The Just-Right Home
by Susan Owens
photography by Thomas B. Growden
You know how it is. After so many years in a house, there are some things that just wear out, go out of style and make you wonder, “What were we thinking when we did that?” When it comes to home improvements, many homeowners dream about decorating and design projects that will make their homes more beautiful, livable and fun.
Updating their home in the Faubourg Coquille neighborhood off Brewster Road in Madisonville was just what Mike Scarle had in mind when his wife, Peggy, mentioned that it might be time to kick the old place up a notch. “After twelve years, we were ready for a few changes, like new paint, new kitchen countertops and backsplashes, new furniture,” Peggy remarks.
And improve the house is what they did. Along with enhancing the investment in their home, they completed a renovation that gave them more space than they needed and almost everything they had ever wanted in a home. Note that the operable word here is almost.
In the midst of the renovation process, Peggy realized how much she really enjoyed all of the planning, design and building activity. Mike also noticed that she was really good at getting things done. Having retired from a 33-year career teaching second grade at the Amite and Madisonville elementary schools, Peggy was ready for a new challenge.
With the renovation experience fresh in her mind and time on her hands, Peggy began to toy around with the idea of building a new home and getting it “just right” this time. To begin the planning process, she did not have far to go. Mike and Peggy were basically pleased with the classic floor plan of their house on President Madison Drive. So, very methodically, she went to work tweaking the old plan to create a scheme for the new house, retaining what they liked and eliminating what did not work well for them anymore. “Next, I rolled up my old blueprints and met with my home designer, who helped to put together the perfect house for us,” Peggy adds. “A meeting or two with [the general contractor], and we were on our way.” Fortunately, she soon found a site in a gated neighborhood that met one of the Scarles’ criteria: it was much closer to Mike’s office on Highway 190 than their existing home.
The wonderful new features that Peggy planned for their new home began at the front door. She opened up the foyer to the dining room and added a few feet to both spaces. For the dining room, she designed a serving piece with ample storage that the cabinetmaker hand finished to a fine patina. A grand oversized mirror was placed over the buffet to reflect the alabaster bone-china Lenox chandeliers in the dining room and foyer.
The Scarles’ family room opens onto the kitchen, breakfast area and a cozy keeping room that features a functional secretary-type desk. Pulled up in front of two full-length windows are two club chairs and an ottoman, just perfect for Mike and Peggy to relax in. In the adjoining family-friendly living room, a cheery butter-yellow, custom-designed sectional sofa complements the sofa table, which is finished in black and gold leaf and displays some of the family’s accessories and family treasures.
To round out the new look of the main living areas and to give their home a fresh attitude, Peggy and Mike waited for just the right pieces of art. They assembled their own personal collection of original art, slowly selecting fine pieces by local and regional artists.
Every room in the house has a story to tell. The three guest bedrooms and adjoining bathrooms are a study in perfection. Each room has its own color scheme, fabrics, personality and history. And when their daughters, grown and on their own, return for visits, they know which one is “their room” in the new house.
The master suite, which includes a fireplace and spa-like bathroom, is washed in neutral tones. Creamy travertine tile and soft-brown marble countertops interface seamlessly with the atmosphere of the master bedroom. Peggy found just the right mix of textures and fabrics for accents throughout the space. The carefully planned details and soft, subtle shades of cream and ivory define the serene master sanctuary.
To enjoy their fun, empty-nest lifestyle, Mike requested a spot to barbecue, watch a few games and enjoy a beer or two. What resulted from that request is a covered screened-in porch, complete with fire pit, piped-in music, a place to belly up to the bar and a flat-screen television, all surrounded by lush semi-tropical plantings. The fabrics on the comfy oversized chairs and ottomans are coordinated with the distinctively patterned Rain Forest marble on the bar. Slate tile on the floors provide a rich, natural-looking, no-maintenance floor for the outdoor living room.
Recently, Peggy found it necessary to slow down and appreciate the comfort of the new house she had created. Just after they moved, before all of the paint was even dry, Peggy was diagnosed with cancer. Dauntlessly, she and Mike set about the goal of conquering her disease. After many tests and treatment that left her tired and much less perky, Peggy says, “I [was able] to rest and recuperate on the furniture that I had barely had a chance to sit on.” She asserts that there is something healing and uplifting about living in a home that is comfortable, beautiful and smells good, too. Leave it to Peggy to find reasons to be thankful in the midst of adversity.
Inside and out, the Scarle home is warm and inviting, with a touch of glamour. Lushly planted flowerbeds flank their extra-wide, promenade-style front entry that seems to say, “Welcome, and come on in!” The entire space is exactly what Peggy and Mike had in mind when they decided to build their final, just-right dream to come home to.
