As she crushes the lemon balm deftly in her palm and releases the fragrance, Linda Ferguson says, “This home actually began with the garden. I was perfectly content with our beautiful three-story in Lacombe, but after my husband Tom retired, he wanted to move to the country. He lured me up here by saying I could have my formal French garden. I was hooked!”

Born in Texas, Linda has maintained her down-to-earth roots with a close connection to the earth, and she also loves to entertain. Such was the inspiration for the French Country home, whose white crepe myrtle-lined driveway beckons you in for an evening of good food and good friends.

The Ferguson’s twenty acres include their home and garden, a barn, and a three-acre pond. Designed by Andy McDonald, who has worked with the legendary Hays Town, the home carries trademarks of the famous architect with its slanted cap chimney and stucco-finished open hearth in the great room.

The couple chose not to strictly adhere to a French Country interior, but opted for a more European flavor, slanted toward Gothic. The design began with the living and dining area (great room) and worked outward from there. What was to be 3,500 - 4,000 square feet turned into 5,800 square feet under beam, with the kitchen and great room as the core. Open space was the focus, with heavy wrought iron chandeliers and accent pieces throughout.

The home incorporates a monochromatic color scheme chosen by Linda and designer Susan Johnston. The earth tones match Linda’s love of the garden. By linking rooms with texture, pattern and palettes, a soft, subtle look is achieved without detracting from the furnishings.

Both of the home’s fireplaces were designed and finished by Susan, who, together with artist Joy Sampson, applied a variety of distressed finishes and glazing techniques to fixtures throughout the home, including cabinets, vanities and old furniture. Texture and glazing were applied to the walls in both the kitchen and master bath to create an aged plaster effect.

The large open great room is ideal for entertaining. As one of thirteen children, Linda is no stranger to a crowd at the dinner table. With her passion for entertaining, she wanted a dining table that would seat fourteen. Local artist Greg Arceneaux crafted each of the Gothic dining room chairs from a picture Linda found in House and Garden. The trestle-type table is fashioned with a formal “F” in the center.

The kitchen houses a small seating area, breakfast nook, a large expanse of cabinets, refrigerated drawers in the island cabinets, and a Wolf stove complete with infra-red burner for steaks. It is large enough to house Linda’s “stations,” including the baking center where she indulges her passion for baking bread and sweet rolls, as well as a coffee, tea, smoothie, and juicer station.

Linda has made good use of wall space in the connecting west hallway by building a cookbook station out of pecky cypress, where a desk and built-in shelves contain her extensive book collection on entertaining and gardening. The west side of the home contains two bedrooms and two baths. Beyond the great room on the east side is a full bar.

The master bedroom and study in the east wing feature Brazilian cherry flooring. The metallic-finished bedroom furniture was chosen from the Platt collection by designer Aline Noël, whose dramatic window treatments are seen throughout the home. In the master bedroom, a Grecian train hanging from twisted wooden rods is draped, pulled to one side and fastened with a silver cord and tassel; simple panels hang underneath.

The master bath is reminiscent of soft Romanesque, combined with Italian accents. Marble with stone trim is used throughout the space, which is kept open by a glass shower. Tom and Linda each have their own separate closet areas. What distinguishes hers from his? Hers measures 15 feet by 8 feet. “I don’t know where she disappears sometimes, but I think it is into her closet,” says Tom.

For Tom and Linda Ferguson, their home is comfortable and inviting. “All that is left to design,” says Tom, “is the putting green—and Linda’s potting shed.”

Copyright 2003, M&L Publishing, all rights reserved.