CLEAR VISION

The landscaping was designed to look natural, as if it had always been there

WWith a vision of big water views and lush landscaping vistas from every window in the home, Rocky and Amelia Barnes hired architect Taylor Dawson, builder Leon Gould and landscaper Eric Brown to create a spectacular Lake Martin retreat. In 2017, after 21 years in their old lake cabin, they moved into their stunning home and began making new memories.

“We told Taylor that we wanted to be able to see the lake when we walked in, no foyer, nothing blocking the view. He did that and more. We can see the lake through the house when we drive down the driveway. And sitting in the great room with all of the windows is like sitting on the porch,” Rocky Barnes said. The driveway and lake sides of the main part of the house are identical, with windows from the ground up to the 20-foot ceiling, allowing unobstructed views of the lake and backyard. The home is surrounded by flagstone walkways, boulders strategically placed into the landscaping and native plants that create a forested effect. An iron gate, with a pinecone and pine needle design by Gowen Iron, invites guests to follow the driveway through lush beds of lantana and butterfly bushes, ferns and perennials, as well as magnolias and other trees screening the property. Landscaped beds around the home are planted similarly. In the parking area at the front of the home, a high waterfall greets visitors with its beauty and the relaxing sound of water rushing over boulders. The waterfall pours into a pool that becomes a stream along the side of the home then empties into the lake.

“I knew that Eric Brown had a great skillset with stone, and I trusted him. I wanted it to look natural, with native plants and a woodsy look, like it was here before the house. I have had people ask me if the stream is natural. That’s the look I wanted,” he said.

Outdoor living spaces were a priority for the couple. The grilling porch just off the kitchen wraps around the corner of the house, providing two separate seating areas, as well as a dining area with a single pecky cypress plank table from Marshall Lumber Company and a base built by Gowen Iron.

“We spend 90 percent of our awake time in the rocking chairs. The sound of the waterfall rushing over the rocks is really great,” he said.

The large flagstone patio allows a perfect view of the lake and the dock. Stone pathways wind through the landscaped backyard. On a special trip to California wine country, the Barneses saw unique Adirondack chairs made from wine barrels. They were able to track down the builder and have six chairs built and shipped to Alabama – a perfect addition to the patio.

Brown added boulders to the stone seawall, so they blend into the landscape. He also built the pebble beach where the stream spills into the lake, as well as a separate sand beach for swimming.

The octagonal stone gazebo is just off the great

STORY BY LONNA UPTON PHOTOS BY KENNETH BOONE

The great room includes two walls of windows for unobstructed lake views

A stone gazebo provides easy access to the great room and backyard

A waterfall feeds the stream that runs near the grilling porch

The master bath shower room has two entrances

Upstairs bedrooms and baths allow plenty of space for family and friends room. With plenty of comfortable wicker seating and drapes, the Barneses say it is the perfect place to watch football games in the fall. Gowen Iron did the ironwork in the gazebo, carrying the pinecone and pine needle design from the gate. All of the stonework on the home and the gazebo was done by Salvador Chacon.

Amelia Barnes describes her decorating style as transitional. Working with decorator Angie Grant from Alexander City, the home is beautifully appointed with furniture, artwork, rugs and light fixtures. From Montgomery and Destin to Scott’s Antiques, AmericasMart and ADAC in Atlanta, the two found perfect pieces to complement the architectural design and define the couple’s vision.

“I am kind of eclectic. When I see it, and I like it, I know I’ll find a place for it,” she said.

The great room ceiling and panels along the bottom of the walls of windows are poplar with a clear stain, and the trim is Benjamin Moore’s Sailcloth. Cedar beams are spaced along the wall between the windows and extend onto the ceiling. Sconces on the wall beams are from Light Ideas, and the fireplace sconces are from Solaria. Whipsaw Antiques in Atlanta designed three custom pine chandeliers for the room.

With so many windows and a lakeside facing west, the couple relied on Yancy Edwards, an extraordinary trim carpenter, to install shades manufactured by Q Motion, so that the motors did not show in the windows. The shades are raised and lowered by remote control or a smart phone app.

A sectional sofa, two chairs, and a rug by Birmingham-based LillieKat Rugs define the sitting area near the stone fireplace. A Noir iron and glass cocktail table anchors the space. In the center section, llama covered chairs from Fibre by Auskin Sheepskin and cypress tables add texture, while a double-sided sofa provides seating for the conversation area or the view of the lake, just by changing sides.

The kitchen features a 5-1/2-foot by 12-foot island. Countertops are wasabi granite, installed by DeBeer Granite and Marble, and provide a stress-free surface for meal prep. Seven barstools at the island were found in a Destin

The gazebo is a favorite spot for lake breezes and fall football games

décor shop. All of the cabinets in the home were custom built by Heath Hughes.

Behind the kitchen, the butler’s pantry has two separate pantries that provide space for food items in one and a coffee bar in the other. Two Sub-zero refrigerators flank each end of the butler’s pantry. An icemaker, wine refrigerator and dishwasher make it a perfect bar area. Over the bar, windows fold open to allow a passthrough to the grilling porch.

“Even with the butler’s pantry, we do all of our prepping on the island. The butler’s pantry functions as a bar for us, and we love having the coffee bar,” she said.

A separate dining room adds another elegant space to the home. With the poplar walls and ceiling, the reclaimed wood dining table with leather and upholstered chairs invite diners to linger. Two buffets provide storage and serving space. A Solaria iron chandelier and a rug from Moattar Rugs add character to the beautiful space.

Several pieces of furniture came to the new house from the old cabin, but the couple’s most cherished items are actually new paintings. Amelia’s father was a retired Baptist minister who baptized his granddaughters – one in the lake at Children’s Harbor and one in a church. Through Red Hill Gallery, the Barneses were

introduced to Ted Ellis who painted the baptism scenes from photographs.

A guest room and bath, the stairwell and a powder room are adjacent to the dining room. A long hallway leads to the carport and provides access to a mechanical closet, the laundry room and a mudroom. The powder room plus all three rooms on the back hallway have barn doors painted Coat of Arms by Benjamin Moore.

The master bedroom, also on the main level, has a sitting room just

Boulders were added to the seawall as part of the landscaping

A private sitting room sits just outside the master suite

Poplar walls and ceiling provide beautiful contrast in the formal dining room

A man-made stream wanders through lush landscaping

Repurposed storage space allowed for a bathroom adjacent to the bunk room 46 LAKE OCTOBER 2021

outside with Cole Stone semi-transparent stain on the walls, creating an ambience of tranquility. The furniture, linens and drapes are neutral. A bench extending the width of the king-sized bed is a New Orleans antique found at Peridot Home in Montgomery. The hall to the bathroom has his-and-hers closets behind antique doors from Amelia’s grandfather’s house in Shelby County. The doors are hung on barn door style tracks. The shower room has over-sized gray subway tile with a wavy texture. Hughes built the cabinets with seeded glass doors and plenty of storage space. Dawson added windows at ceiling height for natural light with privacy.

Upstairs, the Barneses have a cozy den and two bedrooms with baths. A bunkroom is a perfectly utilized space just off the hall with a bunk on each side of the room. Repurposed storage space at the end of the room became a bathroom with just enough room for a toilet on one side and a shower/sink combination on the other side of the space.

“Our two daughters have identical rooms, except I reversed the paint colors. In one, the ceiling is dark and the walls are light. In the other, the ceiling is light and the walls are dark. We love that they love to come home,” she said.

The vision became reality. And now, with plenty of space for family and friends, the Barneses enjoy entertaining or simply relaxing together in their sanctuary on Lake Martin.

Showy Rattlebox

NATURE OF THE LAKE

BY KENNETH BOONE

As seed pods dry, they make a rattling sound when shaken

IIf you found Showy Rattlebox growing in the wild, there would be plenty of temptation to cut it and put it in flower arrangements. It’s a beautiful plant with spikes of small, bright yellow, pea-like blossoms and very attractive green pea pods that actually rattle when dry – seemingly the perfect wildflower to bring inside.

But looks can be deceiving.

In reality, Showy Rattlebox is herbaceous femme fatale that has been known to poison livestock and could even kill you if you consumed enough of it. This plant, a native of southern Asia, was brought into the United States to help build up sandy soils as a cover crop, which it does well. Like peas and beans, Showy Rattlebox is a legume that has nitrogen-fixing bacteria in its root nodules. Growing legume plants is like adding a natural fertilizer to the soil; however, in the case of Showy Rattlebox, the good it does for soil is outweighed by the harm it can cause in other parts of the farm.

Showy Rattlebox is now found growing wild throughout the Southern states from Virginia to Missouri south to Florida and Texas, usually in lower elevation areas.

Other common names for Showy Rattlebox include Cat’s Bell, Sunhemp, Kimberly Horse Poison, Rattlepod, Indian Rattlebox and Showy Crotalaria.

The scientific name of this plant is Crotalaria spectabilis, and its genus name is derived from the scientific name for rattlesnakes, Crotalus, a nod to this plant’s rattling bean pods. Its species name, spectabilis, means “outstanding, worth looking at.” And it is aptly named.

Showy Rattlebox’s bright yellow asymmetrical flowers are similar to all other bean and pea blossoms, which are characterized with petals of varying sizes. The largest or standard petal is in the back of the flower, with two more narrow wing-shaped petals on either side and two even thinner petals known as “keels” in front.

Each flower’s ovary will develop into a 2-inch-

Showy Rattlebox grows in colonies of thousands The flower resembles those of other plants in the pea family

long pea pod that looks light and puffy with up to 20 dark colored kidney-shaped seeds inside. The pods are green but turn tan and then black as they dry. When dry, the seeds become detached and rattle around inside the pod, making sound in a strong wind or if you break off the stem and shake the pods. Eventually the pods split open, which can jettison the seeds away from the mother plant … or all across your living room if you’ve brought them inside in a flower arrangement.

Showy Rattlebox leaves are simple, smooth, large and roundish with pointed tips. They are alternately arranged around the plant’s stem.

World-wide, there are more than 600 species of Crotalaria, with most of them being native to Africa and Asia. Showy Rattlebox has cousins – members of the Crotalaria genus – that are native here in Alabama. But they are smaller, lower to the ground and not as pretty.

Showy Rattlebox is strikingly pretty. It can grow up to 6 feet tall on green or purplish stems and often creates colonies that can number in the thousands of plants – a sea of tall, bright yellow flowers in abandoned fields, roadsides and other newly disturbed soils.

The toxins in this plant are pyrrolizidine alkaloids, which are most concentrated in its seeds. It has been known to poison all livestock, from chickens to pigs, horses and cattle. Typical symp-

toms of Showy Rattlebox poisoning are liver disease, which could occur from days to six months after consuming the plant, and sensitivity to light. When consumed, pyrrolizidine alkaloid can cause irreversible damage to the liver because it hinders the ability of liver cells to regenerate. The disease can come on quickly if a lot of Showy Rattlebox is eaten at once, but more comThis highly toxic plant monly, livestock can grow up to 6 feet tall eat it a little at a and produce 20 seeds time over weeks in each pod or even years, and the cumulative effect is liver failure. It has been reported that two grams of Rattlebox seeds fed daily to a 50-pound hog will kill it in a week’s time, and Rattlebox plants bailed in hay have killed an entire herd of cattle. So, no matter how pretty Showy Rattlebox is, it’s probably best to leave it alone. And if you have livestock on your property, it would be wise to remove this plant as soon as you identify it.

Some information in this article came from Mississippi State University, NC State Extension, the University of Florida and the University Florida Large Animal Hospital.