Sophisticated

09 Mar Sophisticated

As a free-lance writer for Sophisticated Living and NFocus publications in Nashville, Gloria Houghland, also a Realtor with Lipman Realty, has seen her share of gorgeous homes and now she’s taking alot of those ideas and her own inspiration to redo the home she shares with lawyer and lobbyist Chuck Welch.

I visited the couple’s Green Hills home that’s tucked away at the dead end of a street that I’d never been on before. Talk about charming.

The front door is beautiful,  flanked by a pair of gas lights and interesting iron chairs.

Gloria warned me that the house would be upside down since she was having a new chandeleir installed in her dining room but we worked around that.  She didn’t like the old light fixture that was heavier and darker like the walls and ceiling used to be in the downstairs. In fact, it was dark green with a bronzed ceiling before Richard Helenburg and his newphew Curtis put a paint brush to it. It’s now much brighter with the color White Dove (Benjamin Moore brand) on the walls. Gloria says they can do anything when it comes to remodeling and repairs around the house.

Gloria is considering having her breakfront painted and her dining room chairs slipcovered in a sea foam color which we’ll get to see when they’re finished.

In the living room, the walls are also painted White Dove, which added needed light since there’s a covered porch in back.   Gloria recently purchased an Ed Nash painting that is over the limestone fireplace, an obvious focal point of the home.

The floor plan is open, so you can see into the kitchen, where Gloria is also thinking about having the cabinets painted.

Her faux painter, Molly Shane King, of  Fine Cabinet Finishes,  has worked with Gloria on other projects, including painting the backsplash, which gives the kitchen an updated look, along with new pendants.

Also love the cabinet they use in their kitchen for extra storage space. Very elegant and adds character. Combining elements from different time periods gives such richness to a room.

Shiplap was also added in key focal points around the house, including the window wall by the kitchen table.

The horizontal wood planks were also added around the fireplace in the master bedroom.

Paint has been Gloria’s friend throughout the renovation of this house.  Her friend, Molly, transformed the bed, which was very dark, into the gray and gold look, and also painted a dresser that was almost black into a much more soothing color.

The inspiration for the headboard color came from the pillows she purchased at Restoration Hardware. The shimmery duvet cover in silver is from Pottery Barn.

I love the bench she bought at Ashley Meier’s store on Bandywood in Green Hills. What a glamorous bedroom, and Gloria looks happy with it.

Other changes the couple made to the house include the bar. It used to have shelves for artwork the previous owner used.  They added the marble top, changed the glass shelving and put in the wine fridge below. Very pretty.

Another selling point when they found the house was the covered porch out back.

The porch is accessible from the kitchen, living room and a guest bedroom, and has a great view of the back yard.

The lighting as we know can make a huge difference in any home.  Gloria bought these handsome sconces from the Swan Ball sale always held after the social affair.

Regular readers of this blog know that I love to show owner’s pets if they’ll stay in a spot long enough for me to get their picture.  Buddy, or was it Baby (?) obliged.  Couldn’t see the collar to know which one it was! Both are adorable.

Thanks to Gloria and Chuck for opening their lovely home to stylish retreats!

Sources:  American Home Repair & Remodeling  (Richard Helenburg)  #615-796-1518 Fine Cabinet Finishes  (Molly Shane King)  615-714-4919

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