photography by Justin Fox Burks
An “open-door policy” for family and friends to visit their gorgeous new Midtown home is important to the Uhlhorns.
If the name “Uhlhorn” has a familiar ring to it, it is because this family has been building beautiful homes in Memphis for generations. Walker Uhlhorn and his brother George, partners in Uhlhorn Brothers Construction Company, now represent the third generation in their family’s business.
I was aware that Walker Uhlhorn had recently built a beautiful home off East Parkway South in an old, established Midtown neighborhood near Overton Park for his own young family. Wondering just exactly what a prominent young builder would build for himself, his wife, Nikki, and their three daughters (with a son on the way), I decided to pay him a visit.
The back story is this: The Uhlhorns had lived one street over and, on their walks, had admired a vacant lot which was once part of the gardens of the old Gooch home that faced East Parkway. The lot was owned by Granville Taylor, a retired architect, who was absolutely not interested in selling — well, not at first. Over time, however, Uhlhorn and Taylor became friends and they talked about things, though “the elephant in the room” was always the lot. At last the day came when Taylor announced, “I’m ready to sell.”
The distinguished architect of the house is Doug Enoch, whom Uhlhorn had worked with on several projects (see Memphis magazine, March 2015) and for whom he has the utmost respect. Enoch designed the house for this young family’s day-to-day living, and the two worked closely together in making all design decisions. Uhlhorn told me that he loves the home’s abundance of gables and a roof line which evokes an English arts-and-crafts feel and an almost fairy-tale look. The façade is not overwhelmed with too many windows though, at the same time, Uhlhorn tells me that one of the hallmarks of his style is “the great quality of his windows.” The home is built of painted tumbled brick and looks “old” though clearly it is not.
Uhlhorn proudly points to the great work of his subcontractors, many of whom his family has used for years, saying “they get it right the first time.” Clearly loyalty is huge in the Uhlhorn family business. Generally, Uhlhorn explains that, in business, his older brother George is “hands-on” with a more supervisory role, while he himself does most of the “meet and greet back-office duties.” Their company does custom and market homes, large-scale additions, and renovations.
Given his background, it comes as no surprise that the new Uhlhorn home (which sits on just under an acre of land) is gorgeous; clearly, he brought into play all of his professional experience and expertise into every detail. From the street the house doesn’t seem so big and has an almost cozy appearance, but it is indeed spacious. Wishing to get away from the more traditional soaring, two-story entry and staircase, Enoch designed a more “intimate and inviting” foyer. In fact, none of the interior spaces in this six-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bath house feels enormous, another hallmark of his architectural style. The ceilings downstairs are 11 feet and upstairs, 9 feet.
1 of 3
Justin Fox Burks
The back view of the house, which is incredibly spacious but with a cozy feel.
2 of 3
Justin Fox Burks
The home’s lot was once part of the gardens of the old Gooch home on Parkway and now provides luxurious outdoor living space for the Uhlhorns.
3 of 3
Justin Fox Burks
Daughters Corinne and Ivy swing high with delight in the playground in their new backyard.
While Uhlhorn and his wife grew up in homes filled with antique furniture, they wanted for their new house a more modern transitional style with a mix of contemporary and vintage furnishings. The interior has been kept clean and light with oak flooring and Sherwin Williams paint colors, including Incredible White, Accessible Beige, and Mindful Grey. I was told that Cameron Howell helped with selecting these colors.
Fortunately, the Uhlhorns fell heir to some wonderful artworks from their relatives, Walter Broadfoot and Butch Uhlhorn, who were downsizing. They bought furnishings and accessories from Nabers Interiors on Broad Street. As the story goes, Uhlhorn had seen the work that Nabers had done for his father, Frank Uhlhorn, at his own beautiful home in Germantown, and said, “Please give me that number!”
In his demanding, round-the-clock line of work, Uhlhorn says “there’s a fine line between business and family,” and, in fact, his home office faces the street in the very front of the home. This is an original idea that works very well, especially when payday arrives for his subcontractors who come in with “mud on their boots.”
There is an adjoining workout room which Nikki Uhlhorn laughingly calls “the least used room in the house,” although it is a convenient spot for Walker, who played baseball at CBHS and at the University of Memphis, to store his baseball memorabilia. In this connection, he proudly points out a bench from the bleachers at the old Busch stadium in St. Louis.
Moving to the back of the house, everything is open with the kitchen, breakfast room, and gathering room overlooking the big backyard (with planting and irrigation by AgriScapes) and the outside living area. The handsome fireplace is made of pre-cast limestone, courtesy of European Stone Werks, whose motto is “clean, simple design stands the test of time” — something that both Enoch and Uhlhorn clearly live by professionally. The dining room is a separate room reached through the arches that here again are another Enoch specialty.
The master bedroom is “hand-me-down central,” I was told, from its rug to side tables to old chest. However, Uhlhorn points proudly to the adjoining master bath, which is one of his favorite spaces, with its spa-like white tones, clean lines, natural light, carrara marble, and a large shower he dubbed a “car wash.”
1 of 4
Justin Fox Burks
The beautiful, beamed kitchen with its copper vent and hand-hewn walnut island top is the heart of this young family’s home.
2 of 4
Justin Fox Burks
This deep, soaking tub is a central element in the spa-like master bathroom.
3 of 4
Justin Fox Burks
Hand-me-down central is what the family laughingly call this luxurious master bedroom.
4 of 4
Justin Fox Burks
It would be difficult to imagine a more perfect paradise for little people than this upstairs playroom.
Getting down to nuts and bolts, Uhlhorn says the home is energy-efficient and at 5,500 square feet, his utility bills are lower than in his previous, smaller house. He wanted a low-maintenance home, an absolute necessity since his wife is a busy nurse practitioner at MidSouth Imaging and Therapeutics. A nice added bonus is that Uhlhorn can control the whole house with his iPhone, which is to say the music system, the Nest thermostat, and lighting which makes it somewhat of a “smart house.”
With four children playing outside all the time, a big backyard was a necessity for the Uhlhorns, as was a family-friendly home inside where kids could congregate. We toured the fabulous playroom upstairs where there is lots of room for the childrens’ friends to sleep over on weekends in a specially designed bunkroom—all the better to encourage the “open door policy” for little people so important to the Uhlhorns.
Speaking of children, I must close on a personal note with the fact that the Uhlhorn family nanny at the time I did this interview was none other than the adorable Haili Drew, who just happens to be married to my cousin Logan Drew. When I mentioned to her a few weeks earlier that I was writing a story on the Uhlhorns, she exclaimed that this was indeed the wonderful family for whom she was working. I gather this is a mutual admiration society all round, and I know you will agree this is a wonderful house for a wonderful family.
