A CELEBRATION OF IMPERFECTION

ImperfectionA Celebration of WRITTEN BY KELLY ODEN • PHOTOGRAPHY BY GUY STEVENS

EIGHT YEARS AGO, local artist and hair stylist James Amerson and his husband, kitchen designer Jeff Griffey, purchased an Old East Hill home that would have scared most buyers away. In fact, it actually did. “Our realtor told us that a couple had looked at it earlier and the wife broke into tears and locked herself in the car because it was so horrifying inside,” Amerson recalled. As veteran remodelers themselves, Amerson and Griffey weren’t scared away by the condition of the old home.

“There was a hole in the roof in the kitchen which had damaged all the horsehair plaster,” Amerson said. “The house was crammed with stuff. There were three generations worth of the previous family’s belongings stored here. There were literally paths in between the stuff to get from room to room. The house had been vacant for over 30 years. The utilities had been off for some time, so the stuff that was stored inside had started to break down and fall apart. There were some cargo boxes that had melted into the hardwood floors. But underneath all that ugliness was this amazing house. We could see that.”

Built in 1867, right after the Civil War, the original owner was William Davidson and his wife, Janie. Davidson lived in the home for more than 50 years—many of them on his own after Janie passed away. Amerson did his research and discovered that Davidson was originally from Virginia. He had trained at Harvard and was invited to become the head of the quarantine station for NAS Pensacola. Davidson was also a civil engineer and he helped to plot some of the neighborhoods located in East Hill. “When he died, he left the house to Janie’s daughter from a previous marriage and she willed it to the Baptist Church on Palafox Street,” Amerson explained. “Ironically, my good friend’s father was a realtor back in 1969 and he flipped homes. He bought this house, remodeled it and sold it. My friend remembers being a kid running through this house when his dad was redoing it.”

At just under 2,000 square feet, the home has a simple, farmhouse vernacular feel, but it was certainly built to last. “You could see the quality of this house immediately,” Amerson explained. “Even after being left alone for 30 years, it still withstood all of the elements that it was exposed to.

Even though everything inside of it was falling apart, the structure of the house itself was still in great condition. We could look past the broken plaster. We could look past the caved-in ceilings. We could see solid wood construction. We could see that it was built like a ship. This house is built with mortise and tenon joints and all of the iron nails in the house were all hand-hewn. They were not machinemade. Every one of them is a different size and shape. So I could tell that the person who built this house was more into the quality of the structure itself and less into the design. The design was more simple, but the construction is solid.”

Once they cleared the home of the generations of stuff, the couple set to work on the renovations. They did most of the work themselves and they relished the discovery of the stories that came along with the house. In fact, the couple’s approach to the renovations was as unique as the home itself. Rather than creating a modern home in the shell of a historic building, Amerson and Griffey set out to lovingly restore the home while keeping all of its original charm—warts and all. While the floors are clean and sealed, they hold all of the scratches, cracks, burn marks and patchwork of the home’s past. This is most evident, and oddly comical, in the entry hall where burn marks are still visible from a previous owner’s attempt to cook a turkey in a chest of drawers when the power was out The couple also reused and repurposed every part of the home they could, including heart pine boards that came from the attic that were repurposed into flooring, cabinets and other finishes found throughout the home.

Amerson lovingly refers to the home as a celebration of imperfection. “I’m a celebration of imperfection, too,” he said. “I see that crack in the floor all the time and for some strange reason, it brings me joy. I don’t have that need to fix it or repair it. I kind of celebrate what has happened. I didn’t want to redo the floors like everybody does—sand the floors down and make them look brand new again. I thought well, one of the things about having a historic home is seeing the story that it tells. I could see it being sanded and refinished and I think it would be beautiful, but I think you would lose the story,” Amerson said.

For Amerson and Griffey, the home is also a reflection of their lives and their stories. The photos of friends and trips, the heirloom furniture passed down from favorite aunts and godmothers and the artwork that lines the walls and sits upon pedestals—each piece has a story and a special memory for the couple. “Pretty much everything in the house is a gift from a loved one or a family member,” Amerson said. “Every single day, I walk past one of these pieces and it feels like that person is still alive. So, I’m living with their memories every day instead of just flipping through the occasional book or something like that.” Amerson describes his design style as organic. “I would say I go into it with some kind of preconceived thought, but much like when I do my art, I typically allow it to talk to me first, “ he explained. “Everything in the house has a story. That’s one of the things that I wanted to represent in this house—mine and Jeff’s journey. I wanted to celebrate it. Of course we want design and we want people to like it. More importantly, we want to like it. But as I ramble around this house, I want to be reminded of the fun adventures, the good times, the people that I knew and the stories behind the pieces. I appreciate the value in the designed home. I have a lot of friends who are designers, and I admire their work, but I feel the need to live in a home that celebrates life and reminds me of the good times and stuff like that. That’s the bottom line to the design of this home.”

PARLOR

The parlor serves as Amerson’s art studio, the couple’s dressing room and a gathering place when entertaining. Antique armoires hold the couple’s clothing and Amerson’s art supplies. His sculpting table is a family heirloom and the upholstered antique chairs belonged to his godmother. Amerson’s many sculptures stand watch in the windows and the funky lamp he created pays homage to one of the home’s previous tenants. Titled “Mrs. Crane’s Bright Idea,” the lamp is made from Mrs. Crane’s wig and costume jewelry. “I also have her dentures,” Amerson explained with a grin. “There is a step in the lead up to the attic that I’ve removed. I just knew that if there was a time capsule, that’s where it would be. Before we leave this house, there will be a time capsule. I’ll add in all these little pieces we found in the house and I’ll give notes to the future tenants about the previous tenants and encourage them not to give up.”

Mrs. Crane’s Bright Idea, by James Amerson

LIVING AREA

An arch matching the exposed kitchen arch frames the cozy living area, which features much of Amerson’s art—from the very first painting he did in high school to his travel photography, sketches and a few small bronze sculptures. Amerson’s piece, titled “When Imagination Takes Flight” features a single-winged figure and represents what can happen when you allow your imagination to take flight. The single wing represents how difficult that can sometimes be. “It’s also about balance, too,” Amerson said. “If you were to put it on a lazy Susan, the point of the wing stays centered. That was very intentional because I feel like I’m always trying to find my center. I’m always trying to find balance. I’m always trying to balance between work and home and friendship and responsibility and travel and hospitals and everything else.” Amerson hopes to fund “When Imagination Takes Flight” as a large-scale public art project in the future.

HALLWAY

The wide entry hall offers a bright and cheerful introduction to the home. An original antique shutter from the house serves as an anchor for the couple’s photos and mementos of travel, friends and family. The antique Austrian oak bench was a gift from a dear friend and the flag is one of three found in the attic. The large painting of the home was done by Amerson during quarantine. The milk glass light fixture is an original feature to the home.

THE SALON

The couple converted a studio apartment at the back of the home into Amerson’s hair salon. Aptly named, The Hair Do, Amerson has been doing hair for more than 30 years. The couple kept the space light and clean as it also serves as a gallery space for Amerson’s artwork.

KITCHEN

The exposed heart pine archway provides the perfect framing for the couple’s unique kitchen. Amerson built the rustic cabinetry from wood that was left over from the renovations. An antique woodworking bench serves as a kitchen island and the arrow hanging above it once pointed to Amerson’s Uncle’s dragway located in Atmore, Alabama. While the couple could have easily installed a high end, modern kitchen, they chose to keep it simple and rustic. “My husband Jeff is the lead kitchen designer at Home Depot,” Amerson said. “And this is his kitchen. He loves it and he is incredibly kind to allow me to do this because he’s phenomenally talented.”

The dining table and sideboards are also family pieces. The dining table was missing leaflets so Amerson fitted it with some panels he had previously painted to create a one-of-a-kind piece. Amerson’s sculptures and paintings also decorate the space.

WET ROOMS

The biggest structural project in the home was converting an old side hall to what Amerson now calls the wet room, which houses the bathroom, the laundry and serves as the utility space. The original shiplap covers the walls and repurposed heart pine was used for the utility room floors.

OUTDOOR LIVING

The wrap-around front porch features an unusual rounded handrail, original shutters and jib door windows, which were used for ventilation and air flow in many old southern homes. Comfortable chairs and rockers offer a respite from heat beneath the wide porch roof. The garden combines tropical plants with southern and Mediterranean stunners and is also home to many of Amerson’s incredible sculptures.