The story below is a preview from our July/August 2018 issue. For more, Subscribe today or view our FREE digital edition.
Photos By Bob Sowder
From a tree growing through the roof, to a magnolia blooming inside.
The Durhams didn’t plan to buy a house most folks would have torn down. They just wanted a fixer-upper, something affordable for their family. But after seeing the abandoned 1920s American Foursquare on Cornwallis Avenue, Jessica Durham’s mojo kicked into high gear.
Co-owner of Magnolia Furnishings with her mother, Lori Noonkester, Durham has an eye for potential—an important skill when renovating a home that has a tree growing through the roof!
“It may have cost less to tear the thing down,” says Durham. “All we kept were the footprint of the front porch with its columns, and the exterior walls and brick.”
Construction began in August 2016. The Durhams kept what was possible, duplicated what they could, and added their own artsy bohemian flair. The new staircase is very similar to the old one and they kept the classic look with the moldings, doors and flooring.
“All the floors are new,” Durham says, “but we chose white oak as before. And we kept the original fireplace.”
The rear of the home, to include the guest suite, mud room and family room downstairs and the laundry and master suite upstairs, is a new addition that accommodates well a family with three children. But even with a more modern, open floor plan, the Durhams kept the old farmhouse feel. Particularly with the kitchen—truly the hub of this home.
A large part of Durham’s business is renovations—knowing when and where to tear out a wall, move a window, or change a structure. She worked with Steve Morris of Classical Design on her kitchen layout.
“I wouldn’t work with anyone else,” she says. “Steve is very meticulous, as am I.”
So, for her kitchen, they changed the layout from a separate dining room to an open floor plan with a huge island. But, akin to a 19th century pantry, they have a separate bar area, complete with sink, ice maker and wine cooler. The kitchen includes modern amenities like microwave and refrigerator drawers, a Thermador gas range, and Cherner chair barstools.
“This is our gathering place,” says Durham. “We literally have a revolving door on the weekends, what with the kids’ friends and the neighbors. We entertain a lot.”
On game day, having the only front porch on the street helps. Fitted with comfy furniture that invites neighbors to sit a spell, the porch both welcomes and encourages folks to stay. And just inside the door, the TV over the living room fireplace is perfect for keeping an eye on the game; while on the back deck, Durham’s husband, Hunter, keeps the grill going.
Upstairs, the Durhams kept the 19th century feel by adding a sitting room at the top of the stairs. Set up with a television and game box, it serves as a place for the kids to entertain their friends, or just themselves, when mom and dad want the big comfy couch in the family room.
The upstairs laundry is one modern twist no family of five wants to be without. Cabinets and hampers for organization are enhanced by porcelain tile flooring and Schumacher wallpaper.
Portrait-sized photos of the Durham children hang along the upstairs hall. Otherwise, the rest of the house displays Durham’s vast art collection.
“I love art,” she says, whose eclectic taste shows in each room. Her art pieces include a variety of media—paintings, sculpture, and carvings—from mostly local artists. Mary Boxley Bullington, Sandy Lear, Kim Bell, Sherri Barrett, and Durham’s own mother-in-law, Betty Durham, are just a few of the local artists that vie for wall space in this amazing home.
But this American Foursquare on Cornwallis Street is not just an easel on which hangs other artists’ work. This home is a work of art. Everything from the shiplap on a boy’s bedroom wall to the penny tile in the showers to the incredible choices in lighting speak taste and an eye for the lovely.
“I learned my design skills from my mother,” says Durham, who holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Appalachian State. “While living in the D.C. area, friends encouraged me to explore a career in design work. So once I moved to Roanoke, my mom and I started a booth at Black Dog Salvage. That was nine years ago. We chose the name Magnolia because it was simple, reflecting a sense of understated elegance appropriate for an interiors business in the south.” (Writer’s Note: Jessica’s business is not affiliated with the Magnolia of Joanna Gaines fame.)
When they outgrew the market space, they opened their first store in Abingdon. Then, after her kids were all in school, a second in Roanoke. They recently moved the Roanoke store from a 1,200-square-foot space to over 3,000 square feet on Franklin Road.
The Durham home exemplifies that understated elegance. After all, anyone who can transform a ramshackle house with a tree growing through the roof into a family home that will last for generations to come, can grow a business like a magnolia.
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