Victorian Gothic with a Twist

The midnight hued, Victorian-inspired exterior of Leanne and Clay Nelson’s home echoes today’s minimalist style with sleek, modern interiors.

TEXT BY MARÉ BRENNAN PHOTOGRAPHY BY KELLY MOORE CLARK CONSTRUCTION BY NELSON BUILDERS

One thing is for sure, husband and wife team, Leanne and Clay Nelson, know how to create buzz around their family’s business. How many 30-somethings are daring enough to develop a neighborhood of custom and spec homes designed and built by their own construction company? How many would be so bold as to design a two-story Victorian-inspired single family home, then paint its exterior an edgy midnight black hue?  Taking it a step further, in a surprise twist that’s only hinted at from the exterior’s single-pane large windows, the interiors are pared back with a sleek, modern look.

What gave the Nelsons the gumption to design and build a black house? Says Leanne, “Clay and I have been married 14 years and in those 14 years, we’ve had seven houses. Until this house we have always had to build based on resale. This was a house that I could design just for us, without having to worry about resale.” So they “went for it.”

Located in West Monroe’s Henryanna subdivision, a wide, welcoming path leads visitors to the Nelsons’ home through an allée of crepe myrtles. Henryanna is the first subdivision the Nelsons have developed; however, they are no strangers to building luxury residential structures with work in Mallard Estates and Castle Creek before trying their hand as developers. The home’s signature dark, Gothic exterior is embellished with four half columns on the second story façade. As lead designer for Nelson Builders, Leanne found two ideas for this home’s front exterior and had a draftsperson combine the two for a residence inspired by turn of the century architecture. Long copper lanterns illuminate either side of olive-hued front doors which feature oversized brass hardware. The front doors had started off as a pink color, but soon changed to green. “I knew that olive color would work well with my terra cotta pots outside.”

When guests pass through the generous double front doors, they step metaphorically into the light, playful interior of the home. The open floor plan welcomes with a view that carries one visually through the living room, to the open, U-shaped kitchen and to the covered patio and backyard beyond. Visually, there is nothing fussy like crown molding or trim around windows to obstruct the clean lines in the interiors.

The living room exudes what the Danish call “hygge” or an ultimate coziness or feeling of warmth. On either side of the fireplace built-in shelving is artfully arranged with the family’s treasures. The open shelving of the built-ins provides an inexpensive solution. Macramé art on the wall and succulents hanging in glass globes from the ceiling add natural softness to the mix.

Leanne designed her kitchen unconventionally, sacrificing upper cabinets in order to gain four large, vertical windows behind the extra long kitchen sink and counter, which overlook the outdoor living space. A gold-toned faucet lends an air of dressiness to the space. Stainless steel appliances by Thor are the tools used by a culinary dream team. Cabinetry throughout the kitchen features soft-close drawers with crescent-shaped, modern gold pulls.

The kitchen’s countertops are a work of art handcrafted by Clay, himself. Each counter took at least a week to produce, says Leanne. “Each piece was cut individually to fit in  a beautiful chevron pattern, glued down, then sanded. Then a coat of matte polyurethane was added to finish.” The empty return “boxes” on either side of the kitchen corners helped center the cabinetry and the windows in the room. Clay also built the open shelving which is home to easy to reach mugs, glasses and small plates. Leanne chose not to place an island in the kitchen, instead choosing to place her dining table and chairs in the middle. “This is where people congregate anyway, so why not?” says the homeowner.  “This is my favorite part of the house. I like that it’s not traditional with the table in the center and the openness of the windows.” The dining table was built by Clay and his brother of dark stained walnut with thick legs. For this home, Leanne ordered pin legs from Ikea and Clay replaced them and lightened the stain. Hidden from sight but making the table even more special, the family’s handprints are beneath the top.

In Clay’s office, a vintage kilim tops polished concrete floors. Clay’s guitars hang artfully from leather straps and custom pegs behind his minimalist desk. A wire basket holds house plans. The twin’s youth guitars stand ready for family impromptu music sessions.  Among Clay’s hobbies besides guitar-picking is creating videos for his family and for fun. “Clay does a great Christmas video,” says Leanne, “He edits and puts the whole thing together. It’s really nice to see the growth of the kids from year to year.” And both Leanne and Clay love animals, even naming their subdivision’s road after their rescue dog, Sadie. “Sadie gets the whole room under the stairs which was designed especially for her with a doggie door that leads to her dog run outside.

Clay, who is also a twin, comes from a long line of contractors. His dad supervised at Breck Construction. Clay got his contractor’s license at age 20, starting Nelson Builders when he was just 21.
Part of a formidable home building team, Leanne designs all the house plans and helps families make choices for custom plans. “I like for each house in our subdivision to have its own special, unique feel, whether it’s a custom house or a spec house.” The Nelsons have had great success with spec houses because many times people are afraid of the process.  It’s all in the family, as Clay’s dad and two of his brothers work with him at busy Nelson Builders, which has just signed deals to build an Adventure Park and duplexes in addition to other high profile build-outs.

Henryanna has a Home Owners Association which helps pay for the upkeep of common grounds and maintains restrictions, such as a minimum heated square feet requirements, and a second phase of Henryanna is scheduled to get underway later this year. The neighborhood, which is tucked away off Wallace Road, is home to some killer block parties. Those who own homes in the neighborhood are kept up-to-date on happenings through a fun group text. For holidays, residents of Henryanna along Sadie Lane are encouraged to change the color of their soffit lightbulbs .
A long hallway with built-in “art” niches for displaying the boy’s handiwork leads from the enclosed garage past Clay’s office to the master bedroom. Each niche is lit from above with a tiny LED spotlight. Several niches include collages of the Nelsons’ twins artwork, by Rachel Madden with Jelly Bean Street.

A full bath is located adjacent to the office and features a square porcelain sink top-mounted to a mid-century modern inspired vanity. Says Leanne, the twins were so bad about pulling down shower curtains in their previous home, she decided to look for glass doors as a replacement. “When you love your tilework, don’t you want to see it?” says Leanne. Adorable airplants peeking out from blown-glass orbs hang in the shower.

The outdoor living area offers areas for outdoor dining, relaxing and watching the latest sporting event. A neat feature for keeping this covered patio area free of leaves is a retractable air pressure hose which is routed through the empty return corner space in the kitchen, up to the attic and is attached to a pump in the garage.

The couple’s master bedroom and bath is a luxurious retreat. The couple’s soaring lattice-work bed was sourced from Paul Michael Company and repainted from its original blue shade to a grayish white. A vintage kilim and low storage bench lie at the foot of the bed. The bed is made with crisp white linens, a mushroom silk velvet coverlet, a long inky-hued bolster pillow and a round sun embroidered pillow. Globe shaped chrome lights for reading are centered above bedside tables.

The en suite master bathroom is Leanne and Clay’s pièce de résistance. On the left, a sculptural freestanding tub provides a restful spot for soaking beneath a fringed concentric ringed chandelier. A photograph of a longhorn bull, placed behind the tub, and a Southwestern style ladder add masculinity to the space. On the right is a double rain shower with luxe fixtures. “I am known for the design of my master baths,” says Leanne of her specialty. “Every one is unique and my signature is an open shower. Double shower heads and a shower wand make bathing twin boys, dogs and plants a breeze. The open shower is delineated with two concrete columns and a concrete header which were hand poured by Clay. First he set and braced forms for the columns and header, mixing and pouring concrete into the forms from his position in the home’s attic. The concrete, because of the forms, has the texture of the wood.

The vanity features a chevon patterned countertop like those found in the kitchen and under counter mounted double sinks. Cabinetry utilizes finger pulls for a sleek, unobstructed look to cabinet drawers and doors. A series of five clerestory windows sends daylight streaming into the space. A pair of oversized round mirrors adds balance to the bathroom.

In order to maximize space, the couple’s closet features pull down rods that takes storage to the ceiling yet keeps it in reach. The closet connects to the home’s laundry room, which features push button cabinetry and a cheery palm print wallcovering.

The stairs which are located by the front door were envisioned after Leanne saw a similar set of railings on television. Simple painted pine creates the railings, while treads are kept a natural matte pine. At the top of the railing a leather butterfly chair and hanging lantern create a simple, homey vignette.