Take them home: Four inspirational ideas you'll find on the tour
Article on the Azalea Festival Home Tour, by Jana Clancey for Currents: The entertainment site of Star-News OnlineBy Jana Clancey
April 8, 2007
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1. HANDMADE WINE RACK
See it at: The home of Thom Goolsby and Rachael Crawford Goolsby, 102 S. Fifth Ave. This 1999 Italianate house has inspiration at every turn, from mosaic back splash tiling in the kitchen to bamboo chair rails and paneling in the master bath and bedroom. It's the handmade terra cotta wine rack and chair rail tiles enclosed with copper molding that will encourage even the mildly reclusive to want to entertain. Homeowner Rachael Crawford Goolsby saw the honeycomb wine rack at a wine store in Banner Elk. She replicated it in her own home with terra cotta pipes purchased to serve as wine tiles. The added benefit - especially in a house without a cellar - is that the terra cotta keeps the wine cool and away from direct sunlight. Terra cotta tiles with an iridescent glaze were matched with copper-painted molding to create the reflective chair railing in the dining room. The glazed tiles allow candlelight from the dinner table to dance around the room. 2. LIVING WALL SCRAPBOOK See it at: The Latimer-Waddell House, 218 S. Third St. Have a specific recipe that you like to bring out regularly or want to display a prized family photo that eases the loss of loved ones? The kitchen walls of the 122-year-old Latimer-Waddell House have become a living scrapbook among the house's ornate features, such as the St. Andrew's stained glass, rounded original staircase and vaulted ceilings. In an effort to be surrounded constantly by family, homeowner Lynn McIntyre edited down boxes of keepsakes containing letters, love notes, black and white photos - like the one of Lyndon B. Johnson - recipes, such as the handwritten one for Prize Winning Meat Loaf, and other artifacts from postcards and hurricane-tracking maps, to drink mixes and death notices. Armed with a gallon jug of Elmer's Glue and a brush used for oil painting, McIntyre made her own kitchen wallpaper, each piece placed with care and with a treasured story behind it. 3. MAJESTIC MOLDING See it at: The Runge-Fales House, 311 S. Fifth Ave. Owners: Jack & Barbara McPhail It's easy to daydream while walking through this renovated house. With the exception of the original floors and many original windows, one of the oldest houses in Wilmington is practically brand new. But still the house feels cozy and loving, like being embraced by a grandparent. Architect Charles Boney was careful to keep the faith of the house, and wanted to signify the transition from the 19th century to the 21st. The choice to restore the door molding to what would have been in the house when it was first built brings a one-of-a-kind touch. The moldings around the doors flute outward. It's an easy effect to replicate, Boney said, laughing. Machines do it now. The molding protrudes 7.5 inches from the door opening, about 3 inches from the main base and 2 inches from the wall itself. The result is strong moldings that look like elegant and enchanting angel's wings. 4. CONVERSATION-POINT CEILING See it at: The Albert L. Doscher House, 1906 Princess St. Owners: David and Julie Frederiksen The dining room ceiling is what most wows the Frederiksens' guests. 'It gives the house, and the dining room in particular, a grand feel," David Frederiksen said. It took a clawfoot tub falling through the second-floor bathroom to have the coffered ceiling installed in this Princess Street home built in the style of Frank Lloyd Wright. As the story goes, previous owners found the porcelain clawfoot in the eating area upon returning home one afternoon. To keep it from happening again, two support beams were added to the ceiling, and later the complete network of beams. |
KNOCK, KNOCKFind other bits of inspiration, or just be in awe of the architecture while visiting the five other houses on the Azalea Festival Home Tour.South’n France, 822 Orange St. Owners: Charlene Dupray and Pascal Siegler The great room of what once was the Tide Water Café is decorated with souvenirs from far off places – a door knocker from Venice, a mirror from Morocco, a lamp from Crete. Owner Charlene Dupray said decorating the house with pieces they’ve picked up while globe trotting adds ‘an authentic, worldly kind of character that you can’t get at Pier 1 and is easier on the eyes than T-shirts, ashtrays and snow globes.’ Burriss-Bunn House, 420 Wright St. Owner: Paul D’Angelo The bright yellow exterior of this 1899 restored Neoclassic Revival has a bold, period-inspired cousin color on the inside, as well as a burnt red in the dining room and a pale mocha in the hall. Leake Home, 20 Forest Hills Drive. Owners: Sam and Lynn Leake The 200-year-old riverwood floors and kitchen’s chicken wire cabinet doors serve as a link to the past through this 1964 Cape Cod home. Holladay-Whitehead House, 401 S. Third St. Owners: Linda and Wayne Bruce You wouldn’t know it to look at the tiled floors throughout this quaint Queen Anne – think ice-cold toes year-round – but underneath is a programmable heating system to keep those tootsies toasty despite the 120-year-old surroundings or the weather. Pinner House, 615 S. Second St. Owner: Gene Wichmann The windows added above the doors in this renovated cottage carry a feeling of elegance through the corridor and to the transoms at the end of the hallway. |