Complete renovation creates sleek, Southern classic design
The clock was ticking.
Earl and Lesley Correll had four months to complete substantial renovations on their Briargrove home so they could move in before Lesley gave birth to their third child.
Not only did they not want to take a new baby home to the cramped apartment they were living in temporarily after their earlier home sold, but she didn’t want to suffer through an arduous move with a newborn.
When the North Carolina natives moved to Houston — Earl came here in 2006 to work at On Point Custom Homes, where he’s president — they lived in a 900-square-foot downtown loft for five years. (Lesley came in 2007 after they married.)
From there, they moved to an 1,800-square-foot ranch that they renovated extensively. It was comfortable enough for four years, but with their third child on the way and two sets of parents who visited from North Carolina, its three bedrooms simply were not enough.
Now they’re the next-door neighbor of Earl’s cousin, On Point founder John Leggett and his family. The red-brick-and-stucco home was spacious with its 4,800 square feet, but its interiors were dated and simply not their style.
Both Lesley, 34, and Earl, 35, love classic Southern style, so they made changes in every room, keeping it traditional but in a whole new way. First, the downstairs flooring was a combination of travertine and wood, and they took out the travertine to add more wood, which they stained dark brown.
Paint did some dramatic work, with Benjamin Moore’s Extra White covering the main living area. They turned a small sitting room into a study and painted it Benjamin Moore’s Hale Navy. Built-in bookshelves, painted the same deep, dark blue, are a masculine backdrop for the couple’s antique desk that sits on an animal-hide rug.
Another shade of blue, the brighter Benjamin Moore Downpour Blue, turned a stodgy butler’s pantry into a bold new space. Gray-white quartz counters and backsplash made it even more sophisticated.
New hardware updated every room, with warmer antiqued brass pulls and knobs on most of the cabinets. And if you think no one ever notices doorknobs, you haven’t seen the sleek Emtek brass-and-acrylic style throughout the Corrells’ home.
And every room got new lighting in gold finishes and a variety of styles. Lantern-style pendants went over the kitchen island, and in the dining room, a grand crystal chandelier. The master bathroom, nursery and the girls’ rooms got smaller chandeliers.
Essentially, they took the home’s surfaces — walls, floors and counters — from warmer tones of gold and tan to cooler shades of gray, white and blue.
The living room’s cast stone fireplace mantel came out in favor of a white brick one — matching the home’s exterior, which was also painted white. Built-in cabinets were added to each side of the fireplace, and the lower doors hide baskets of toys that the Correll children play with — it’s an easy way to put things away when guests arrive.
There were other considerations for the children. Though some of the doorways had pocket doors, more were installed so that when the girls — 5, 3 and 1 — play, no one’s toddling or crawling to the front door or staircase. Earl and Lesley know their children can play safely in the back of the home, and they’ll always know where they are.
In the overhaul of the downstairs powder bathroom, soft blue wallpaper rests on top of blue wainscoting. A sink and traditional cabinet were replaced by a spare metal frame and a beautiful stone sink.
The girls’ bathrooms upstairs all got updates, and the master bathroom, which once featured almond-colored cabinets with tan-gold flooring and counters, is now bathed in cool Carrara marble. The cabinets stayed but are now white and have stylish new hardware.
One interesting change is in the foyer, where a beautiful curved staircase just inside the front door rests between the dining room and study.
Its updates included paneling to the walls — in the foyer and on the staircase — and the removal of the travertine floors.
Though black and white 12-inch marble or granite tile is an old-school style that many would remove, the Corrells put it in.
“Since I’ve known Lesley, she’s wanted a black-and-white floor somewhere, and this is one of my favorite things in the house,” Earl said. “We found a place online that had the tile. They were like, ‘You want to use 12-inch black marble? We can’t give that stuff away.’ ”
The black-and-white diamond-pattern flooring is classic and sophisticated, despite any trend predictions. In this context, it works.
Another change turned extra second-floor landing space into a sweet nursery for their youngest daughter.
The home’s interiors weren’t the only spaces getting a makeover — the backyard has a whole new look, too. The previous owner had a travertine tile patio and landscaping with a bubbling fountain and palm trees.
Earl and Lesley spend plenty of time with the Leggetts next door — they have a pool and a great outdoor kitchen-living area — and the Corrells wanted a pavilion of their own.
“We both really wanted to create this outdoor space,” said Lesley, who was a cardiac intensive care nurse before she decided to stay home with their children. “We see that on a lot of (On Point’s) homes. We had to be creative to find a way to still make that work for us.”
Out came the travertine and all of the landscaping.
Stamped concrete sits at the back of the home and on a pad where the covered pavilion is directly out the back door. The pavilion’s brick is painted the same white as the home, and a fireplace serves as a focal point.
Magnolia trees replaced palm trees, and ivy grows on an espalier along a wooden fence.
As much as they love relaxing in their pavilion, the best part might just be the artificial turf that replaced real grass. No mud, no dirt, no problem. And it’s always a beautiful shade of green.