Home Landscape Design A New Classic

A New Classic

"In all of my travels, Italy remains my favorite country. I love the people, the food, the landscape, the style and especially the architecture."- Keith Headley
Keith Headley is used to creating other peoples dream homes. Principal designer and CEO of Headley Menzies, a Memphis/New York firm he purchased in 1999 from Rogers Menzies, Headley and his team create customers design visions, from country cottage to urban sleek. Tailoring his own dream home was, however, a completely different challenge. Even before Headley was CEO at Headley Menzies, he was working in design. A graduate of the Art Institute of Atlanta, Headley began his design career in Memphis, working for the firm he would eventually come to own. In 1994, shortly before taking the helm at Headley Menzies, Headley and his partner bought their dream home. Headley knew that designing for himself would be different than the work he did for clients. "Working for yourself, you are in total control of the decisions, which can be daunting. It presents a completely different set of challenges than the obstacles we work around on a typical job," he says. And creating his dream abode was no typical job for Headley. The house in question, at just over 4,200 square feet, is luxuriously spacious. Designed by two well - known Memphis architects, J. Frasier Smith and Herbert M. Burnham, the home was built in 1926 for a wealthy grocer, Joseph Fly, The Italianate Revival has an exterior made entirely of cut limestone with a mix of carved stone details. Its fired clay tile roof, crafted cornice and copper detailing show the particular attention to detail the home was paid by its builders.
One of the most remarkable features of the home is the perfect merger between its Palladian east and Romanesque west wings, each built to pay homage to the different periods of Italian architecture. Though the design concepts are separated by hundreds of years of progression, exemplifying the eclectic Memphis design esthetic of the early 20th century, the two wings exist in harmony, providing Headley with a deep feeling of satisfaction. "In all of my travels," Headley explains, "Italy remains my favorite country. I love the people, the food, the landscape, the style and especially the architecture." Thus, purchasing a home whose design was quintessentially Italian was a dream come true. " Its all so inspiring," Headley says. The home, affectionately and unofficially titled "Casa Vignola" as a nod to the man who inspired its construction, "has such a sensibility of laid - back grandeur," he says. Like the grand architecture in Italy, Headleys casa "has a bit of added glory, if you will." At least, "That is the spirit I wanted to capture," Headley says. "Rich, warm, and sophisticated, without compromising livability, of course."

A New Classic

Despite the homes wonderful bones, it did take Head - ley some time to achieve that ultimate goal of his —"to have people come in and comment both on how beautiful and how comfortable the home is." Clearly, the residence had many wonderful features; otherwise, Headley would not have claimed it for his own. Most of the loveliness of the structure is due to its pleasing scale and proportion, which serve to highlight architectural details like the solid - cut limestone block exterior, the magnificent carved marble chimney piece in the living room and the hand - forged iron gates that frame the entrance to the sunroom. Even with all the inherently appealing elements of the home, Headley and his partner felt the place needed some updating. Each room needed to be appointed according to the owners taste. Their recipe for choosing the right look for each space? "Basically, I found the rugs first," Headley reveals, "and then built each room around them. When you love the warmth and uniqueness of old rugs, you pretty much need to start there." And he did, not finishing his work until 2001, almost ten years later, when the homes kitchen reached completion. With that project set to rest, Headley thought his work was done, and settled in to relax and enjoy his home. Then along came Hurricane Elvis in 2003, just two years later, destroying 25 percent of the home. A consummate designer, even at the worst of times, Headley took the rebuilding period as an opportunity to make a few extra improvements to his house. Today, Headleys home lives up to his personal design aesthetic. As he explains, "I enjoy creating and living in classic rooms that are well designed, inviting, comfortable and appropriately appointed." As hes proved with his own homes decor, Headley believes, "classic designs can have an edge to them so they are not boring." His secret to maintain a balance between more modern and timeless designs? "These trendy elements are the ones that can be updated and changed without disturbing the design of the home in general," he explains. These are words Headley truly lives by, with satisfying results "Although weve been in the home for over 16 years," he reminisces, "I feel the design is still just as relevant to the architectural style and just as livable as it was when we first executed the design. That is what I mean by classic."
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