achieve the surroundings that make them happy. “The goal of our business is to give the homeowners what they desire, ” Jenny says. “We try to make it beautiful and comfortable within their vision. We use our abilities to bring together the homeowner’s ideas.”

RESOURCES

interior design: Jenny Edwards, J. Edwards Interiors, LLC  2839 Culver Road, Suite  203 • 205.870.5100  living room: chandelier: King’s House Antiques  2807 2nd Avenue South • 205.320.2535  mercury lamp: Tricia’s Treasures 2700 19th Place South • 205.871.9779  family room: Tabriz rug: Paige Albright Orientals 2814 Petticoat Lane • 205.877.3232  coffee table: Henhouse Antiques 1900 Cahaba Road • 205.918.0505  breakfast room: transferware: Mulberry Heights 2419 Canterbury Road • 205.870.1300 table: The Nest Antiques 2718 19th Place South • 205.870.1264  powder room: chest: Circa Antiques 2831 Culver Road • 205.868.9199 entry hall: candlestick lamps: Village Firefly 2816 Culver Road • 205.870.4560

Text by Lucy Merrill • Photography by Brian Francis • Styling by Missie Neville Crawford

As the weather flirts with the prospect of warming, it’s hard not to begin mentally preparing for summer vacation—a retreat that is as much about tradition as it is about relaxation. For most Birmingham natives, summer means heading to the lake and for a lucky few, it means time spent in a Russell Cabin on Lake Martin.

Since the 1930s, Russell Cabins have been the quintessential lake hideaways. Dirt roads provide access and cabins are built with nature and families in mind, not gratuitous grandeur. You won’t find a cabin that sleeps 50 people, but you will find one with large rooms for eating communal meals and playing games, expansive windows, and deep porches. Perhaps the one and only downside to the Russell Cabins has been their lease-only policy.

Welcome to a new era, Alabama.

Porches were built deep enough to accommodate daytime gatherings and summer cots for kiddies who want to watch the fireflies while they fall asleep.

For the first time in the history of Russell Cabins, it is now possible to purchase your very own cabin—to finally put a permanent stake and claim on your summer territory. Inside the entry of Lake Martin’s neighborhood The Ridge, the perfect piece of land was chosen to create the reserve of upscale cabins. Legendary designers Bill Farshee, Bill Ingram, and Taylor Dawson were chosen to create six different house plans for this unique community—plans that prospective home owners can choose from and amend where desired.

Great pains have been taken to create homes which work seamlessly with nature. Taylor Dawson’s design, Windward, includes expansive arrays of windows throughout the structure which provide natural sunlight and a communion with the surrounding landscape. The vaulted ceilings in the great room seem to mimic the openness of the skies and are in stark contrast to the 8-foot ceilings of the bedrooms where the height difference offers the coziness and warmth of a den. Deep porches, both screened and open, provide sprawling outdoor spaces for even more family relaxation and are all built with direct views of the water.

But no cabin would be complete without the inspired interior design of Nan Jackson. “I just want nature to be a part of the inside, ” explains Nan. Her desire is evident in the backsplash of the stove which is inlayed with tiles resembling the color and shape of fish scales. The colors of the walls and trim are subdued, so as not to contrast too sharply with the outdoor views. Working closely with Seibels’ owner, Kelly Seibels, Nan has also managed to create upscale décor throughout the cabin while still maintaining rustic appeal. Perhaps the most stunning piece of furniture—and a handmade creation by Seibels specifically for the Windward cabin—is the master bed which was fashioned from reclaimed wood.

With Taylor Dawson’s cabin design, Nan Jackson’s interior décor, and Lake Martin as your backyard, any season spent here is a season well spent.

In order to keep the 8 foot ceilings from appearing too low, Nan chose a semi-transparent paint to lighten up the wood without masking it entirely.

Spring Dreaming

Longing for a beautiful garden? Meet the landscape designers who can make it happen at the 6th annual Twin States Conference. Best part of all? The meetings are in Orange Beach.

Have you thought about adding an outdoor room, or are you looking for ways to enhance the space you have?  A landscape architect’s design expertise may be just what you need to make the most of your natural environment.

Want to learn more about landscape architecture? The 6th annual Twin States Conference, hosted by the Alabama and Mississippi Chapters of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), will be in Orange Beach April 11-13, 2013. Attendees will get a hands-on look at the latest products at the conference expo; take a tour of the ‘Encore’ azaleas nursery; enjoy a Lowcountry boil; and participate in discussions covering native plants, stormwater management, healing gardens, the power of sustainability, and more. Both chapters will present professional design awards during a luncheon on Saturday, April 13, at the Island House Hotel. Although primarily geared toward professional development for registered landscape architects, the conference offers a range of topics that can be enjoyed by anyone interested in natural and designed environments. For more information about the conference, or to learn more about the Alabama and Mississippi Chapters of ASLA, log on to twinstatesconference.com. 

ASLA is the national professional association for landscape architects. Their mission is to lead, to educate, and to participate in the careful stewardship, wise planning, and artful design of our cultural and natural environments. To find an ASLA landscape architect in your area, visit asla.org.

By Cassandra Ramos Lenard • Photography by Jean Allsopp

“If you think about it, it really all began in the garden, ” says local garden designer Kelly Hulsey. “It was ‘The Great Artist’ who created the flowers that go from tiny buds to open blooms, the leaves that change into brilliant colors, the Japanese maples that drop their leaves to create patterned red carpets.” With this statement, it’s clear that for Kelly, designing gardens is not just a job—it’s a way of life.

“Even when I’m not working, I must be in the garden, ” she explains. “Whether I am walking the property, sitting on a stone wall, or resting on a terrace while conversations linger, I am constantly allowing the garden to teach me.”

Kelly’s quest for knowledge is ongoing. She has visited and studied some of the world’s most famous gardens in the English countryside. And it’s through this immersion in the garden culture of England that she has made some observations that are key to her design philosophy. “Gardening is alive and well in England, ” she says. “In fact, most people there garden. The gardens are bold and colorful, and sometimes messy. They are both extravagant and modest. But regardless of the style, they all have one thing in common—the human element.”

Generally speaking, it is this element that Kelly sees often missing in gardens in the U.S. “Here, gardening seems to be a lost art at times, ” she continues. “As a business owner, mother, and wife in this fast-paced society, I understand this. Gardening requires attention to detail, patience, and a basic horticultural knowledge.”

According to Kelly, however, anyone with an interest in gardening can learn something from the gardeners just across the pond. “The gardeners I met in England did not have any fancy tricks up their sleeves, ” she says. “Their knowledge was not learned in a classroom. Each one had a simple title—gardener.”

It is that pared-down mindset that Kelly has taken to heart in the past few years, as evidenced in this Birmingham garden. “There is no formula here, ” she says. “I simply used a smaller variety of plants but in more abundance. And I created a beautiful backdrop with Confederate jasmine along the walls.”

Kelly also pays little attention to rules of odd numbers of plantings or certain groupings. “I like to weave the different plants into one another so that you cannot always tell where one grouping ends and another begins. The result is a haphazard inside order that I find so friendly.”

TOP LEFT Kelly mixed pansies and beaconsfield viola to create a more natural texture toward the front of the bed. TOP RIGHT Confederate jasmine covers the walls of the garden. “It has a small, subtle bloom that is fragrant and profuse, ” explains Kelly. ABOVE Kelly adds volume to the front and middle of the planting with curly-leaf parsley.  She placed Liberty white snapdragons in the middle and back of the beds. “The white is very white and complements the blues well, ” she says.
 

Photography by Howard Lee Puckett

When Melinda and Ron Helveston decided it was time to build the house of their dreams, they called architect jeremy erdreich and asked for a home with Old World influences. “I told him I wanted a beautiful home and I wanted to call it ‘European-ish, ’ ” says Melinda, who had been saving pictures of styles she liked. “I did not want it to be patterned after a definite period with small European staircases and low ceilings. I wanted everything to be open.”

Melinda had collected art and antiques slowly over the years—pieces she used as direction for the architecture and room perimeters. “I’m really not attached to one certain style, ” Melinda says. “I just chose pieces I loved. That’s why I call it ‘European-ish.’ There are French things, but also a few English pieces.”

The melded architecture sets the tone for Melinda’s antiques. One-hundred-year-old rough-hewn beams dominate the interior ceilings, while stone quarried from Alabama dresses the facade. “I love stone and have always been enamored with the houses in France and England. So when it came time to build, I knew that I wanted a stone house with a beautiful slate roof, ” Melinda says.

The dining room, one of the homeowners’ favorite spaces, features a custom table designed to seat 12. A gold-leaf-and-crystal chandelier and a 105-year-old Irish fireplace add drama and effect to the already spectacular view of the garden. “I especially love the dining room when the garden is in full bloom, ” Melinda says. “The colors are soft and it’s such a happy and pretty room.”

In addition to the timeless décor, some of the home’s most striking features are the floor-to-ceiling windows in the front and back of the home. The entry extends to a family room with even more expansive windows showcasing a stunning view of the mountain, as well as a landscape of formal gardens. Such qualities add to the enduring European style of this home. And thanks to the architect’s creative eye, the Old World style seamlessly blends with the homeowners’ personal tastes and lifestyle.

ABOVE Landscape designer Randy McDaniel used the view, as well as Melinda’s request for formality, to help shape the garden. Stone paths, boxwood hedges, and cypress trees define borders and garden rooms. The front garden features a circular stone terrace and limestone fountain from Architectural Heritage. A boxwood hedge pins back roses and perennials such as Annabelle hydrangeas, Southern shield ferns, and camellias. “We chose plants that are tried and true to perform well, ” Randy says.
 

LEFT A walnut and cherry French chest (circa 1750) anchors one corner of the great room. A carved Trumeau mirror reflects the expansive view from the room’s bank of windows. Hydrangeas—both blue and pink—are plucked from the prolific garden to fill vases throughout the house. RIGHT In the master bathroom, a hand-painted mural by artist Jane Ingols depicts a scene from Pompeii.
 

LEFT The expansive bay of windows in the dining room overlooks the front garden and fountain. The sideboard is an antique from Spain. RIGHT A 6- by 8-foot marble island serves everyday living as well as entertaining needs. The custom kitchen is complemented by a monogrammed tile backsplash and a copper hood above the range.
 

LEFT A side chair accompanies the oldest piece in the house, a late 1700s armoire bought at Royal Street Antiques in New Orleans. RIGHT A gravel motor court allows for additional guest parking.
 

ABOVE An antique limestone fountain acts as the focal point of the front garden and walkway.
 

LEFT Blooming hydrangeas offer Southern charm to the surroundings of the European-styled home. RIGHT The formal gardens include a variety of climbing roses and vines, adding dimension to the home’s exterior.
 

RESOURCES

architect: Jeremy Erdreich erdreicharchitecture.com • builders: Steve Bryant and Tim Ryan Kelly Construction & Co. kellyconstructioncompany.com • landscape designer: Randy McDaniel McDaniel Land Designs [email protected] • decorator: Pandy Agnew Interiors 205.835.4405 • kitchen and bath: Kenny and Co.  kennycompany.com • tile: Crossville Tile & Stone  205.987.3617

Text by Lauren Ferguson • Photography by Jean Allsopp