Raymond McCall comes home
Published 8:29 pm Sunday, February 11, 2018
This sumptuous and elegant room is awaiting one last finishing touch: On its way is a custom rug designed especially for McCall.
When Vinton native Raymond McCall decided to return to Southwest Louisiana, he chose to make his home at Walnut Grove. It’s a traditional neighborhood development located off West Sallier Street in Lake Charles.
“I’ve lived in traditional planned neighborhood developments in Pennsylvania and Dallas,” McCall said. “I like the connectivity.”
A traditional neighborhood development is planned to resemble an old-fashioned town square. At its center are a few municipal-type structures, surrounded by businesses, shops, restaurants and green spaces all within easy walking distance of homes. At Walnut Grove, residents can purchase a lot and choose a builder. Or they may choose from existing architectural styles with Louisiana influence.
Open shelving and no window covering keep this space from being visually weighed down. The day’s natural light is beautiful and functional.
McCall chose the “Walnut Grove Village” home with details influenced by French Creole architecture. The 3,700-square-foot two-story home has four-bedrooms and three-and-a-half baths. Architect is Everett Schram, president and founder of his Baltimore-based firm. Schram grew up in Southwest Louisiana. Many of his designs reflect those roots.
“I loved the high ceilings, open floor plan, number of windows and the craftsmanship,” McCall said about the first time he toured the “Village” model.
The zero-lot-line house was exactly what he wanted. He keeps a busy schedule. Josh Hebert, Good Earth helps him keep his small courtyard pristine. Custom Iron by Josh designed the entrance gates. Pure kismet put McCall in touch with Chelsea Brennan, Brennan Interiors, Lake Charles.
The master bath is soothing and spa like and the perfect example of how metals and materials can be mixed to create a warm, yet sophisticated area.
“I contacted Chelsea for custom drapes and original paintings,” McCall said. “Originally, it was supposed to be just a small job.”
The art of Edward Cappel resonated with McCall. Cappel said Brennan suggested a waterway scene using a warm color palette. Cappel took the photos used to create the painting in Big Lake during the solar eclipse.
The painting is the open living area’s focal point, and it served as a springboard for color selection, including the deep turquoise of the Belgian Linen drapes. The painting hangs against a white shiplap wall, a not-so-modern element that works beautifully in what decorator Chelsea Brennan describes “a modern interior with a Southern twist.”
The focal point of the living area is this commissioned painting by Ed Cappel. Furniture and drapes are custom.
McCall commissioned a second piece of art, telling Cappel he wanted a painting of the iconic New Orleans St. Louis Cathedral. It hangs on the wall of the stairway landing, indicative of McCall’s pride in his Southern heritage.
The small decorating job evolved. McCall asked Brennan for help in ordering furnishings and styling the house.
“Chelsea is very techno-savvy,” McCall said. “We made a lot of decisions by I-phone while I was still living in Pennsylvania. She would send suggestions. We would narrow those down. Then I would choose my favorite of three. Invariably, Chelsea and I had chosen the same piece.”
Deciding to allow a decorator or designer to have more influence than anticipated is usually a by-product of establishing and building trust, according to McCall, who has relied on a decorator for previous homes.
Even though McCall and Brennan agreed on everything with the exception of one overhead light fixture – she talked him into it and he is glad she did — Chelsea said the house is not a reflection of her style. It communicates Raymond’s style.
He agreed. The interior, at first glance, is modern, angular and exacting. The subtle surprises make it warm, welcoming and interesting. McCall kept about 10 percent of his furnishings from his previous home, mainly antiques.
Brennan said interiors layered through time are always more interesting than designing a room with all-new items.
“I want each client to have a house that’s truly their style and truly one-of-a-kind,” she said.
McCall chose the Walnut Grove “Village” design when he moved home from Pennsylvania. Josh Guillory, Ironworks by Josh, designed the entrance gate to the courtyard.
McCall doesn’t do a lot of cooking, but one of the recipes, which he does prepare for the New Year, is his grandmother’s recipe for cabbage rolls. A page from a recipe book with her recipe is framed and displayed in the kitchen’s open shelving.
“I thought shelves across the wall would be too dark,” McCall said. “I also decided on no window covering for the kitchen window.”
He worked with Walnut Grove’s Marilyn Zimmerman to choose the appliances and some of the other details in the house.
When he and Brennan were going through his things to decide on wall art, they chose to frame his great grandmother’s award winning craft project. The shape is an oval, which could have been used as a rug, and it was crocheted from bread wrappers.
Like the house, this keepsake looks totally modern in its presentation, yet it smacks of pride in McCall’s root. The house and McCall communicate pride in being able to come home again to Louisiana, to the area where he grew up and to family. He has even renewed acquaintances with high school classmates.
“Everything I have purchased, past and present has a story or a positive experience associated with it,” said McCall.
He said being surrounded by things with meaning and memories makes his house feel like home.
{{tncms-inline alignment=”center” content=”<p><em>Thanks to McCall&rsquo;s Vinton High School classmate and American Press reader Jeanie Hyatt of DeQuincy for suggesting this Life at Home story. Do you know someone with an interesting home or collection? If so, call the American Press at 337-494-4072 or email ideas to rlebleu@americanpress.com</em></p>” id=”cc6e6355-5dd1-47c9-bd24-6a4e7d52cc41″ style-type=”info” title=”More Information” type=”relcontent” width=”full”}}
Thanks to McCall’s Vinton High School classmate and American Press reader Jeanie Hyatt of DeQuincy for suggesting this Life at Home story. Do you know someone with an interesting home or collection? If so, call the American Press at 337-494-4072 or email ideas to rlebleu@americanpress.com