A Clear Vision
A newlywed couple designs the Homewood house of their dreams.
By Abigail B. Millwood Photos by Miller Mobley
Rachael and Dax Swatek don't waste any time once
they know what they want. Engaged just four months after
their first date, the couple scoured Birmingham for the ideal
house to blend their rustic country with a dash of contemporary
styles in a home they could truly call their own. But
after months of searching, nothing felt just right—until
they struck up a conversation with Twin Construction. The
builders had the perfect lot available in Homewood, with a
not-so-perfect house on it, so Dax and Rachael planned to
start from scratch.
One night just weeks before the wedding, the pair put their heads together over dinner at Ocean and sketched house plans on a napkin. "We had a meeting with Twin Construction and our architect Joe Ellis," Rachael remembers. "We sat down with the napkin and said, 'Here's what we want.'" The team broke ground in late April—two weeks before the Swateks' wedding—and finished that December. (Talk about instant gratification.)
Being involved in every aspect of the home's construction guaranteed the couple got a house that fit their lifestyle to a T. "I had no idea what I was getting myself into," Rachael admits with a laugh. For help with the details, she turned to Sandra Lynn of Lynn Allen Design, who selected lighting, paint, plumbing fixtures and stone.
Sandra's handiwork is most evident in the expansive
kitchen, which is the home's focal point. There, she fused
the house's more traditional architectural elements with
Rachael and Dax's contemporary-leaning style, choosing
creamy white cabinets, black granite counter tops and
stainless steel appliances. She custom-designed the large
furniture-style island in a rich wood and topped it with a
slab of Alabama white marble, which Rachael insisted was
a must. "Dax loves Highlands so much," Rachael says. "I
figured I needed to make it look like the Highlands' bar so that he'll eat at home!" They polished off the grand kitchen with a copper
range hood (patinaed with buttermilk and pickle juice), lantern light fixtures,
backsplash of small slate bricks and floor-to-ceiling wood shelves for storing
wine and cookbooks.
A wet bar joins the kitchen to a cozy den with soaring beaded board ceilings and a stacked-stone fireplace. Rachael combined furniture from their condos with new finds to layer textures and styles, from contemporary leather chairs and a cowhide chest to a velvet daybed sofa and reclaimed wood coffee table. Doors on either side of the room lead to the backyard and a large stone-paved entertaining area. "We use the den area a lot, but when it's nice outside, we're out most of the time," Rachael says.
She and Dax continued the indoor-outdoor theme in the master suite, where carriage house-style French doors open onto a private screened porch. "We always knew we wanted a screened-in porch with access to the yard, so we could go out there and sit and drink coffee," Rachael says. "Dax sits out there at night and works on his computer after I've gone to bed." The bedroom itself is outfitted in creamy neutrals and soft blue walls, while the large bath boasts a soaking tub and two-person mosaic tile shower.
Though the couple loves to entertain friends and spend time together, Dax also wanted a special "man room" for watching ESPN SportsCenter (or sometimes, Rachael says, just to avoid watching chick flicks). A haven for his pre-married man furniture, the upstairs den is a dark, rich getaway with deep brown walls and a bold red ceiling inspired by the colors in one of his favorite paintings.
While the four bedroom, three-and-a-half bath house may look like a finished product, Rachael insists it's still a work in progress—especially since she and Dax will welcome their first child, Amelia Mae, to the family in August. But with Sandra Lynn on board to design the nursery from start to finish and their minds set on the matter, it should be finished in no time.
This rustic, yet polished, retreat recalls the best of Alabama's
folk vernacular—exposed cedar beams, a metal roof, moss rock fireplaces—
with all the modern amenities the family of six could ask for.
Surrounded on three sides by water, the house offers views from every
room. But none are as spectacular as the view from the two-story living
room, where a wall of windows overlooks the historic Saunders
Bridge (for which the community was named).
The living room flows easily into a dining area and the gourmet kitchen, where Ashley spends most of her time. "It's where we all come together, whether we're cooking or playing games," she says. "And the views are so good even from that point." Ashley and Ken worked with Amy Croushorn, an interior designer with Tim's firm, to pick all of the finishes and fittings, including the white cabinets with white Caesarstone counters and the complementary soft gray island with white quartzite countertops. They outfitted the rest of the spaces with equally neutral shades to make the house as low-maintenance as possible. "I wanted it to be a place where we can just kick back, relax and not have to worry about anything," Ashley says.
The Polks and their four children, Ellie, Margaret, Howell, and Mary Neale, spend as much time out of doors as the weather will permit, so they planned outside entertaining areas accordingly. An Alabama brownstone patio is the perfect spot for dining al fresco, while a hammock and Adirondack chairs provide ample opportunities for lounging waterside. The family's favorite outdoor feature, though, is the firepit. "Roasting marshmallows is the highlight of every night,"
