Built On Memories

AFTER OUTGROWING THEIR CHERISHED 1930s COTTAGE, A NASHVILLE FAMILY FILLS THEIR NEW BUILD WITH OLD-HOUSE CHARM

- BY MARY SHANNON HODES PHOTOGRAPHS BY LAUREY W. GLENN STYLING BY SIDNEY BRAGIEL

SPRING FOR THE REAL DEAL When it comes to making a new build appear old, materials matter. That's why architect Catherine Sloan chose wood lap siding (swathed in Benjamin Moore's Swiss Coffee, OC-45), a cedar-shingle roof, and wood windows. The door and shutters are painted Benjamin Moore's Louisburg Green (HC-113).

For Courtney and Jerry Hancock and their 15-year-old twins, Ellaree and Hadley, it all goes back to Bellwood. “That was our first house, that was where the girls were born, and that was the home my parents knew me in,” Courtney says. “It had so many memories that it was very hard for us to leave.”

But as Bellwood started to feel a little tight for the family of four, it was time to consider updating the 1933 cottage they so adored. Shortly before committing to a builder for renovations, Jerry learned that a coworker was selling a rental property in a nearby neighborhood. The existing home was a teardown, but the lot and location were just what the couple was searching for.

A self-described lover of old houses, Courtney wanted whatever they built to “blend with the neighborhood,” which is why Catherine Sloan, owner of Catherine Sloan Architect, was her top choice for starting from scratch. “You really have to pay attention to the other houses on the street, not just the individual one that you’re designing, and that was a big part of this,” the architect explains. “It was important to all of us to maintain the character of the area and have it fit in seamlessly and look like it’s been there as long as the others.”