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About
two years ago, Texarkana, Texas, attorney Cary
Patterson and his wife, Lots, purchased an
attractive, spacious red brick home that
intermingled the semi-Spanish features of a tile
roof and a rounded porch entranceway with the
Tudor-style look of high-peaked gables.
The house was nestled among tall pine trees on about five acres,
giving it an out-of-town feel, inside of town.
The couple was pleased with the tranquil location of their
5,000-plus square-foot home, which overlooked a pond
and was just steps away from a golf course, but a
few changes were needed in order to create a living
space that would suit their needs.
The couple hired a local contractor to undertake remodeling
projects, which included updating the bathrooms and
the relocation of several existing interior walls
and doors. To finalize their efforts, the Pattersons
hired interior designer Tom Chandler of Chandler and
Associates in Little Rock to redecorate their home.
Besides having known of some of Chandler's work done locally, they
also learned about him through a family member who
had known him for a number of years and highly
recommended his work.
"Everyone told us we would just love what he does," Lots said, "and
we did."
Although the couple was called upon to make critical decisions in
the redecorating process, such as choosing new
pieces of furniture to be incorporated with their
existing pieces as well as selecting upholstery and
curtain fabric, they left the creative aspect
entirely in Chandlers hands.
One example of his creativity occurred when Lots showed him a small
picture of some flowers in an urn that she liked.
He, in turn, commissioned an artist to paint it on a
much larger scale to be used on the stairwell wall.
Then, he used an urn already owned by the Pattersons
to create a decorative display in the entryway.
Once all the selections were out of the way, the couple was asked
to leave their home for three days while the crew
set about to work its magic.
After the allotted time, Chandler called the couple and invited
them to see their "new" home.
By integrating some of their favorite home items with the newly
acquired ones
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their home had
truly been transformed into something new, Lots
said.
Room by room, Chandler was able to capture the style and personal
passions of the owners, and incorporate the couple's
personal interests with their love of family to
create a home atmosphere where they could entertain
their friends and loved ones or just enjoy it for
themselves. |
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"It
was like he knew which pictures I liked the best,"
Lots said.
Entering the home, guests are greeted by a four-foot high,
hand-carved lion from Morocco. The stairway to the
upper-level bedrooms also is situated in the
entryway and track lighting was installed to accent
the numerous paintings that line the entry's walls.
Just beyond is the formal sitting room, |
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(Opposite) Rustic elegance defines the keeping
room, right off of the kitchen. (This page,
clockwise) A room off of the bathroom is a
favorite for relaxing. The inviting kitchen adds
to the tranquility of the home. The master
bedroom is a mix of the couples' personal style
and interior design trends. |
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"It
was like being in a different home,"
Lots said of her initial view of the her
redecorated home. "When we went into the dining room
and I saw my grandmother s chocolate service set and
my parents wedding picture displayed in the china
cabinet, I got a little teary eyed."
For entertaining purposes, Lots requested that the dining room
table accommodate 10 people. She was concerned the
room would be too crowded, but the result was a
massive piece with a beveled glass top and slim,
high-back chairs covered in a brocade of rich brown
colors. A coordinating handmade rug is positioned
directly under the table.
Other decorations in the room include a long buffet service
accented by an early 1800's French tapestry piece,
"Les Amours Pastorales," mounted above it. Heavy
floor-length curtains accentuate the large windows
that face the front lawn.
The kitchen, remodeled by the former owners, is located just off
the dining room and features granite counter tops
and a
rooster theme throughout. The only change made to
the kitchen by the Pattersons was the replacement of
the smaller wall-mounted cabinets with elongated
ones in |
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which features
plush and elegant seating a baby grand piano
circa 1806.
Both the entryway and the sitting room showcase a number of painted
artworks including Dallas artist James Colley's
vision of Grassy Lake in Fulton, Ark., which is
known for its large alligator population.
Works by a number of other artists also
are displayed throughout the home, including |
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George Dombeck
ofFayetteville, Ark., Debilynn Fendley ofCurtis,
Ark., and others.
Also located just off the entryway is the dining room, which
features a built-in china cabinet with interior
accent lighting and leaded glass doors.
As part of the redecorating, the old doors, which had the monograms
of the former owners, had been replaced. |
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order to
create more storage space.
Adjoining the kitchen is what Chandler called the keeping room,
which features a wood-burning fireplace, a large
antique armoire and a comfortable sitting area
underneath an impressively designed lighting
fixture made of elk and moose antlers. The room
also has a built-in wine storage space designed
by local ironwork artist James LeGrand.
One example of the way some of their old furniture was incorporated
into the new design is found down the hall from
the formal |
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(Above, left) For outside dining there is a
glass-topped table of unique design that seats
up to eight. (Above) A formal conversation area
is available poolside. (Left) Statues that
represent the four seasons surround the tiled
pool. (Opposite page, top) The Pattersons'
incorporated a wet bar into their pool house to
entertain guests. (Opposite page, bottom) The
home's red brick exterior intermingles the
semi-Spanish features of a tile roof and a
Tudor-style look of high-peaked gables. |
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formal sitting
room, in the master bedroom.
"Tom used lots of our family photos on a big table near the bed and
to my surprise, it was our old breakfast room
table," said Lots, adding that it blended
perfectly with the room to create a great
display area for the photos.
The floors of the master bedroom, bathroom, dressing area and
sitting area are covered in marble tile, which
adds to the Greco-Roman feel of the rooms as do
the decorative trim and miniature columns. This
private area actually has two sitting rooms. One
of them is used as an office work area
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by Lois and
the other, situated in the master bath area,
overlooks the aforementioned pond.
"Right now, there are two geese nesting on the pond. It really is a
relaxing place to sit," Lots said.
Also located downstairs is a powder room with a washbasin
bowl-style sink perched atop an ornate wood
cabinet and fabric-lined walls in a royal shade
of red.
Ascending the stairs, one finds the homes other two bedrooms, one
of which is beige and blue and filled with
family photos. Down the hall is another
bathroom, also decorated with family portraits.
The other sleeping area has more of a cottage-style appeal,
complete with brown |
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slat shutters
as window dressing and a private bath.
A media room also is located upstairs and comes complete with 10
recliners arranged in a theater style on tiered
flooring in front of a projection television
screen.
For Cary's office area, the workmanship of James LeGrand was called
upon once again to construct a metal staircase
leading to a segregated portion of the attic.
His work area features a large wooden desk and
bookshelves lining the walls.
The home also has another private space separate from the house
that has been used by guests and has its own
entrance.
An apartment area, located above the
garage, features a sleeping area, sitting area
and kitchenette all in one room. A |
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just
off the keeping room. Holding up the large
table is a bowl-shaped concrete structure
filled with gold and silver colored spheres,
which were formerly used to submerge fishing
nets in the Mediterranean Sea.
Statues that represent the four seasons surround the tiled swimming
pool and French antiques, such as an antique
clock retrieved from a church in France that
has a diameter of about five feet across,
complete the look.
The clock is located in the area that formerly served as the home's
poolhouse until it was converted into an
additional entertainment area Lots calls the
bar room, featuring a flat-screen
television.
Last tall, the Pattersons added an out- door fireplace to an
already-existing open-air structure used as
a pool lounging area. Additionally,
floor-length curtains were also |
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bathroom
adjoins the room.
The elegance found indoors is continued in the patio and pool area
with a French theme being seen at every turn
throughout their out-of-doors entertaining
area.
The patio, located just outside the keeping room, has a floor of
gray slate squares that transitions into a
brick design further from the house.
An eye-catching, glass-topped table of unique design is the
designated seating are |
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attached
to the outer perimeter of the structure in
order to block any unwanted chill on cool
autumn evenings.
For the Pattersons and their Norfolk terrier, Max, the home suits
them, and the enhancements added by Chandler
and Associates have. only endeared it to
them all the more.
"We love it here and Tom is the most amazing person I have ever
worked with," Lots said. |
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