The couple, who were married in April, had been house hunting off and on for about a year when they received a call from Derek's parents. The owners of a house around the corner from their home had just planted a for-sale-by-owner sign in the yard.
The Howells made a quick call of their own and were the first prospective buyers to view the house in the sought-after area off Yates in East Memphis. The competition didn't stand a chance.
"The previous owners told us someone was scheduled to look at the house just after us," Carrie said. "We talked quietly, like, 'Do you want it?' 'Yeah.'
"So we made them a full-price offer on the spot. It was probably on the market for about an hour."
The Howells purchased the three-bedroom, two-bath home in January for $279,000. The 11/2 -story brick traditional home sits on a large lot with mature trees. The 2,200-square-foot home has a garage, a spacious back patio and an upstairs bonus room.
But for the Howells, the home's layout sealed the deal -- particularly the roomy den that flows easily into the kitchen via a large pass-through.
"We instantly fell in love with it," Carrie said. "We really like how from the kitchen you can see into the den and see the TV. It feels like one big room."
The couple painted the den's paneled walls a soft taupe. The newly painted brick hearth is the same off-white as the room's beamed ceiling and the new 4-inch molding the couple installed throughout the house.
Although the Howells took possession of the home in January, they didn't move in until February, giving them time to complete a range of minor renovations.
"They were mainly cosmetic," Derek said. "We didn't do any major structural stuff, just updating, painting, making it reflect our style.
"It's really the same house."
The couple decorated the home with the help of Derek's mother, interior decorator Shirley Howell.
"I feel really fortunate to have her, because she's really talented and she comes up with ideas I wouldn't have thought of," Carrie said.
Derek was happy to give his wife and his mother free rein with the décor.
"I wanted a say in the TV and the kitchen," he said. "As long as it's not pink or too flashy, I'm fine with it."
The result of the collaboration is a series of plush, traditional interior spaces filled with antiques, custom window treatments and a color palette that flows easily from one room to the next.
The home's original hardwood floors are covered with the Howells' collection of Oriental rugs, including a long runner in the hallway that came from Derek's parents' home.
As the couple analyzed the space, they decided to use a room just off the entry, originally designed to be a formal living room, as a large, formal dining room. They added a ceiling medallion that sets off the chandelier in the room, which is spacious enough for an oval dining table, an antique sideboard and a hutch and buffet.
An adjoining sitting room painted a deep taupe was originally designated for dining and leads to the kitchen, which is painted a cheery terra cotta. The home's previous owners had updated the kitchen, which features floors of ceramic tile laid on the diagonal, a center island and white cabinetry. The Howells put in new appliances, including a gas range.
A large picture window beside the breakfast table provides views to the spacious patio, where the couple replaced aging columns with new cedar ones. Derek has big plans for the backyard, including a new irrigation system and beds.
The kitchen's pass-through offers a clear view of the couple's new 50-inch flat-panel, wall-mounted plasma TV. A coat closet behind the TV hides its components.
"The remote works through the wall," said Derek, who also installed a surround-sound system in the den.
A hallway leads to the home's three bedrooms and to the guest bath, where Carrie and Shirley worked around the room's blue tile, adding blue-and-brown wallpaper and a custom embroidered shower curtain that matches the room's French blue window treatments.
A neighboring guest room houses Carrie's old bedroom furniture, including several antique pieces. The room could eventually be used as a nursery.
Next door, a spare bedroom contains the couple's computer and treadmill.
At the end of the hall, the master bedroom continues the blue-and-brown theme with brown walls and French blue and brown bedding. An en suite bath features brown tile and a new marble-topped freestanding vanity.
A master bath was high on Carrie's wish list for a new home, since Derek's former home in the High Point Terrace neighborhood didn't have one.
"I'm happy we have it," she said. "It's tiny, but it's not like the old house where the bath was in the hallway like a guest bathroom."
Down the hall from the bedroom, a stairway that divides the hallway from the den leads to the home's upstairs bonus space, which the couple had re-floored to fix squeaky boards. The plan is to turn the room into a game room -- or "man-land," as Derek called it.
The couple, who met at a company Christmas party three years ago when both worked for Hilton Hotels Corp., might have made a quick decision when they made the offer on their new home, but they're happy they did.
"We're just really happy here," said Carrie, who now works in marketing at the FedEx World Headquarters on Hacks Cross. Derek still works for Hilton in the market analysis department.
"It's worked out really well," he said.
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source: commercialappeal.com
