The eclectic Fourth Ward house with its colorful history was not what Richard and Marlene Moody had in mind when they started their house hunt, but it’s a classic example of how sometimes the best laid plans can go astray and often with the most fulfilling outcome.
Knowing they were soon to become empty nesters, Richard and Marlene Moody began exploring options for a new home in 2013. “We felt the need for a change. I wanted a new construction, open floor plan, and a three-car garage,” she says. “That’s not at all what I got, but I couldn’t be happier with my new home and neighborhood.”
Originally built in 1933 as a quadraplex, the Fourth Ward home they found came with a colorful history—in more ways than one. “Over the years, it became a speakeasy and then a painter’s gallery that was purple with 311 (the house number) in neon pink on the front door.”
During the Fourth Ward rejuvenation in the 1970s, the home was renovated into a single-family space, and in 2007, the home underwent another remodel where the front facade and cedar portico was added. When the Moodys purchased the home in 2015, they immediately began renovating the house to their own tastes, eliminating the lingering reminders of the disco era, including the ‘70s-style Jacuzzi tub, track lighting, and popcorn ceilings.
A jewelry designer by trade and founder of her own line, Hoopla, Marlene Moody harnesses that creative spirit in reimagining her home’s design. “Designing jewelry is all about combining colors and shapes with a few great accent pieces,” she says. “That really describes my new home decorating, as well.”
So much so, her husband made her promise that the entire house would not be redone in her favorite turquoise hues. “We kept all of the paint colors very clean and light in the modern greige tones. And true to my word, the furnishings and accents are every shade of blue, from robin’s egg to navy—not just turquoise!”
Marlene Moody says she finds blues to be relaxing and calming, using her collection of pottery, glass, and paintings as a basis for the home’s cohesive color scheme. Although, she’s been eager to punch up the blue palette with splashes of red and orange to create an overall design that is warm, casual, and inviting.
Though the home is now converted to a single-family space, the original layout is still evident in some areas, including where the downstairs space is split with the living and conversation pit on one side and the dining room/sitting area on the other, and a kitchen spanning the back of the home. A hallway divides the upstairs with three bedrooms and a bath on one side and the master suite on the other. A sitting porch off the master suite overlooks West 9th Street, and Marlene uses a small room off the front bedroom for her in-home jewelry workshop. “I love the quirkiness of the layout,” she adds.
During their two years in the home, the Moodys have remodeled the master bath to include a walk-in shower, soaker tub, and vanity by Restoration Hardware. A custom walk-in closet was also added to the suite to maximize storage capacity. Crown molding was added downstairs, and new cabinetry and a gas Viking range were implemented in the kitchen design.
Modern fixtures, including a custom lighting installation at the front entrance by Lantern & Scroll, replaced all previous lighting. The remodels stretch beyond the square footage to the exterior, too. A custom color formulated by Frank Harrelson of Eastway Paint freshens up the home’s curb appeal, and a new cedar gate echoes the design of the front portico. Patios, walkways, and a coordinating storage building were added to the yard. As well, Greg Hill/Tartan Builders Group installed removable screens to the porch, allowing the Moodys to fully enjoy North Carolina’s beautiful weather.
These remodels are only the beginning, as Marlene says the planning and design is a continuing consideration. “For me, decorating a home is an ongoing organic process. There really isn’t a final finished product. We are actually starting a new project this week.”
That project—the installation of a built-in cabinet designed in collaboration with Greg Hill/ Tartan Builders to replace the dining area’s current display shelves—will be available for viewing at the Fourth Ward’s Holiday Home Tour that will feature a walkthrough of various houses, condos, and townhomes decorated for the holidays.
The 2017 event marks the 40th annual home tour in the Fourth Ward and the home’s first appearance since 2009. While Marlene finds the prospect of having more than 2,500 people visit her home a little overwhelming, she is honored to be a part of the tour, as well as the everevolving history of the residence. “We think it’s important to give back to this special neighborhood and be a part of the fabric that binds it together. Living in an older home in a historic neighborhood has made us realize that we are just the current caretakers of the house,” she says. “And, like the previous owners, we aim to preserve it and leave it better than we found it.”
