Queen of her nest
Published 2:40 pm Monday, August 14, 2017
The Gregory dining room is separated from the living room with large columns.
Madylene Gregory used her imagination, the things at hand and nature to entertain herself when she was a girl. The youngest in the family and separated by years from siblings, she generally played alone outside. One of her favorite things to do was to rake pine straw into a shape to form a design that represented the exterior walls of her “house.” Sticks formed the interior walls.
“The larger insects that happened to wander in as I was playing became part of the story going on in my mind,” she said.
Hints of that same playful imagination and appreciation of nature, sans the big bugs, can be found in Gregory’s house today.
Gregory was the third person to purchase a lot in Woodland Estates off of Lake Street in Lake Charles. The year was 1996. She was living in Sulphur at the time.
She contacted Greg LaFleur for design help with her new home. He is a Sulphur High School graduate who received his interior design degree from The University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
“He had moved to Atlanta and I found out he was coming home for Christmas,” Gregory said. “I gave him my portfolio of ideas and it was full of stuff. I had been collecting pictures of ideas down to the most minute details.”
Greg took her portfolio home and came up with a plan. Tallus Myer did the drawing. Bryan Galley was builder.
LaFleur calls Gregory’s 2,500-square-foot house a Cosmopolitan Cottage and “one of his favorites.” The Lefleur Design Group describes it on its website: “The home is an adaptation of a provincial Normal cottage style commonly known as French Country.”
Over the Jacuzzi tub in the master bath is a painting by local artist Melinda Antoon.
The house has been called The Tower House because of the towering foyer. Exterior detailing includes alternating brick walls, stucco, corbels and soldiered brick arches. (Soldiered brick is brick laid vertically with the narrower long face out.)
Gregory designed the house to optimize flow. The tower features an entryway with a soaring ceiling. The dining room is separated from the coffered-ceiling living room by an arched drop down supported by stone columns. Rather than hanging a mirror over the living room mantle, the entire fireplace is covered with a mirror.
This open dining and living area is connected by two large openings to the space where everyone seems to gather, the large kitchen with center island, table and comfortable seating. This space opens to a beautiful and spacious, yet private courtyard area with seating, table, TV, beautiful plants and stone walkways.
“I recently had 15 people over for barbecue shrimp, so I set the table in there,” Gregory said, pointing to the dining area from the kitchen, “nothing fancy, nothing formal. Not one person went in there.”
She calls her kitchen pantry her “coffee shop.” It’s well decorated. She likes it because “it works” she said. This is where she keeps a small microwave, toaster oven, coffee pot and the usual pantry staples.
This is the space everyone gravitates to, even when gatherings are large and the dining room table is set to accommodate the crowd.
Gregory has an eye for detail. The house is beautiful and refined, but it is her personal touch that makes it interesting. She has an eye for texture, knows its importance and how to mix it. Her walls hold eye-catching art purchased at fundraisers, during travel and from local artists. Some of the décor is delightfully whimsical. Some of the furnishings are flea market finds. Many of the furnishings are from her previous home. She was particularly fond of Westlake Discount Furniture, now no longer open. Family photos, family portraits and photo books are displayed.
Her cat, Monkey, loves winding around it all. He seemed to be drawing attention to his favorite décor. As for Madylene Gregory, she took the most pride in talking about her two daughters, her grandchildren and her great grandchildren.
The great grandchildren include triplets. She says, “They’re a blast.” Hopefully having siblings the same age won’t prevent them from using their imagination and creativity the same way Gregory did growing up – and continues to do today.