Photography by Sally Kolar

Golf is a way of life for this Champions Retreat family.

Whether you’re an avid golfer or you’ve never picked up a club, Masters Week can be a cause for celebration. Last year Evans residents Brandon Zapata and his fiancée, LeAnne Morlan, threw a “Creek Three Party” at their Champions Retreat home on the Friday before Masters Week.

“We love the Masters. Brandon and I met during Masters Week. He plays golf. I follow golf,” says LeAnne. “We wanted to do something to kick off the week, especially since the Augusta National Women’s Amateur is at Champions Retreat.”

And why not? From the open floor plan to the outdoor living space, this contemporary home, situated on the third hole of the Creek Nine at Champions Retreat Golf Club, is the perfect place to host friends and family.

“I love having events and parties,” LeAnne says. “That’s the great thing about this house. It was designed for entertaining.”

‘Everyone’s Home’

The home, which features a gray hardy board and white brick exterior, is full of statement-making pieces from the wide wood pivot front door to the first thing you see when you walk inside.

Beneath the floating European oak staircase in the foyer, a Harley Davidson chopper is parked on a zebra-skin rug. The chopper, which Brandon won in a drawing to benefit a pediatric cancer charity, features an African ostrich seat and the original bronze artwork and patina by artist Jerry McKellar.

The foyer’s European oak flooring, which can be found throughout the house, leads into the formal living room. European oak wood beams accent the two-story cathedral ceiling, and the fireplace includes a 3D granite surround.

While a cowhide cabinet sits on one side of the fireplace, a built-in bench occupies the other side. Four black and white portraits of their four sons hang on a wall above the bench.

“That’s my favorite wall in the house,” says LeAnne. “I’m big on personalizing things. We are a blended family, so I want everyone to feel like this is their home.”

Furnishings include a curved sofa, two leather chairs and a geometrically shaped coffee table.

A partition of black-framed glass offers separation between the living room and the wet bar, which includes a gold sink, icemaker and wine refrigerator. On one of the three open shelves in the bar, a Woodford Reserve bottle features a custom painting of the Augusta National clubhouse.

In the kitchen, LED lights behind the marble backsplash complement the brass hardware. The room also features an Italian oven, lots of drawer space, cabinetry with a bamboo look and a countertop that separates the black refrigerator and the black upright freezer.

A pair of chandeliers hangs above the large marble island where cookies are artfully stacked in two glass cookie jars.

LeAnne also made the Masters-themed arrangements on the breakfast area table. She put floral foam in two golf ball-shaped vases and attached various Masters tournament, practice round and Berckman’s Place tickets to the foam. Commemorative Masters lapel pins are attached to ribbons, and each arrangement is topped with a golf ball.

The butler’s pantry includes open shelves; a microwave; a speed oven, which operates as a microwave and a convection oven; an expresso machine and a desk. Barn doors with brass inlays lead to the pantry.

An abstract painting of a view of the golf course hangs in the dining room, where the walls are painted Iron Ore by Sherwin-Williams. Wainscoting, along with sconces on either side of the painting, accents the walls.

Offering an actual view of the golf course, the master bedroom features a cathedral ceiling with European oak wood beams, a brass canopy bed, sitting area and remote control drapes.

The adjoining master bath includes heated marble flooring, marble countertops, more cabinets with a bamboo look, brushed brass fixtures, wall sconces and a chandelier. The walk-in shower has dual entrances, marble walls and hexagon-shaped tiles on the floor. The lights beneath the vanities also change colors.

A hallway with built-in drawers connects the master bath and LeAnne’s walk-in closet, which features a chandelier and cathedral ceiling. A chute in the closet leads to the laundry room, which includes gold-spotted wallpaper on an accent wall and marble countertops.

Cheerio, their golf cart ride-loving Netherland Dwarf rabbit, also calls the laundry room.

Part of the Community

Sliding glass doors from the master bedroom lead to a covered porch, which features a square bed, raised hearth white brick fireplace, cathedral ceiling, recessed lighting, ceiling fan, TV and a hanging swing egg chair.

Additional outdoor living space includes another covered porch with heaters in the tongue and groove ceiling, ceiling fans, screens that can be lowered to offer protection from the elements, and an outdoor kitchen with a pass-through window to the interior.

While the outdoor living space is ideal for relaxing or entertaining, the award-winning, salt-water gunite infinity pool is just as inviting to family and friends. Four round stools on the concrete deck, plus lounge chairs in the pool under an umbrella, offer ample seating.

The backyard also features a water fountain, poolside fireplace and a section of Astroturf grass and concrete in a herringbone pattern. The LED lights under the steps change colors.

Although the family loves all of the outdoor amenities, LeAnne calls the casual living room her favorite room in the house.

“The casual living room is warm and cozy to me,” she says. “It’s where the family hangs out together. This is where we sit down to watch movies or football games.”

A painting of Brandon’s private plane hangs above the entryway. The room also features a cathedral ceiling with European oak beams and a ceiling fan, built-in bookcases and a stone backdrop to the gas fireplace with a 3D granite surround.

For more fun and games, the golf simulator room includes a Full Swing golf simulator, TV, indoor basketball goal – the boys love it – tabletop shuffleboard game and two slot machines. The sports décor features autographed basketballs by Stephen Curry and LeBron James and a shadowbox picture of a golfer made of black golf tees.

“When we host parties, this is where everybody ends up,” LeAnne says.

As much as the couple enjoys opening their home to company, they also take advantage of everything the neighborhood has to offer.

They frequently dine at Champions Retreat, and when the golf course is closed, they catch and release fish in the pond.

“We’re very much a part of the community here,” says LeAnne. “We have a lot of friends that live here.”

By Sarah James

Photography by Joe Bailey

From the foyer to the covered porch, this Lincolnton home is full of surprises.

If the walls of Ashley Ford’s Lincolnton home, where she lives with husband Patrick and sons Will Ford and Brent Harsey, could talk, they likely would say she has an eye for design.

“I like design,” says Ashley, who owns cabinet painting company Southern Swag and served as general contractor for the construction of their home. “Not everybody can visualize things, but it’s my business. I like helping people visualize things and making it happen.”

She hired subcontractors to start building in January 2022, and the family moved into the house in October 2022.

“It probably was the most fun I’ve ever had,” Ashley says. “I loved watching it from the slab being poured to the roof being shingled.”

From hanging wallpaper to painting outdoor flooring, her mother, Dee Tinley, who lives in a mother-in-law suite at the house, helped as well. “She was my support system,” says Ashley.

‘Wow’ Moment

To design the home, Ashley found a house plan that she liked and started tweaking it to meet their needs. She says the most difficult part of building was getting the plan the way she wanted it, but there were certain features she definitely had in mind.

“I did not want an open floor plan,” she says. “I like walls. I like art, pictures and mirrors that I can hang on the walls.”

The wall between the foyer and the dining room is a work of art itself.

To accent this wall, Ashley found vintage doors at Charles Phillips Antiques in Theodore, Alabama, outside of Mobile. She is a longtime follower of the shop on Facebook, so she decided to visit the store in person.

When she first spotted the doors, they were filled with colored antique glass and some of the panes were broken. More importantly, however, she saw their potential.

She had new glass installed, painted the doors and framed one in each wall on either side of the entryway from the foyer to the dining room. The stunning results speak for themselves.

“It was just something I visualized when I saw those doors in Alabama,” says Ashley. “I wanted people to have a “Wow!” moment when they came in the house.”

The wide foyer also features a distressed white chest against the opposite wall, which is accented with wallpaper. With a frame that is made of antique wooden fishing lures, a round mirror above the chest is an eye-catching conversation piece as well.

Hickory wood flooring, which is found throughout the house, extends from the foyer into the dining room, where a white chandelier hangs from the tongue-and-groove cathedral ceiling. Furnishings include a black china cabinet and a farmhouse table with an upholstered, skirted chair at each end and a pair of cane-back chairs on either side.

A rug with a black and white diamond pattern ties the décor together.

Gathering Spots

The dining room also shares the cathedral ceiling with the kitchen, which is Ashley’s favorite room in the house.

“It has a great flow,” she says. “So many people can get in the kitchen, and the island is big enough for everyone to gather around it.”

With quartz countertops, large workspace and lots of drawers, the island is the focal point of the room. A wooden candlestick and greenery atop a two-tiered dessert stand accent the island, and two round, four-candle light pendants hang above it.

Other kitchen features include a farmhouse sink, stainless steel appliances, brushed gold hardware, custom-built cabinetry and a custom wood range hood. The hardware includes knobs on the cabinets and long handles on the drawers.

The ceramic tile backsplash, with its vertical tiles and herringbone pattern above the cooktop, is another prominent attribute in the kitchen. “I had one backsplash put up, but I decided I wanted something different,” Ashley says.

A white lamp and greenery bring a homey feel to the space.

Ashley also added a wall between the living room and kitchen to the floor plan.

In the living room, rich blue pillows and window treatments accent the white, beige and gray color scheme. The space also features a raised-hearth, wood-burning, brick fireplace with a custom-made white oak mantel.

Furnishings include a leather ottoman between two couches and two chairs against the wall that separates the living room and kitchen. Bringing the colors in the room together, two large side-by-side paintings featuring a heron found the perfect home on the wall.

Natural Flow

The master bedroom, another one of Ashley’s favorite spots in the house, has a natural flow to the master bath, walk-in closet and laundry room.

“I like the bedroom because it’s cozy,” she says.

Ashley and her mother hung the wallpaper on an accent wall in the master bedroom and the master bath, and Ashley also painted a console table and a dresser in the bedroom. While the console has a retro look, the sage green dresser features a large gold diamond on each column of drawers.

Two square wood ottomans rest at the base of the canopy bed, which features an upholstered, studded headboard and footboard. A pair of serpentine nightstands flank either side of the bed, and a door leads to the covered porch outside.

The master bath features tile flooring, quartz countertops, a double vanity and a walk-in shower with two half-walls, a hexagon tile floor and tile walls.

A starburst light fixture and built-ins accent the walk-in closet, while the connecting laundry room/mudroom features tile flooring, ample cabinet space, a built-in bench and a striking light fixture.

“The light fixture is made out of a plastic material,” says Ashley. “It’s very interesting, fun and catches your attention as you walk in the door.”

The décor in the boys’ bedrooms illustrates their interests as well. Will’s bedroom highlights his love of sports, and Brent’s room showcases his outdoorsmanship. Two upholstered cube ottomans sit at the foot of the bed in both of their rooms.

In the Jack-and-Jill bath that separates their bedrooms, a pair of clerestory windows above the double vanity lets in natural light. The bath also has tile flooring, quartz countertops and a pocket door that leads to the tile, walk-in shower.

In Dee’s mother-in-law suite, which has a separate entrance, abstract art and blue kitchen cabinets liven up the space.

“It’s so bright in here in the morning, so we went with color on the cabinets,” says Dee.

The suite also includes LVP flooring, a sitting area, an eating area with a wood pedestal table and two chairs, a bedroom and a bath.

Breaking Down Barriers

The outdoor living space of the home, which is situated on 4-plus acres of land, is just as inviting as the interior.

Ashley and her mother painted the black and white squares on the concrete floor of the covered porch, which overlooks the saltwater pool. The porch also features a tongue-and-groove ceiling and an eating area with a wood table and wicker chairs.

In addition, the sitting area has two ceiling fans with lights, a TV on the wall, a rug and metal furnishings including two loveseats and two chairs.

The front porch features a brick floor, tongue-and-groove ceiling, recessed lighting and a porch swing on either end. Bronze metal roofing covers the front porch as well as the two dormer windows on the side of the house.

Ashley and Dee also installed the shutters on either side of the three sets of double doors that lead into the house. They hung the Bahama shutters on windows to the laundry room and Brent’s bedroom as well.

As much as Ashley likes separating the rooms in the house with walls, however, she might enjoy breaking down barriers even more. She takes great pride in her skills in a male-dominated field, but she would love to have company.

“I think more women need to do this type of work,” she says.

By Betsy Gilliland