Artistic Abode Ralph and Allyn Froshin cultivate happiness at their Lake Martin home
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STORY BY LONNA UPTON & PHOTOS BY KENNETH BOONE
Alexander City native Ralph Frohsin and his wife, Allyn, are known by locals as enthusiastic supporters of their city, the arts and Lake Martin. In their years together, they have enjoyed their lives on the lake and created a home that is exquisitely happy. “When we built the house in 1978 we were in kind of a brown mode, but through the years that has changed. Now people come in, love the colors and say this is a happy house,” Allyn Frohsin said. Birmingham contemporary architect Fritz Woehle designed the home for the couple. Woehle’s original design had the house on stilts over the lake. Next, the design had four pods, distinctly separate parts of the house, sitting on a deck but not connected at all. The final design connected the four pods with an open-air atrium in the center, which Woehle wanted to be completely natural, as if the home were set down into the woods. Avid art lovers, the Frohsins have taken advantage of travelling and paid close attention to articles they read in American Crafts magazine to find the perfect accessories for their home. They commissioned Sarah De Barry, Renaissance Glass Company in Austin,
A fading armchair complements the artwork
46 LAKE
Texas, to design stained glass for the front doors. After sending DeBarry a photo of their foyer rug, the stained glass was beautifully created to complement the rug and set the stage for the entire home. At Woehle’s insistence, the walls and ceilings in the entire home are painted white, and the large foyer extending into the main living area is white marble from Sylacauga. Around the foyer and main living area, abstract art, paintings and sculptures, mixed media, stone and glass, most in primary colors, paint a breathtaking glimpse into the Frohsins’ love of creative arts. “The architect said we would never need to change the paint color on the walls and ceilings, that we would just need to change what’s around it, so that’s what we have done. Everywhere we traveled we were always looking for art – paintings, glass, birds or sculpture. We just bought what we liked,” Frohsin said. The foyer features artwork by Myra Burg that the Frohsins saw in a magazine – PVC pipes of different lengths are wrapped in silk threads and stand as towers. The couple contacted the artist who sent
Roses and the lake are part of every view from the home
JULY 2021
