+14 Pointe Place Perfection
A custom-designed family home in Fairhope, AL, takes its inspiration from historic Southern cottages.
Bob Chatham, of Bob Chatham Custom Home Design, has built a business and a reputation creating custom home designs by working closely with the prospective homeowners to learn what it is they want and how they envision their home’s flow, aura, and personality. Chatham asks questions, listens, and sketches while the clients talk. This collaborative process fully engages all parties and results in the birth of a unique home. “The intention here,” says Chatham, “was to design a true Southern vernacular home to be constructed in the charming Pointe Place neighborhood on the southern edge of Fairhope.”
Chatham’s final sketches, once they met the homeowner’s approval, were translated into architectural drawings by lead designer Kathy Heard. For their general contractor, the homeowners selected Jeff Frostholm, of the award-winning Frostholm Construction, a leading builder of custom homes in Baldwin County. Frostholm, who is the 2021 president of the Baldwin County Home Builders Association, has been crafting high-quality homes for more than a decade.
The Pointe Place neighborhood consists of custom-designed cottages with features that make the most of each individual lot. “The proximity to Mobile Bay drives the importance of outdoor living spaces to take full advantage of the bay breezes,” says Chatham. “And the open floor plan with high ceilings and great sightlines maximizes the interior space and provides visual and functional connectivity to the rear courtyard with its well-designed outdoor kitchen.” This particular home utilizes exposed rafter tails, a true Southern touch inspired by historic cottages.
Chatham designed a detached garage in the rear of the home, allowing for reduced setback and more efficient use of the property. The porte cochere provides additional carport space and allows for convenient loading and unloading of vehicles and easy access to the home. A generous use of tall windows helps connect the indoors with the outdoors and makes the exterior kitchen and living space truly feel like an integral part of the house itself.
Rachel Anderson, of March + May Design out of Mobile, served as lead interior designer on the home. March + May supervised all interior details and finishes, selected exterior colors and materials, sourced and purchased decorative lighting, assisted with the selection of plumbing fixtures, and helped maintain a consistent look and feel for the home. Anderson also worked alongside the homeowners to select furnishings, accessories, and artwork that reflected the homeowners’ need to be family-friendly and timeless. “Our goal was a home that is functional yet fun, refined yet refreshing,” says Anderson. “We love working through all of the details that make a house a home for a specific family and creating personally curated spaces for our clients, who always become more like friends.”
Features that stand out for Anderson include the “elegantly monochromatic scheme of the dining room, with walls and ceilings in Sherwin Williams’ Silver Strand, and the arched drywall-encased bookcases in the living room that provide a warm, layered feel, further enhanced by the carefully selected lighting.” In the open kitchen, the range wall is the focal point, with its custom plaster hood and curved marble backsplash. “We worked hand in hand with the fabricators on the placement of the slab veining for the greatest impact,” she says.
All in all, this classic Southern cottage fits in beautifully in its surroundings, suits its owners well, and exudes its own unique charm and style.
Bob Chatham Custom Home Design
(251) 626-7789
bobchatham.com
