(Top) In the
study, a cathedral-arched Pennsylvania bluestone fireplace is
surrounded by thick, molded-wood panels made of reclaimed oak. (CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE) Just
off the kitchen is a spacious, glass-enclosed salon with a barn-wood
beam ceiling and oversize French doors. To save space in the
kitchen, Pursley recessed all the cabinets into the walls for
spacious, nearly invisible storage. The doors, now flush with
the walls, are covered in clay-colored leather that Angela found
at a fabric closeout sale. The bar in the salon was fashioned
from a pair of eighteenth-century bookcases that originated in
a European monastery.
Angela and Todd Newnam became engaged, they had been living in separate condos in South End, formerly an old textile
mill area and then an up-and-coming neighborhood in Charlotte, North Carolina.
With a wedding just around the corner, the couple began looking at homes in
Myers Park and Dilworth, two of the city’s most popular and well-known neighborhoods. But something was missing. While
the homes they viewed were impressive, none were large enough to accommodate
the large family the Newnams dreamed they’d one day have. “We really wanted a larger space,” says Angela. “We didn’t want to have to move twice.”
So the couple began looking elsewhere for their forever home. When they came
across the 1920s Tudor-style house tucked away in Country Club Acre—the private, wooded area surrounding Charlotte Country Club—they were enamored. Having grown up in a cozy Tudor-style home in Tryon, North
Carolina, Angela was drawn to the 4,000-square-foot stunner, and the couple saw
the potential to transform the home into the eighteenth-century English manor
Angela had always dreamed of. After little deliberation, the Newnams purchased
the home, knowing that renovations would be delayed until after they lived in
the home for several years. “It was easier to see what we wanted to change after being in the home for a
while,” says Angela.
Nine years and three children later, the Newnams were finally ready to tackle
some of the longstanding cosmetic issues of the home: an incongruous 1980s
addition; a small, dark kitchen; dated Berber carpeting; parquet flooring; and
mirror-covered walls. The largest issue to tackle, though, was how the home was
situated on the property. “I’d had the idea to flip the home around,” says Angela. “We just wanted to use the space we had differently.” The couple enlisted the help of Charlotte-based architect Ken Pursley to help
bring their dreams to fruition.
Knowing exactly what she wanted, Angela sketched out an addition on one side of
the home and transformed the existing footprint into an L shape. “We wanted another kids’ bedroom, a study, a larger dining room, and another bath or two upstairs,” she says. “But Ken really took it to another level. He came up with even better placements.
I had the initial view, but he came up with a better view.” The crafting and construction fell to builder Ben Collins of the Salins Group.
After reworking the home’s floor plan (which resulted in an additional 1,000 square feet), the first
order of business was to address the outside of the home. What was once the
backyard pool would now serve as the front entrance to the home, with a
2,400-square-foot courtyard and an English rose garden. The new front door was set in a small
turret that housed a spiral staircase in the original 1920s structure. The
roses became a hobby for Angela, who admits that at first the garden had only
fifteen to twenty rosebushes; today, it boasts fifty to sixty bushes. The
former front entrance became a fenced-in backyard for the Newnam children to
play in.
Next, Pursley addressed the outdated kitchen. Dark and cramped, the space needed
a full makeover, including windows and new cabinetry for added storage. A
farmhouse-style sink, a gourmet Wolf range, and gorgeous white limestone
counters complement the large, expansive windows, which Angela and Collins
buffed to give an irregular, bleached look. To maximize the space, Pursley
suggested recessing the cabinets—now covered in clay-covered leather Angela found at a fabric closeout sale and
studded with decorative metal grommets—into the walls for nearly invisible storage. A large butcher block serves as the
centerpiece to the kitchen, while hundred-year-old timbers were added to the
ceiling to further the Tudor-style look.
Because the Newnams are avid entertainers, Pursley also wanted to create a flow
to the home to allow the family to entertain inside and out. The result is four
outdoor living spaces, which flow seamlessly from the large dining room and
living room by way of French doors. “It’s such a great entertaining house,” says Angela.
Both the living and dining rooms were important aspects of the renovation as
well; the Newnams wanted the spaces to be larger and more impressive, so
Pursley heightened the ceilings (from seven and a half feet to ten feet) and
added antique English wood paneling and bluestone flooring for a rustic
elegance. Pursley and Collins updated the home’s overall look by hand-plastering the walls and updating the slate roof and
stuccoed façade.
Over the years, the Newnams have collected various pieces that complement the
Tudor style. Significant pieces, such as an antique console cabinet, which
Angela found at a flea market in Charlottesville, Virginia, and an 1810
American sideboard purchased in Baltimore, finish off the Tudor look, which the
Newnams wanted to create with the renovation. Stunning Turkish Oushak rugs
purchased at Nila’s Antique Rugs, in Charlotte, are spread throughout the home, offering an early–nineteenth-century feel to the home.
The house is now chock-full of antiques and boasts an impressive renovation; the
Newnams are thrilled with the result: a comfortable family home that
complements their entertaining style. “When I go in the home, I feel so relaxed,” says Angela. “It feels like you’re in a different world. You feel like you’ve gone back in time. And I love that.” 
