Written by Cindy Podurgal Chambers
Clarksville, TN – After 33 years of marriage, Bradley and Lisa Martin have reached an understanding: Despite sharing the same space, they don’t share the same design philosophy. And that’s okay. They’ve learned that embracing those differences can result in a stunning collaboration. It just takes communication and a healthy dose of creativity.
Brad, president and principal of Lyle-Cook-Martin Architects, is inspired by the sleek designs of modernist architects such as Frank Lloyd Wright, Mies Van der Rohe, and Le Corbusier. “I like things a little edgy, a little different,” he says. His innovative, award-winning design of Shelby’s Trio in downtown Clarksville – with its soaring angles and open, light-filled spaces – serves as a stellar example.
Lisa, on the other hand, prefers rooms that are “cozy and very welcoming. I like elements that say, ‘Come in and sit down,’” she says. However, the former elementary school music teacher and United Methodist clergy also believe in “living to our gifts. Mine isn’t design and construction – that’s Bradley’s realm.” Abiding by this rule, she adds with a smile, “has helped our marriage tremendously.”
Now, guided by the memory of Lisa’s imaginary childhood friend, Henry – more on this later — the couple has created a space that blends both beautifully.
Brad and Lisa weren’t looking for a house when a painter friend told them about a 1950’s ranch home that was coming up for sale. Located on Haynes Street just behind Publix, the elderly owner of the house had passed away and her daughter was ready to let it go.
“The painter said it would be another great ‘art project’ for me,” Brad says. Indeed, it would take the eye of an artist to see beyond its dark, knotty pine walls, cramped rooms, and steep, scary steps leading down to a moldy basement.
But after spending some time in the dilapidated space, they knew that with a bit of effort, it might someday become the perfect house for their daughter Annalise, now 24 and working toward an EdS in School Psychology at UT Chattanooga. In the interim, Lisa realized, the house would be the ideal location for a women’s spiritual center. They signed the papers on May 14th, 2021.
Lisa says they initially thought the renovation would be a “fairly quick thing.” But as they dug deeper into the house, the couple became more and more dismayed. First, Codi “Can-Do” Thomas, their resourceful builder, discovered that much of the house was deteriorated and would have to be replaced. Electric wires in the basement were literally taped together. Insulation was scant or non-existent. What followed was a three-year renovation project that first took the house down to the studs and then expanded it nearly 2,000 square feet beyond its original footprint.
Despite the seemingly endless project, the couple never lost faith — in part because of Lisa’s imaginary companion, Henry. Without a sibling close to her own age, Henry had accompanied her on endless adventures as a child. And just as she had once “created something out of nothing,” she knew they could do it again. Now the couple lovingly refers to the space as the “Henry Haynes House” — a fitting tribute to the power of imagination and collaboration.
Today, the home welcomes visitors with an asymmetrical gabled porch (that’s Brad) bedecked with hanging ferns and a soothing swing (that’s Lisa). Overhead a pair of stately trees blend branches in a sheltering green arch, providing a natural buffer from the busy commerce beyond.
Inside, the original hardwood floors have been refinished to a deep gleam, while recessed lights shine down from a raised ceiling punctuated by a skylight and traversed with wooden beams.
Walls have been opened to create a single space that sweeps from a seating area with an antique church pew recovered from Sadlersville United Methodist Church in Adams, TN, to a dining table that once belonged to Brad’s mother, Dorothy. Craftsman Harold Treece of Grandview Custom Cabinets, Inc. built all the casework from Red Grandis, a variety of eucalyptus, using wood slabs purchased locally at Hardwoods of Tennessee, LLC. Because Red Grandis grows 20 feet a year, it’s not only beautiful but fully sustainable.
The living room is all cushions and comfort, while walls and tables are bedecked with the mutually collected work of local artists. One piece, a stunning collage by Peggy Bonnington called “Two Cities” that features the sun, moon and church spires, was spotted during a live auction at the Roxy. Lisa knew it would be perfect for the Henry Haynes House. Without sharing a word, Brad raised his paddle and won the bid. Sculptures by Jim Diehr and pottery by Melody Shipley blend easily with a section of metal organ pipe rescued from the tornado debris of Madison Street United Methodist Church. The pipes stair-step up the wall above the sofa, and if you listen carefully enough, you can almost hear a hymn.
After “a million sketches and a zillion tiny details,” says Brad, the project is still not fully finished. He’s anxiously awaiting the arrival of materials to construct a cupola atop the front porch roof; there were zoning issues and code concerns, and each problem had to be tackled one at a time. But after putting so much energy and attention into the renovation, the couple has come to realize that the Henry Haynes House may be their forever home someday.
Brad has already achieved his goal of awakening the tired neighborhood by designing a home that elevates and inspires. Houses can still be obtained cheaply, he says, and an ordinary Clarksville tract house can become a dream home with the help of a well-trusted contractor who’s versed in the renovations of older structures. “Just keep your eyes wide open and be ready to work,” he says with the smile of someone who’s been there and done that. “Who knows?” he says. “You might just make something out of nothing.”
