By K. Faith Morgan
Photography by John O’Hagan
Some design a house with a particular style or color scheme in mind. Some use a location to inspire the production plan. Jim and Barbara Daniel built their Huntsville, Alabama, home around their cherished collection of antique furnishings and fixtures. After spending years frequenting auctions in Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama, the two decided to move out of their ready-made abode in favor of constructing a new home custom designed to showcase their favorite antique pieces.
The couple tasked Byrne Turner of Vintage Construction with turning their vision into a reality. Jim and Barbara considered every detail, from the hardwood and tiled floors to the ornate ceilings. “Each ceiling in the downstairs section is unique and quite elegant. Jim (an engineer) sketched out what we wanted, and Byrne figured out how to do it,” says Barbara. “When I showed him what we wanted for the master bedroom ceiling, his comment was ‘you’ve got to be kidding,’ but he figured out how to get it done.”
Even though the construction itself is new, Barbara is fond of telling visitors that everything in the home is antique. And they continue to collect, searching for even more treasures. What might have been a stressful project for the pair has only made them closer. She says, “We loved every minute of it.”
