Text: Robert C. Martin
Mountain Brook, Alabama, is acclaimed as much for its beautiful homes and pristine yards as for the congenial neighbors and village-clustered shops that comprise it. Within this amicable setting, architect Chris Reebals found a vacant house that sat on the crest of a hill and saw an opportunity for his firm, Christopher Architecture and Interiors, to take on the roles of both client and makeover artists. Known as the Christopher Showhouse, it was assembled to acquaint and inspire the community with the latest looks and most up-to-date amenities while also promoting a more urgent endeavor.
“We designed this house to be a progression of experiences in which something new and unique lay around every corner, rather than just a straight on, approach.” —Chris Reebals
During the preliminary stages of planning the showhouse, Reebals was introduced to Kayla Perry, who was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 18. Because her condition typically afflicts children and not young adults, she was completely caught off guard. But rather than give up hope, in 2014 Kayla founded an organization called Open Hands Overflowing Hearts (OHOH) to raise money for pediatric cancer research. “Since I have a family member who’s also battling leukemia, Kayla’s story struck close to home for me,” Reebals explains. “It just made sense to use the showhouse as a means of partnering with OHOH.” He decided that proceeds from ticket sales would help fund the quest for a cure, which in turn provided a new kind of motivation for him and his firm to make this their best project yet.
The initial concept for the home—a vision of sweeping, cedar-shake roofs, lovely terraces, and impeccable interiors—was nothing short of a designer’s dream. As the company name suggests, CAI is blessed with a well-rounded group of architects and interior designers, and the chance for them to collaborate on a project of this caliber seemed only fitting. “It was a rare event of unbridled creativity, you could say,” Reebals says. “This house allowed the CAI team to not only fully explore what we could do, but also give the wonderful assortment of skilled craftsmen and vendors, many of whom frequently work with us, a chance to shine.”
After a design brainstorming session known as a charrette, the firm gathered and encouraged each member to submit sketches, ideas, and tear sheet examples of products and details for consideration. “Our goal was to think outside the box,” says Joanna Goodman, director of interiors for the firm. “We strove to take current trends to the next level, particularly with our material and lighting choices, so that visitors would experience a whole host of things they hadn’t seen before.”
Frequently in bathroom design, there’s a battle between adequate window and mirror space—but not in this master vanity. Here, a floating marble counter allows a full wall of glass to serve as a backdrop. What’s more, a pair of ceiling-mounted mirrors works beautifully with the concealed sinks and sidewall faucets. For privacy, a motorized screen by Lutron and lush landscaping outdoors provide additional screening. Conserving space in the master bathroom, this luxurious shower/tub/ whirlpool combo is just one of the eye-catching amenities found in the Christopher showhouse.
To make the house feel more lived in, Goodman created a conceptual family that consisted of a mother, a father, a teenage girl, an adolescent boy, and a newborn baby. She even included a frequently visiting mother-in-law, who merited her own suite above the carriage house. “Typically, when I begin a project, I feed off the adjectives that the client uses during our initial conversation,” says the designer. “Since we were basically starting with a blank slate, I wanted the interiors to be both bold and believable to reflect a realistic, on-the-go household, complete with pets and family activities.”
Amazingly, apart from the addition of a pantry and a new space for the dining room, the finished design maintains the same footprint the existing house and garage once occupied. CAI added second floors to each structure as well and connected them with the breakfast room and adjoining outdoor spaces.
Originally an open breezeway between the main house and the garage, the enclosed breakfast room provides an ideal connector to both structures, as well as the outdoor spaces. Impeccable Peacock pavers also tie together this casual mealtime spot with the adjoining courtyard and dining terrace. Further accenting the space, a custom banquette, along with ornately cut appliqués that adorn the ceiling, cleverly echo the curved edges of the kitchen island found close by.
And rather than emulate any particular architectural style, Reebals says the team’s chief objective was to create a unified outcome that fit their intents. “As with any CAI project, I was more concerned with the proper siting, connections, and massing of the house,” he says. He and Goodman agree that its appearance and interiors convey an eclectic, Old-World demeanor established by fine craftsmanship and rustic materials. “And when you weave Kayla’s journey and the OHOH organization into the mix,” the architect concludes, “it puts everything into perspective.”
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