The WHITE WHITE

STORY BY LIESEL SCHMIDT PHOTOGRAPHY BY SUMMER DAVIS PHOTOGRAPHY

There’s not quite one defined style for the white brick house in Fairhope where Michele and Michael Strength live. Instead, it’s a fusion of Dutch Cape, modern, and Spanish revival, all somehow married together in a way that makes sense rather than fighting against one another, creating a home that is uniquely beautiful and incredibly distinctive. The front elevation is clean and simple, with a circular window over a covered arched entryway as its most prominent features. Along the back, French doors open to the courtyard off the first-floor master and to balconies above.

“I’d define it as having a coastal European vibe with mostly white painted brick or stucco, parapet walls and untreated Cyprus wood that has been allowed to weather,” says Michele, who studied as an interior designer at New York School Of Interior Design and operates her own business, Inhabit, from a home office.

Boasting 4300 square feet, the two-story home comprises an open plan living/dining area, kitchen, mudroom, keeping nook and master bedroom downstairs as well as a family room, small office, and three bedrooms upstairs, plus a detached carriage house with Michele’s office for Inhabit downstairs and her husband’s home office for his remodeling and contracting business upstairs.

“The interior keeps a very similar feeling to the exterior with its white walls, painted wood ceiling details, bleached white oak cabinetry, and rice white peacock pavers throughout the first floor,” says Michele, whose eye and design sensibility guided every aspect of the home’s aesthetics. “We went with a simple white stucco fireplace, and the clean lines and white walls make a wonderful backdrop for the many antiques I have collected over the years. It helps make them seem more relevant and fresher, instead of stuffy and out of place. In the living room, the full wall of bookshelves is a space that I love to arrange and rearrange with family photos, books and travel memorabilia—one of which is a cherished old 10-foot monastery table I purchased from an antique dealer in Germany. I just love the patina, and even though it’s quite substantial, it has a very minimal quality. I was also mindful of visuals with the television, so I hung a Samsung frame TV in the center of the bookcase, which feels like a picture rather than a blank television when we aren’t watching it.”

The kitchen is Michele’s favorite area of the home, and she spent a great deal of time working on the layout and elevations of the space. “I wanted to make sure what I envisioned in my head was going to not only be that in reality but function as a working kitchen,” she says. “I opted not to have upper cabinets and keep the cabinets inset and just highlight the natural quality of the bleached oak.” The unlacquered brass sink taps were sourced from Perrin and Rowe, adding texture and a warm patina to the many shades of white throughout the kitchen. The countertops and backsplash are Alabama white, and the white stucco hood mimics the fireplace. “I choose an AGA range and Subzero refrigerator, and above the fridge are old terra-cotta chimney flues that I white-washed and hoped to use for wine storage—but I can never keep a bottle for very long,” Michele laughs. “I wanted a large island in the center of kitchen for hanging out and painted it white to contrast with the oak. At the end of island is an old, distressed farm table on casters that I didn’t originally plan on incorporating into the kitchen, but it seems to work. A wet bar is situated across from that with open shelving to display barware and dishes.”

Michele’s touch can be seen in the master bedroom and bath, as well, kept minimal in things like the slimline but interesting trim and juxtaposed with wide crown molding that runs around the perimeter of both spaces. Bleached oak cabinets and Alabama white countertops echo the finishes used in the kitchen, with polished nickel fixtures and faucets. A matte finish free-standing tub and wall-mounted faucet add more dimension and texture to the room, as well as a spa-like feel.

As predominantly white as the whole home is, there are some bits of color peeking out every once in a while. “I like color and enjoy working with color; but for myself, I tend to stay pretty neutral,” Michele notes. “The theme of the house is white, white, and more white—with the exception of the very whimsical feminine peony wallpaper I chose for the ceiling of my closet. I think that’s why my husband insisted on doing the opposite in his office. Surprisingly, I think it might actually be another favorite place in the house for me. The walls and ceiling are all juniper wood, and its smells heavenly. With the old beams and the circular window at the top, it also feels very spiritual.”

Outside, the Strengths have what Michele calls a “mini farm”. “You can see the lovely glow of the sunset from the balconies and the pen where we keep our two goats, Juan and Pablo,” she says. “I tried to cascade Peggy Martin roses off the fence, but apparently, Juan and Pablo thought the roses were delicious. We recently added chickens and a chicken coop, and I insisted Michael do the coop roof in cedar shakes.”