Country Treasure

Decorated in a multi-gabled façade, the Fuller home is a visual confection of textures and patterns. Broken squares of stones imported from Pat’s hometown, Cumberland County, are juxtaposed with textured local brick with “washed” mortar, and a small courtyard and balcony are laced with handmade iron railing. Herringbone brick is placed above double windows made of white mahogany, flanked by board and batten shutters with metal strapping. The overarching concept? “We wanted the home to look old,” Pat says.

As the arched front doors of white mahogany open and you step inside the two-story foyer, the Fullers’ tasteful living and dining rooms, intimate den, and expansive kitchen come into view. Throughout the rooms, hard rock maple floors with wide planks are accented with Oriental rugs.

In the cozy den, a painting of a barn that sat on Gary’s childhood farm hangs over a stone fireplace. To the right is an ebony credenza with Chinosierie panels, which the Fullers had commissioned in Hong Kong. On the ceiling, pine beams built by Gary extend all the way into the kitchen. A round pedestal table paired with ladder back French country chairs forms an informal dining area between the kitchen and den.

The kitchen’s pine pantry door with glass panes was the focal point around which all other features of the kitchen were planned. The door has special meaning for Pat, as it was the front door of her childhood home in Crossville. It has the original hardware and even a BB hole, courtesy of one of Pat’s brothers.

The pine motif is used for the cabinetry below the island and for the panels on the side-by-side refrigerator, while the rest of the kitchen’s cabinetry with glass fronts and transoms has a cream-colored antique finish. The pine pairs nicely with stacked stone on the back kitchen wall and granite countertops throughout. In a fun twist, the dishwasher is hidden behind cabinetry with a faux drawer and
cabinets.

In the center of the kitchen, a large island with granite countertop  has ample room for food preparation and entertaining. The end of the island on the den side is curved and open underneath the counter to accommodate bar chairs.

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The Fullers’ dining room uses a color scheme of warm brown tones, found in the room’s patterned wallpaper, rug, and fabrics. The wallpaper is a meandering foliage pattern against a brown background, while a silk fabric with a brown checked pattern is used for the draperies and chair upholstery.

Custom-made ebony furniture was commissioned for the room. A generously proportioned breakfront with glass panels and Chinosierie panels displays serving pieces, and a matching serving cabinet has Chinoiserie doors. Pat, who loves crystal chandeliers, chose a crystal chandelier with draping strands of crystal beads and miniature shades for the dining room.

Just off the dining room is Pat’s “crystal room,” a snowy white room with a crystal chandelier that she uses for storage and display of china and silver pieces.

The light brown color scheme carries into the living room where two beige velvet sofas are grouped in front of a fireplace with stacked stone surround. The sofas’ accent pillows alternate between a brown-and-beige checked pattern and a brown paisley pattern. A contemporary Hepplewhite style display cabinet with burnished gold trim and burnished silver doors plays off the same tones in a gold and silver coffee table.

Double doors with wainscoted panels and transoms open to the master suite on the first floor, painted in glazed champagne.

The bed, covered in a cream brocade duvet, has a square pine headboard made by Gary. A warm, checked fabric of red, green and gold is used for accent pillows, a folded covering at the end of the bed, and draperies. Red paisley covers a settee at the end of the bed and is wrapped and tied together with red bows around one of the nightstands.

The bedroom opens to a sitting area with a desk and a swivel chair covered in a red leopard print. The sitting area also has an oak fireplace dating back to 1858 that was originally from a home in South Pittsburg, Tenn. The Fullers bought the fireplace many years ago and have finally found the perfect place for it.

The master bath has travertine floors, granite countertops, a walk-in tiled shower, and a garden tub. Gary and Pat’s vanities were designed with different colors and materials. Pat’s white three-sectioned vanity has a dressing table on one end and a sink on the other—each with crystal sconces mounted on the mirrors. Gary’s vanity has dark mahogany cabinetry and a central section with a sink.

Both the bathroom and the walk-in closet feature a crystal chandelier. The closet has built-in shelving for accessories and clothing, and a center island offers extra storage.

Across from the master suite is a small, intimate library, lined with honey-colored pine paneling. Book lovers, Pat and Gary both enjoy settling into the large red leather club chair and choosing a selection from the built-in shelving that lines one wall. They also enjoy playing backgammon on the game table in front of the fireplace.

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Five guest bedrooms and baths and a small den are situated off the long upstairs hallway that runs the length of the house. Gary and Pat have a large extended family, and each Fourth of July, they welcome all to their home for a multiple-day celebration. Not only are the bedrooms full, but “we just put air mattresses down the hallway,” says Pat.

Each of the guest rooms has a different color scheme and décor. A first guest bedroom features a beautiful rosewood bedroom set made in Hong Kong—Gary and Pat acquired it while there on a business trip. The set consists of a headboard, a chest, a drop leaf desk on either side of the bed, and two end tables placed at the foot of the bed. All pieces are embellished with a carved medallion.

Other pieces in the room include a red wicker chaise and a round tilt top table, also made in Hong Kong. Pat chose the red wicker furniture because it reminded her of the wicker furniture at her grandmother’s house that she used to sleep on. The bedroom’s fabrics alternate between a Napoleonic bee motif and an dark red and sage striped pattern. The Napoleonic bee motif carries over into the guest bath, which has buff walls stenciled in a harlequin pattern accented with a red fleur-de-lis pattern.

A second guest bedroom has a yellow color scheme with blue accents. The walls are painted a sunny yellow and the four-poster bed is covered with a mustard-colored floral bed duvet, accented by floral and striped mustard-colored pillows. The bedroom also has two other pieces of furniture made in Hong Kong—a desk and an étagère. Blue willow vases and bowls purchased in Hong Kong are displayed on the desk and in the étagère, and blue willow plates dot the wall above the bed. The harlequin pattern was also used in the second guest bath, but in this setting, gold metal tacks are used in place of the fleur-de-lis motif.

A third guest bedroom with light green walls has a “woodsy” feel. Two twin beds covered in duvets with leaf patterning are topped with alternating accent pillows of green plaid and a pine tree pattern. In a fourth guest bedroom, the predominate colors are coral and green, which are found in a floral bedcovering, accented by solid and striped pillows. Furnishings include a white iron scrolling headboard, an armoire, a side chair, and a crib for those family visits.

The Fullers describe their upstairs den as part-cabin, part year-round Christmas—Pat has two Christmas villages and a decorated Christmas tree displayed year-round. Owners of a cabin on the Ocoee river, the Fullers wanted to incorporate as much of their river cabin into their new home as possible (“a cabin away from cabin”). Horizontal plank pine walls are paired with burlap draperies with green, red, blue, and gold stripes. Other woodsy elements include an antler chandelier and a caramel leather sofa. The cabin décor carries over into a bath with pine cabinetry, copper sinks, brown tile floors and wallpaper with pine cones and branches patterning.

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In their dream home, the Fullers relish the privacy and quiet of country living just minutes from Cleveland’s historic downtown. But they’re not the only ones who enjoy the French country farmhouse—friends and family also partake in the comforts of the Fuller’s Cleveland home. One stop at the farmhouse—decorated with tasteful furniture and beautiful designs—and you are filled with the Fuller’s gracious Southern hospitality.