The décor of the elegant music room juxtaposes Dorothy’s leather-bound law books and her piano with a pair of Marcel Breuer’s Wassily chairs. Photos by Chip Pankey.
I could write volumes on this stunning house, as well as on its distinguished owners, a husband-wife team who are both well-known in Memphis. Louis R. Pounders is an award-winning architect with ANF Architects in Memphis, working primarily on commercial and institutional buildings. He is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and a longtime member of its Committee on Design; in 2009 he served as AIA’s National Chair. Louis has worked on projects close to home and around the country, co-authored two books on mid-century modern architecture in Memphis, and authored a children’s board book on architecture.
The spectacular living room with its barrel-vaulted ceiling.
Dorothy Johnson Pounders is a distinguished lawyer who founded Pounders Coleman, a firm focusing on family law, litigation, and mediation services. She is also an accomplished musician and has found time for community service, including most recently joining the Board of the Orpheum Theatre Group.
The 4,500-square-foot home pictured on these pages was completed in 1996, designed by Louis Pounders for his own family. As an architect, Louis explains, he had resisted building his own home for many years. He and his wife looked all over the city and county before taking the big step to build.
As a layman, I can imagine that for an architect with such expertise and experience, building a “masterpiece” to accommodate comfortably his family, all while showcasing his talents, would be a daunting task. Actually it was Elizabeth Howorth, the Pounders’ daughter, who discovered the perfect site, which as it turned out was located in a residential East Memphis neighborhood developed in the 1940s with one-acre lots or larger.
The all-glass rear of the home.
With its large, mature trees, the area seemed rural despite its proximity to the center of the city, and it was exactly the kind of lot that Pounders required. As he jokingly says, “I wanted to drive to the street going forward,” which is to say he was tired of backing out of his driveway. I think a lot of us can empathize with that desire!
The new home took two years to design and build. At the time, much was written about the property in local magazines and newspapers. Today, 22 years later, it seems an excellent moment to revisit the home and see just how it has stood the test of time.
Here’s how Louis Pounders described his new home: “With its nearly symmetrical arrangement and one-story wings (the master bedroom on one side and the garage on the other), the residence traces its roots to the works of Palladio, Sir John Soane, and Thomas Jefferson — which is to say it is a contemporary design informed by classical principles.”
To Pounders, this was the appropriate expression for a home in the South. At the same time, what appears at first traditional, is made less so by such details as the 10-foot windows and the all-glass rear of the house facing the terrace.
One point which I found particularly interesting is that the house was designed to look somewhat shorter than a typical two-story house, to avoid overwhelming the neighborhood that consisted for the most part of smaller brick cottages. Pounders was determined that “the house would not loom.” The first-floor ceilings are ten feet high, while upstairs they are eight-and-a-half feet.
The spacious master bedroom is flanked by bathrooms on either side, which Pounders calls “a great design decision since we each get our own!”
In 1997, the house received an honor award from the Tennessee chapter of the AIA. Pounders gave me the grand tour of the home and provided background on architectural details as well as the contents of the house. In fact, he tells me that very little has been done to change the interior of the home, except reconfigure some of the upstairs space to accommodate grandchildren.
What first impresses the visitor who steps inside are the vistas of the glorious grounds available throughout the house. Next are the interior furnishings that beautifully blend handsome traditional antiques with classic modern furniture, including Barcelona stools, along with eclectic pieces that the Pounders have collected on their wide travels.
The dining room contains a collection of antique porcelain and Biedermeier chairs surrounding the table.
The dramatic, light-filled entrance hall features an octagonal 1930s Venetian mirror and a 1920s “Snowball” overhead light.
And then there’s the art! This home is a veritable museum with exceptional works too numerous to name, including fine pieces by local artists such as Paul Edelstein, Nancy Cheairs, Maysey Craddock, Billy Price Carroll, as well as by international artists.
To give you an idea of the wonders inside, Pounders provided a three-page list of the art as well as another one page detailing the modern furniture in the home. Additionally, the many oriental carpets collected over the years lend color, warmth, and texture to the house.
Interesting art fills one corner of the living room.
The living room has a barrel-vaulted ceiling, with the trim accentuating the curve. The columns are Tuscan, which are Louis’ favorites, as they are “the simplest and sturdiest.” The paint color used throughout is a restful greenish-gray in subtle gradations.
The grounds are magnificent, and Pounders says that “really the most effort through the years has been in the landscaping. This is something which Dottie loves and is good at, and she uses the pool house as her greenhouse.”
Louis Pounders tells me simply that “after all these years, I think it’s a successful design, and it still works for us.” And I’m betting that Dottie Pounders would second that. Perhaps that’s an understatement, but a telling statement for a talented and perfectionist architect. Both inside and out, the Pounders home has aged very well, indeed.
