All too often, you fall in love with an old home's exterior, only to discover an interior that's been ruined by ill-conceived renovations. For Ralph and Gail Reynolds, however, it was their great fortune to fall for a house that had remained unharmed over the years. A few delicate changes later, they had made the place their own.
Growing up in Mobile, Ralph spent summers working for his father's roofing business, developing a deep and abiding reverence for the gracious old homes of the area, especially those in thevcommunities of Fairhope and Point Clear, Alabama. Although he later moved away and eventually settled in Connecticut, it wasvinevitable that he would return to Point Clear when he began looking for a summerhouse for his family. Gail, unfamiliar with the area, instantly fell under its spell. "We go down quite frequently to see family and friends," she says. "I love the little Lown of Fairhope, the artsiness of it. It's such a special place." With houses in Watch Hill, Rhode Tslancl, and Da1ien, Connecticut, she can compare it to some of America's most charming towns.
The 1881 house they bought had been added onto over the years hut, luckily, had escaped slapdash updates. The couple hired architect Lea Verneuille to design a sensitive renovation. "We expanded spaces to create more open but distinctive rooms with new trim work, columns, and architraves," says Verneuille. One of the most important elements he preserved was the porch on the bay side of the house. “The rain porch, with its extremely deep gallery and attached shed roof, is an architectural motif found on old Mobile Bay homes," he says. “They were designed to provide extra protection from hurricane winds and horizontal rains. We completely disassembled the porch, raised it, and rebuilt it stronger and with strict adherence to the originalI detail.” Devotion to historical accuracy paid off when the house survived Hurricane Katrina with minimal damage.
In addition to architectural updates, the house needed fresh interiors suitable for a young family. Designer Michael Whaley, who bad worked wi1h Ralph and Gail on three previous projects, gladly took on the assignment. “We asked Michael to make a gracious, cozy place for our family," says Gail. “He's very good at making things look pretty, but in such a way that they're livable.” Whaley knew the couple's likes and dislikes intimately. "Oh, and did I mention that we were living in London the whole lime he was doing this house?" Gail adds with a laugh. Via phone, fax, and e-mail, the designer was able to communicate with his transatlantic clients to help realize their vision “Their house in Darien is more formal, with silks and taffetas,” says Whaley, "but since this was basically a beach house, 1 thought we could he more playful.” To that end, he implemented a neutral palette and experimented with more casual furniture. The broad living room facing the bay exemplifies his approach: Solidly traditional surroundings, such as wide-plank floors, double-hung floor-to-ceiling windows, and a paneled ceiling, lend character to an easy arrangement of antiques and comfortable upholstery.
'I wanted this house to be serviceable," says Whaley, "and Gail wanted it to be a bit minimal—in a spa-like way—and low maintenance. Restraint in the ornamentation and decorating turned out to be an advantage after Hurricane Katrina, when a foot-and-a-half of water stood in the first floor. Whaley was able to have most of the draperies cleaned and the antiques refinished, but the rugs and upholstery were ruined. “On the whole, though, I'm thrilled with how the house survived the hurricane," he says. Thanks to the quaint porch and appreciative new owners, the home is ready for its 125th summer on the bay.
