For a piece of new construction, the Huse’s French-style villa looks perfectly at home on its Meridian Hills lot.
MOVING TOWARD PERFECTION Designer and restaurateur build their most ambitious home to date Written by Neil Charles Photography by Andrew Kung It is fortunate for designer Jill Huse that she really enjoys her job. Her husband, Craig, “loves to move,” so she is often engaged in re-imagining their homes. “I always joke that every time Craig Huse has to change a lightbulb, he puts a for sale sign in the yard,” Jill says. “He loves the purging and the moving part of it. I love the designing.” Having lived in their previous home for nearly seven years, the couple recently felt an urge to try something new, preferably in Meridian Hills. Finding the right kind of residence in an older neighborhood was quite literally a tall order, however. Craig, who stands well over 6 feet, was accustomed to the high ceilings 70 slmag.net
aforded by modern construction, especially in basements where gregarious men tend to do a fair amount of entertaining. In the end, the solution to the low ceilings and many other issues was to purchase an existing home in the desired location, demolish it, and build something more contemporary and practical in its place. Te couple spent months looking for just the right combination of home and address. When they found it, almost nothing could be salvaged from the original structure. All that remains from the property’s previous iteration is the dishwasher and a single Haviland salad plate of historical interest.
