Home Profiles
The Rustic Elegance of a Springfield, Missouri Lodge
Step inside this custom retreat filled with unique details and personal touches.
By Colin Shea Denniston
Sep 2021
Photo by Starboard and PortThe antique light fixture that hangs above the home’s entryway was found on a shopping trip with Hendrix and the homeowner. “He was actually the one who pointed it out,” says Hendrix. “I agreed that it was fabulous and we purchased it.”
Tasked with creating a home for a couple with opposite design tastes, designer Erica Lea Hendrix of Erica Lea Design Studios—along with builder Rick Ramsey of Rick Ramsey Design Co. and Jason Thompson of JL Thompson Design Group—created a grand yet inviting custom home that has been thoughtfully coined “The Ozarks Lodge.”
According to Hendrix, the husband’s style was influenced by a long career in the hunting and fishing industry, while his wife was drawn to a more French aesthetic.“He was passionate about the rustic flavor of the house and that detail portion of it, and she wanted something more traditional,” says Hendrix. “And so to marry those two styles together we created some rules for ourselves.”
Rule No. 1: the architecture and anything fixed to the home would be rustic in detail, and the furnishings would lean more ornate and traditional. Hendrix placed delicate antiques against dark woods and plaid fabrics across from natural stone, creating a rustic yet lived-in quality in the home.
Photos by Starboard and PortWooden pillars between the living and dining spaces along with large area rugs help to differentiate the spaces while still allowing the home to feel open.
Photos by Starboard and PortA TV by SCS Home Entertainment is one of the main bathroom’s large mirrors and an antique chandelier hangs above the couple’s tub. “The bathroom was so fun to design,”
says Hendrix.
Photos by Starboard and PortExtra shelving in the
master bedroom
provides more space to
display the couple’s
extensive collections.
Photos by Starboard and Port“We wanted the guest bath to be a little more feminine,” says Hendrix. The homeowners found the sink at Harry Cooper Supply Company and Hendrix designed the room around it. The mirror and wallpaper are provided by Erica Lea Design Studios.
Photos by Starboard and PortThe stair is dressed traditionally with antique brass fasteners and plaid carpet. “It’s just classic,” says Hendrix. “How can you miss with plaid?”
While touring the homeowners’ existing home, Hendrix had found that, while they weren’t attached to any specific furniture pieces, they did have a large personal collection of figurines, memorabilia and photographs that they were passionate about showcasing. Not included in the initial design but part of the final product was a dual-sided, fully lit cabinet with glass on both sides, situated between the office and the hall. It creates the perfect place to display the couple’s treasured items from across the globe.
Custom touches and unique details are peppered throughout the home. The entryway features a chevron-pattern reclaimed wood floor with a marble inset. Stone posts and lintels are placed above the stove and fireplace and an antique chandelier hangs above the couple’s bathtub. “We layered detail after detail after detail, and the clients just said yes to everything,” says Hendrix. While the home is a different style than any Hendrix and her team had worked on previously, the homeowners are what made the project memorable. “These clients were so gracious in hearing what I had to say and trusting me as a professional that it was really a dream,” says Hendrix.
