Design Issue Cover Story
August 2001, pp. 22-39

     Vikki Leftwich and Bryan Colwell, owners of the Villa Vici furniture stores, bought their Victorian style house in historic downtown Covington five years ago, it wasn't that they couldn't "see the forest for the trees." Instead, they couldn't see the house for the trees. Vikki has owned retail stores in the Northshore town where they've lived for 22 years, but she and Bryan never knew the house existed because of the dense vegetation surrounding its facade. "Who would have known there was a house on 12 acres with its own private beach in downtown Covington," Vikki ponders. The couple's 150-year-old home sits on acreage at the end of Lee Lane bordering Charropin Beach along the Bogue Falaya River. This neighboring historic district has been invigorated in recent years with a collection of busy, locally owned retail shops.

     Vikki and Bryan had previously worked on a renovation project in New Orleans years ago, and were in the midst of "gutting and renovating" a second time under the direction of architect George Hopkins when a realtor alerted them to the availability of a riverfront estate. Being fans of contemporary styling, Vikki and Bryan knew they wanted the estate for the property and were less interested in the house itself, which had been used by its previous owners as a camp-a rustic second home.

     The property was available for purchase by offers of closed bid. Among a field of competitive bidders, Vikki and Bryan raised their offer by $10,000 at the last minute, a move Vikki says was purely out of instinctive fear. "We really wanted this property." But their emotions quickly changed after they learned they were the successful bidders on the property. Vikki says she even cried. "There was dark paneling on every wall inside the house," she remembers. "It was so ugly. I asked Bryan to remind me, 'Why are we doing this?'"

     The couple prompty consulted with their architect, who Vikki says by that point knew exacty what they wanted in a home. "George works quickly. Our plans for this house came about in one day," she recalls. As with their prior renovation, the new home was also a center-hall cottage. "My dream would have been to build a French stone house here, but we felt an obligation to the old house," Vikki admits.

     Once the renovations began, it was discovered that the house was originally built 12 feet off the ground, presumably out of fear of flooding. It was later lowered to a standard raised-pier height. As a result, the Victorian style porch railings were modified over time, making them awkward and out of context with the home's original design.Vikki had the railings removed and then donated to the City of Covington with hopes they might eventually use them to build a gazebo or some other edifice for public use. Inside the house, Vikki and Bryan tore out most of the interior walls and started over from scratch. In doing this they demolished all of the home's original load-bearing walls, calling for added structural reinforcement. "This is how we renovated our other house. We like modern, open door casings so we removed all the original casings and trims," Vikki notes, calling herself a true modernist. "We removed the ugly, short baseboards and had new ones milled about 14 inches tall. " Vikki says the couple kept all of the old exterior window casings, and pickled the original pine wood floors. Floor-to-ceiling wood windows that lift up from the bottom were restored during the renovation as well. Upstairs, the previously unfinished attic space was made into three bed- rooms and a common area for Vikki and Bryan's two sons, Sean, 16, and Ian, 15. "My husband and I have similar tastes and we've always been project oriented. We got a big project here," Vikki says gesturing to the house. Within six months, the family moved into their newly remodeled home. "It was a crash course renovation," Vikki says, "but it took some extra time to finish clearing the land and building the extra out-buildings." Within two and a half years of finishing the main house, a guesthouse, swimming pool and garage were added and the overgrown brush was cleared away. Vikki remembers asking the contractors, "Could you just clear me a path to the beach? There was so much brush everywhere-they kept cearing and clearing and clearing." With the help of their architect and a landscape professional, Vikki and Bryan included some formal landscape elements, such as a fountain and manicured boxwood shrubs. They softened the grounds with an assortment of plants, including hydrangeas and lilies of the Nile. Century-old oaks surround the house, each dripping with moss. The setting and the views from inside the house are spectacular.

     She painted the interior walls "White dove," a soft color to match the kitchen cabinets. With an open floor plan, she chose to let the color flow throughout the entire house. "Brilliant white is hard on the eyes," says Vikki, "but I chose this because it's softer." Truly a modernist at heart, Vikki says she wanted to decorate her house in a "Calvin Klein simplistic style," with emphasis on whites. "I'm a real fan of Klein," says Vikki, "probably because of my fashion background." But about two years after they moved in, Buck arrived and changed everything. The black cocker spaniel gave Vikki plenty of inspiration to replace solid white furniture in the living room with more practical, dog-friendly earthtones.

     "We like using very special lighting," Vikki says, noting several Fortuni light fixtures in her house. With their distinctive silk shades, the fixtures have become a hallmark of Villa Vici style. But Vikki says she's also a big fan of retired Baton Rouge artist Winifred Ross, whose unique lamps and light fixtures are treasured by area collectors.

     Several works of art in Vikki and Bryan's house are by artist Ann Rhinehardt McGee, formerly of New Orleans. (One is shown over the living room fireplace mantel). "I have three of her works," says Vikki. "and I like that none of them are much alike." Vikki's ultimate favorite place to be is her back yard. "It's my living room," she says. Inside, her favorite spaces include the master bedroom and kitchen. "I don't like lots of clutter, but I do want to surround myself with things I like and enjoy. Bryan and I really pick and choose things that we feel are exceptional."

     Eventually Vikki hopes to have more free time with which to enjoy her home. As the owner of five retail stores, it is understandable that rest and relaxation are essential. Key to Vikki's success is getting eight hours of rest every night.

     "Some days I get home from work at 6 p.m., and other days 9 p.m., but I'm lucky to have good help," she says. As a business grows, you have to learn to depend on people. I think Bryan would agree with me that we're been blessed and lucky in that way."