A sense of “the personal touch” comes shining through every room of Don and Beverly McCoy’s home.
It starts with Beverly’s love of antiques and blue and white dishes. Antiques, such as a mantel over the fireplace, have been lovingly restored to their original luster. Blue and white dishes and similar color schemes are found throughout the home.
“Blue and white dishes are about my favorite thing in the world,” Beverly says.
Another often-seen element: Beverly creates unique lamps by taking figurines and other decorative accents and having them made into lamps.
Some portions of the house required more work. In the kitchen, for example, only one small window peered into the backyard. A remodeling project replaced that wall with several windows, letting in sunlight and allowing for a pleasant view of the deck and garden.
The kitchen has other unusual elements, including brick floors and a commercial oven fit for Beverly’s love of cooking.
Don, who gardens as a hobby, attends mostly to beautification of their yard. The property initially attracted him because of the 14 red oaks and cedar elms. He credits Beverly for much of the home’s inner style.
“I don’t have a vision,” he says. “She has a vision.” He recalled the day Beverly called from an antique store with news of having found the perfect dining room table. The wobbly, beaten piece of furniture Don saw didn’t look anything like a “dream table.” But a little TLC did indeed transform the table into the lovely piece Beverly saw it could be.
“Opening up” rooms also has contributed to the home’s comfortable feel. Whenever possible, more windows have been installed to let the outdoors in. And confined spaces – such as the narrow hallway originally leading visitors into the home – were removed, leaving open rooms that meld gracefully into each other.
The living room, for example, now has columns instead of walls separating it from entryways into other rooms. Changing the wood floor to Italian tile was the finishing touch on that remodeling project.
At this point, though, the couple isn’t contemplating any additional large remodeling projects.
“I hope we’re through,” says Don, laughing.
