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Feature Friday: The Morgan-Ford House Mobile AL

April 3, 2020 By Rhoda 18 Comments

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I’m sharing a previous Feature Friday today, a fun event I took part in several years ago in Mobile, AL, the Southern Romance house. Enjoy it all over again, it’s a beautifully restored house!

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Today’s Feature Friday is really special.  I shared the gorgeous back porch of this magnificent home yesterday, but the final reveal of the interior of this home is another big part of the Southern Romance story.  Esther, the Canadian CEO of Phantom Screens, bought this house from the Ford family and after an 18 month journey of renovation, the house is finished.  We were all wondering what she was going to do with the house and the last video of the series on videos, it was shared that she is keeping her beautiful home.  I can’t blame her a bit!  After working on a house like this for so many months and pouring her heart and soul into it, I’m so glad she is keeping it in her family and she will vacation in Mobile from Canada for years to come.

If you get the chance, you will LOVE watching all the videos of the progress of this house renovation.  They did a fantastic job sharing and capturing it all.  The website also has each room documented with lots more professional pictures and details captured as well, so I hope you’ll peruse their website.

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The bloggers that were privileged to tour this house were as follows:

(L to R)  Sierra with Phantom Screens, Lauren, Aedriel, Shannon, Debbie, Esther with Phantom Screens, Tiffany, Beth and me.

It’s a beauty, so I’m going to share all sorts of photos to show it off. I have some photos from Phantom Screens to share, as well as my own photos that I took in the house.  It’s magnificent and you’re going to  love seeing this restored lovely home.

southern romance house reveal003

The house sits on Rapier Ave. in the Oakleigh historic district of Mobile, so if you are in the area, drive by this beautiful bit of history and check out all the gorgeous homes in this neighborhood.  I love the old live oak trees and how their canopies cover the road. I think it would be a dream to live in a neighborhood like this.

Rempy Shokar headshots

The house has a wonderful presence on the street.  Esther’s old truck just adds to the story.

Southern Romance house truck

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The front with the most beautiful railing I’ve ever seen, along with stately square columns that were all restored.

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Heading up the stairs to the front porch.  I’m not going to talk all the way through, but enjoy the tour.  The front porch is about as amazing as the back porch.

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southern romance house reveal004

Lighting by Southern Progress.  The gas lantern hanging on the porch sets it off with so much charm.

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Original stained glass was protected during the renovation.

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Closeup of the railings.

Rempy Shokar headshots

Rempy Shokar headshots

Rempy Shokar headshots

Rempy Shokar headshots

Rempy Shokar headshots

Rempy Shokar headshots

Rempy Shokar headshots

Rempy Shokar headshots

The entry hall (or dog trot as they call a long hallway like this) has a straight shot view to the beautiful backyard.

Rempy Shokar headshots

Rempy Shokar headshots

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I loved how wide this hallway is coming in the front door and notice the set of French doors leading to the hallway.  Very nice touch.

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Esther was so mindful of keeping as much as she could of the old house moldings.  After these old moldings couldn’t be reused, she came up with the idea of saving some of the old wallpaper scraps and had someone make these picture frames to hold old pictures of the families who have lived here.  Wonderful way to capture history!

southern romance house018

Rempy Shokar headshots

Rempy Shokar headshots

The formal living room at the front of the house.

southern romance house019

Esther wanted to save this fireplace and would have loved to make it a gas fireplace, but chose to save the tile instead of starting over to renovate it.

Rempy Shokar headshots

Rempy Shokar headshots

southern romance house reveal002

Original light fixture from the house was cleaned and repaired.

southern romance house reveal001

The double pocket doors going from the living room to the dining room are still in working order and they were renewed again.  I just loved this feature!  Pocket doors should come back into style, they are magnificent.

Rempy Shokar headshots

Rempy Shokar headshots

Rempy Shokar headshots

Rempy Shokar headshots

Esther took down the dirty old wallpaper in the dining room, but chose a pattern that closely resembled the old and kept the feel of the room intact with history.

Rempy Shokar headshots

Rempy Shokar headshots

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We also had the pleasure of dining in this beautiful dining room one night we were there. What a treat that was!  Robbie, the wonderful chef at the Ft. Conde Inn where we stayed came and prepared dinner for us.  Truly a special treat!

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southern romance house020

southern romance house reveal003

This dining room fireplace shares a chimney with the living room fireplace. Neither work anymore, but they sure are pretty.

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This little room that joins the dining room with the kitchen was saved as Mary’s pantry.  Mary was the family housekeeper who worked in this house for many years and was well loved by the family.

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Esther saved scraps of the old vinyl flooring that was in the room, to capture the feel of history.

Rempy Shokar headshots

Rempy Shokar headshots

The kitchen was completely renovated with custom cabinetry in a Shaker style.  It’s just beautiful and a dream kitchen to me.  I love how she took the cabinets all the way to the tall ceiling, with lights in the glass front cabinets.

Rempy Shokar headshots

Rempy Shokar headshots

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It’s such a gorgeous spot now.

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Against the advice of her contractor, Esther saved the original sink in the house and I’m so glad she did  Isn’t it charming with its built in drain board?

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This glass front island was built from an original base cabinet in the old kitchen.

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A new wood top was built for it and Esther decided it needed supports, so she found a vintage round table and used the legs as corbels.  Great idea!

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The top of the table was painted by a local artist with the Southern Romance logo and hung on the kitchen wall.

Rempy Shokar headshots

Rempy Shokar headshots

The master bedroom is spacious and cozy.

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Esther reused so many things in the house, including this old door that was on a closet that was taken out.  Repurposed into a headboard, it now serves a new purpose.

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All the original wood doors were stripped of paint and kept natural.  I love the stateliness and beautiful wood tone they add to the room.

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The master bath has been updated and renovated in classic black and white (great minds think alike!).

Rempy Shokar headshots

Rempy Shokar headshots

I adore this tall and beautiful tiled shower.

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This original window in the master was saved and renovated and isn’t it lovely?

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southern romance house023

Esther showed us around the house and opened up this cute ironing board still intact in the hallway.  Old houses are so much fun!

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Off the master bedroom alcove is this built-in bookcase, hiding a little secret.

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An old closet was repurposed as the laundry room, hidden behind the pretty built in bookcase.  What a great idea this was!

Rempy Shokar headshots

Rempy Shokar headshots

The middle room off the hallway is the guest room.  Esther reused the old metal iron grates that were in the windows for protection, now used as art in the room.

Rempy Shokar headshots

Rempy Shokar headshots

The hall bath kept its original claw foot tub, with the addition of black and white tile and beadboard.

Rempy Shokar headshots

Rempy Shokar headshots

southern romance house007

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southern romance house025

Old hardware from the original bathroom was saved as art.  Fun!

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The last room to tour is the front gentlemen’s parlor.  The Ford family gave Esther some of the original furniture from the house to use and display.

southern romance house reveal002

Rempy Shokar headshots

Rempy Shokar headshots

One other fun feature is the stairway to the attic that pulls down.  I’ve never seen one like this and it was pretty neat.  I climbed up the stairs to check out the attic.

Rempy Shokar headshots

Rempy Shokar headshots

I’ve already shared the back porch, but if you missed it, check out this back porch post from yesterday. It’s such a wonderful outdoor space!

Rempy Shokar headshots

Rempy Shokar headshots

And that’s a wrap on the Southern Romance home!  I hope you enjoyed this renovation as much as I did. I know that this house will be enjoyed by Esther and family for years to come.  It’s a dreamy and beautiful house and one of the best renovations I’ve seen!

Here are all the paint colors in the house, if you’re interested!  All by Benjamin Moore:

Doors, trim, baseboard
Oc-132 grand teton white in a semi-gloss finish

Ceilings and space above trim edge
Top half of hall guest bath walls
Bottom wainscoting board in hall guest bathroom
Oc-132 grand teton white

Kitchen
Cabinets – oc-132 grand teton white in a pearl or satin finish
Walls – 2142-50 gray mirage (it is an antique greenish-gray)

Mary’s pantry
Laundry room
HC-116 Guilford green (bm colour of the year!)

Living room
Dining room
Middle bedroom
CC-250 seaspray

Front parlour (front bedroom)
HC-111 nantucket gray

Master bedroom & master ensuite
CC-680 raindance

Porches
Ceiling – 2054-70 clear skies
Deck – HC-163 Duxbury gray

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Filed Under: Decorating Ideas, Feature Fri., Travel 18 Comments

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Rita C at Panoply says

    March 4, 2016 at 7:19 am

    What a dream house! I love all the features you pointed out (including that kitchen sink and those wonderful pocket doors! Did you notice how thick those walls are, and that they even accommodate electrical outlets on either side of where the pocket door slides? That was most likely a build out, yes?). One thing I am so curious about is the cable I noticed on the front porch, center. It appears to be going to perhaps a tree limb? It’s silver, as opposed to the black utility cables on the side of the porch where the truck is parked. Wonderful tour of a wonderful restoration. Thanks, Rhoda.

    Reply
  2. Tammie says

    March 4, 2016 at 7:28 am

    Beautiful house. I gasped when I saw the ironing board; I want it . Never seen pocket doors like that with trim on them, so pretty.

    Reply
    • Nita says

      April 3, 2021 at 8:27 pm

      LOL That was my first thought when I saw the ironing board…I want one!!

  3. Judy says

    March 4, 2016 at 7:32 am

    Rhoda , I have only one word …PERFECT ! Thank you !

    Reply
  4. Stacey says

    March 4, 2016 at 7:58 am

    Absolutely gorgeous! I love the pocket doors and molding that is everywhere! Love the way it has been renovated but with such respect for the old. Thanks for sharing this one.

    Reply
  5. Celia says

    March 4, 2016 at 8:39 am

    What a treat for you Rhoda! Seeing that wonderful renovation and even having lunch there! I love her use of the old wallpaper, table and even plumbing parts!! Beautiful!!
    Celia

    Reply
  6. Terri says

    March 4, 2016 at 10:01 am

    The original doors and windows get me every single time!!! This home is just incredible!!!! AND OH THOSE HARDWOODS………………………. been catching glimpses all along…. soooo, thank you for the “Tour”

    Reply
  7. Maxine Powell says

    March 4, 2016 at 10:02 am

    Love the way they have restored this beautiful old home .They did a wonderful job. Love all the trees along the st. Maxine

    Reply
  8. Bettye says

    March 4, 2016 at 10:12 am

    What a beautiful home. Thank you for sharing with us….it would be a dream to be able to see this in person.

    Reply
  9. Elizabeth Logan says

    March 4, 2016 at 4:44 pm

    Rhoda, thank you so much for sharing this lovely home! LOVE the hidden laundry closet & the cow print that’s in the photo showing the bookcase. Any idea where that cow print came from? (They seems to be my new obsession!) Maybe it’s because I’m an old farm gal. 🙂

    Reply
  10. EmilyL says

    March 10, 2016 at 2:23 pm

    Gorgeous house! Thanks for sharing with us!
    BTW – the gas lantern on the front porch is from Charleston Lighting and Manufacturing in Mobile AL. You mentioned lighting by Southern Progress, which may apply to other fixtures in the home, but the copper gas lantern is different. http://charlestonlighting.com/
    Just in case anyone goes looking! Esther mentions the gift in her blog and videos.

    Reply
    • Rhoda says

      March 10, 2016 at 2:56 pm

      Thanks for sharing, Emily! That is one gorgeous fixture!

  11. Quinn Ford says

    September 19, 2016 at 12:51 am

    Fantastic pictures of the house. They look professionally done. In all my years there, I never dreamed the house could ever look that good. Esther went above and beyond in keeping things from the past preserved so well.

    Reply
  12. Lyn Kadon says

    April 3, 2020 at 11:41 am

    Thanks for sharing Rhoda. I loved the house and the whole re-do. The pocket doors are one of my favorites as well as the old farm sink. The wood floors are beautiful and are the interior doors. I liked that she used remnants from the past as framed art throughout. The Ford truck in the pictures is perfect. Would love to see that home someday in person.

    Reply
    • Rhoda says

      April 3, 2020 at 3:33 pm

      It really turned out gorgeous. We got to see it before and then back for the After version.

  13. Nita says

    April 3, 2021 at 8:32 pm

    Perfection! One of the best renovations and decorating of a home you’ve shown thus far! I loved it all…pocket doors, kitchen sink, ironing board, attic steps, old bath faucets hung, etc. I could go on and on but you get the idea!

    Reply

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Thanks for stopping by! I'm Rhoda, from Atlanta, GA and I love decorating and DIY projects. Decorating a home doesn't have to cost a fortune and I've spent years thrifting at antiques markets and yard sales, finding those treasures that make a home unique. I'm here to inspire and encourage other women to find their own inner creativity. Won't you join me?

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