Discovering the beauty of a new ‘old’ home

By Dawn Burleigh Photos by Dawn Burleigh

SSometimes as one searches for an older house to purchase, one discovers new is a viable option such as a regal looking house located on Pine Ave in Orange.

When John and Jeanelle Cochran were looking for the perfect house to turn into a home, they opted for a brand new house with a Southern Living Floor plan. The architecture designed the homes for the plans from old Southern homes but modified with more modern amenities. “We wanted to live in an old true house,” Jeanelle said. “We decided to build an old new house instead. I made some changes but I wanted it as close to an older house.”

Minor changes such as making all the arches from the entrance way, well arches. One opening was squared at the stop as it led to the back of the house.

“It made more sense to me that they all have the same archway,” she said.

Built in 1995, the plans were inspired by a home built in Natchez, Mississippi in the 1860s. While the house itself is not an antique, many of the light fixtures throughout it are such as the gaslight chandelier hanging in the entrance way. The keys on the fixture have the US Post Office mark on them. It once hung in a post office before being converted to electricity and now hanging in the home.

“The one good thing about the home is if it gets a ding,” Jenelle said. “If it truly was over 100 years old, there would be lots of dings.”

She pointed out a spot in the entrance way, unnoticeable until she directs your eyes towards it.

A worker, during the construction, pushed a cart into the wall and gave it the first ‘ding.’

“They were antiquing it for me,” Jeanelle said with a smile.

A retired interior design teacher, Jeanelle said she enjoys a variety of color.

“We have a different color in every room,” Jeanelle said. “It was common for that back then.”

A dark red was chosen for the dining room because “a rich warm color whets the appetite.”

Although, it is not a solid color but a subtle pattern which adds atmosphere to the room making it even more inviting.

In keeping with the look of an older house, the couple painted the ceiling of the front porch Haint Blue.

“In Louisiana, Haint Blue is used on the ceilings to keep bugs away and bird from building a nest,” Jenelle said.

“It does work to an extent,” John said.

Both agreed the color had no affect on dirt dobbers. While the home was under construction and paint colors were still being decided, John painted a square on one wall in the front room. When the workers say it Monday morning, they questioned if the couple was really going to use that color because it looked like wet cement.

“I smiled and told him it was up to the wife,” John said. To this day, the couple refer to the room as the wet cement room.

To add consistency throughout the house, Jeanelle added faux arches to the doorways.

“Stephanie at Odile’s painted them for us,” Jeanelle said. “She did a wonderful job on every one of them.”

Stephanie Frey Leggett is owner and designer of Odile’s Fine Flooring and Design located at 911 Green Ave. in Orange.

The house is currently on the market and looking for a new family to create many more wonderful memories. 