Photography by Chip Pankey
CHIP PANKEY
The Elkington home’s classic and timeless architectural style is made even more beautiful with the use of reclaimed Mississippi brick.
CHIP PANKEY
Griffin Elkington is known for his quality construction in established Memphis neighborhoods. He owns Griffin Elkington Residential Construction and Development, as well as a real estate and property management firm, River City Land Company. Interestingly, he originally bought his lot in the Yorkshire Forest area of East Memphis with the intention of building a home on it and selling it. However, he and his wife, Alison, fell in love with the property and ended up keeping it for themselves to build a custom home for their own family. And so it was that in October 2016, the family moved from their beautiful Doug Enoch-designed Boxwood Green home, closer to town on Poplar, to the “wilds” of the forest.
The Yorkshire Forest area is rolling with towering trees and a “country in the city” feel. The architectural styles are mixed, and there are a large number of mid-century modern homes with their generous use of glass, surely built in that fashion to take full advantage of the beautiful setting. The Elkington home sits on a sunny half-acre lot, and the façade is built in a classic, timeless style, making my first impression as we drove up that the home has an elegant, old Virginia feel — think the Governor’s Palace in Williamsburg.
The architect for this 4,430-square-foot house was David Anderson, with whom Elkington has worked on 20 homes over the past five years. The brick is particularly beautiful, with an incredible back story here. It seems that the bricks, which were found in Memphis at Christie Cut Stone, had been reclaimed from the Indianola Brick Company in Indianola, Mississippi, which is where Griffin Elkington’s grandmother worked many years ago.
Inside, the stylish home is modern, open-plan, and light-filled. Anne Canale was the interior designer, and colorful motifs and patterns add interest to the relaxing neutral walls and light upholstery. The sofas in the living room are from Germantown’s Sensational Sofas, and the gorgeous limestone fireplace is from Christie Cut Stone. Blue-and-white is the color scheme used in many places throughout the house; as Alison says, she loves the beach.
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The counters are clutter-free and the look is formal in the home’s kitchen that adjoins the living room.The well-appointed and spacious screened porch with its raised ceiling overlooks the property’s beautiful backyard.Handsome paired sconces and urns along with an interesting rustic wooden piece add up to a wonderful entry.
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CHIP PANKEY
The counters are clutter-free and the look is formal in the home’s kitchen that adjoins the living room.The well-appointed and spacious screened porch with its raised ceiling overlooks the property’s beautiful backyard.Handsome paired sconces and urns along with an interesting rustic wooden piece add up to a wonderful entry.
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CHIP PANKEY
The counters are clutter-free and the look is formal in the home’s kitchen that adjoins the living room.The well-appointed and spacious screened porch with its raised ceiling overlooks the property’s beautiful backyard.Handsome paired sconces and urns along with an interesting rustic wooden piece add up to a wonderful entry.
The lighting fixtures are all from Graham’s. As Griffin Elkington walked me around the home, he pointed out several special design elements, including the shiplap walls, the Howe casing around doors and windows, and the rounded corners which, in his experience, make a house more livable. His attention to detail included having the cabinet knobs plated at Memphis Plating Works to match the Newport Brass kitchen fixtures.
The kitchen counters are marble and leathered granite from Tops Unlimited, and the backsplash is from Venice Tile. With regard to the kitchen, the couple pointed out what they call “the scullery,” i.e. the butler’s pantry, where they store small kitchen appliances, such as the coffee maker, microwave, and blender, to keep the kitchen counters clutter-free and more formal — very important in an open-plan layout. The refrigerator and dishwasher are hidden behind handsome panels. A laundry and mudroom are also adjacent to the kitchen.
And now for the piece de résistance, Griffin Elkington’s pride and joy: his man cave. The metal signage courtesy of Memphis’ Kingfish Metal Works says “I will give my all for Tennessee today,” which surely gives you an idea of why and how so much care went into designing this particular room. There are gray shiplap walls, custom artwork by local artist Adam Exelbierd, a Kegerator for draft beer, and custom furniture situated on an authentic replica of the UT football locker room floor, complete with the Power T in the center. In fact, this is indeed a very handsome man cave, well-situated between the kitchen and the spacious screened porch, and not buried in a basement.
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CHIP PANKEY
Blue-and-white is clearly the favored color scheme in this elegantly casual living room.
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This UT-themed room is the man cave to beat all man caves! Cooper, the Elkingtons’ German shepherd, poses under portraits of the family’s children.The master bath features a free-standing bathtub and paintings that mimic the marble floors.
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CHIP PANKEY
This UT-themed room is the man cave to beat all man caves! Cooper, the Elkingtons’ German shepherd, poses under portraits of the family’s children.The master bath features a free-standing bathtub and paintings that mimic the marble floors.
Alison is a talented artist, and she has a beautiful studio in this home that is overflowing with her paintings. Her proud husband says he often uses them to stage homes that he is in the process of selling. Alison modestly explains that she “paints for herself and family and friends,” describing her style as “whatever hits me at the time”; her works are both representational and abstract.
The downstairs master bedroom suite is luxurious with its marble-floored bathroom that features gold-plated Kohler fixtures and a steam shower. Another special place is the upstairs bunkroom with its double-decker beds, desks for homework and extra play space — all specially fashioned for their two young children, son Webb, age 6, and daughter Emery, age 8, and their friends.
Griffin told me that he’s preoccupied with finishing several projects at the moment, all three closer to town — properties on Lafayette, Lorece Lane, and in High Point Terrace. For her part Alison is delighted to be just where the Elkingtons now live, in a beautiful, established neighborhood with wooded scenery and older homes full of character. And while the area may feel secluded, in truth it’s just a handy hop, skip, and jump from the bustle and many amenities of East Memphis.
And what makes their location extra special is the fact that they have very dear friends living in beautiful homes on either side of them, and the backyards are connected by gates so the families can visit one another and the pets can play. The Elkingtons jokingly remark that they’ll never need to build a pool, since both of their neighbors have them. The three sets of friends go back and forth among their homes all the time; what a wonderland this is for the children and parents alike.
All this and heaven too. The Elkington place sounds just like that to me!
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The modern dining room features inherited chairs and a colorful painting by Alison Elkington.
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This light-filled studio is every artist’s dream and a very special room for Alison to call her own.
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CHIP PANKEY
The neutral color palette of the master bedroom is soft and dreamy while the window shades and rug add touches of texture.
