with the homeowners and builders to
preserve and reuse as many of the home’s
original materials as possible. From the
cypress paneling and beams in the living room
and library to the kitchen cabinetry salvaged
from the fire, they were able to pay tribute to
the original construction while fitting in
updated, practical touches. “We tried to marry
modern living with a country atmosphere,”
says Graci. The wide staircases and brick
pillars may have added a grandness to the
home during the raising, but it was important
to Cambre to keep the simple, summerhouse
feel. When describing the appreciation she
has for the home and its restoration, Cambre
says her husband put in countless hours of
physical labor to put the house back together.
“I know he would not have done it had it not
been for my true love of the property,” she
says. “He says it’s his labor of love and, to me,
there was nothing more that he could have
done to express that.”
Opposite: The custom
wallpaper in the dining room is
a semi-tropical banana leaf
that creates a Southern feel,
and the dining chairs are
adorned with striped silk that
was salvaged from the original
draperies the home had before
the fire and flood. This page,
left: While the kitchen was a
new wing added to the home,
it was important to the
homeowners to use as many of
the materials salvaged from the
property of the original house
as possible. The ceiling beams
and the detail on the hood of
the stove were made from
pecan trees that fell during the
storm. This page, below: The
sunny breakfast nook sits off
the kitchen and overlooks one
of the property’s live oak trees.