By Lee Rennick | Photography by Erin Kosko

Walking into the grand entrance of the home of Jerrold and Melissa Pedigo puts one in mind of the elegant royal French hunting lodges scattered throughout the Loire Valley. It has a dash of Cheverney, splash of Parc Andre and soupçon of Château de Carsix. But, in spite of the grandness of the architecture, the feeling is of a warm and lived in family home.

“We live here.” said Melissa, “We don’t want anyone to think they can’t touch anything, that things can’t be picked up and used. Before COVID-19 hit, we’d have 10 kids in here at any one time hanging out with our kids, Coleton and Brookelyn.” 

Designing the Home

Fourteen years ago, when the custom home was built, the couple wanted to create something different. Something you didn’t see in Murfreesboro. But at the same time, they wanted the home to be timeless. Jerrold did the design and drew up the fl oor plans, while Chuck Mullins and Ken Watson of Mullins Watson were the builders.

The ceilings tower 22 feet above the living room and keeping room (like a family room), with balconies looking down on them from the rooms above. Resplendent honey-colored custom wood working can be found throughout the house, including the ornate coffered ceiling in the living room and vaulted ceiling in the keeping room. Tailor-made wrought-iron work closes off the balconies and curves up the elegant bifurcate staircase leading from the front foyer up to the second floor.

Amy Primm, owner of A Primm Design in Nashville, was the interior designer hired to give the house it’s over all look. Primarily using shades of yellow and red ocher, with touches of medium olive, she accented them with milky white or honey colored wood trim. The repetition of colors makes the house flow and brings the aged feel of the French countryside to light both inside and out.

Their yard bursts with color in the spring and offers a stone siting area that flows off the dining room, with stairs that lead down to an outdoor kitchen, fireplace and a basketball hoop. This is also the favorite spot of their happy boxer Molly when the weather is nice.

Furnishings Blend of Antique and Traditional 

Once deciding upon the theme for the home, the Pedigos allowed Primm to work her magic. She kept the color scheme she used on the walls and woodwork in the choice of furnishings, blending antiques found at the now closed Dealer’s Choice in Nashville, new classically styled furniture from places like Sprintz, Oriental area rugs from Brentwood Interiors and other items from Melissa’s favorite store, Hobby Lobby.

“Amy is great at blending pricey pieces with more affordable accents and décor,” said Melissa. “Much of the décor and furnishings came from Nashville because there was just nothing like what we needed here in Murfreesboro at the time. And Dealer’s Choice had so many great things. I was sorry when they went out of business, the owner was so nice.”

The keeping room, kitchen and the breakfast room have a Gothic flavor. It is enhanced by a collection of dark wood and black metal crosses found in the breakfast room, the heavy beams used in the kitchen and the wrought iron chandelier hanging from the vaulted ceiling in the keeping room.

Kitchen appliances, including the stove, subzero refrigerator and warming drawer were purchased from Ferguson’s Bath, Kitchen and Lighting Gallery.

Creating a sense of flow with color and texture

Primm used color, finishes and trims to generate a sense of consistency throughout the house, including the use of Michelangelo marble tiles in the front foyer and on the fireplace mantle in the living room. Warm woods, including the custom Brazilian Cherry employed for the formal dining room floor and on the entry stairs, bring a richness to the home. These warm woods are also engaged in the specially made cabinetry and wood work throughout the house, which creates a continuous rhythm.

In the formal dining room, Primm has made the dining table the focal point by placing a medallion on the ceiling over the center of the table and adding dark red tapestry chairs that make one think of a grand Renaissance banquet. But in this dining room, Louis XIV would more likely be wearing khakis and a button down than satins and lace.

Across from the formal dining room sits Jerrold’s warm wood-paneled home office with a coffered ceiling. It makes one think of the Tudor castles of Henry VIII. Primm has added a touch of family history with pictures of Walking Horses owned by the family, including Gen’s Armed And Dangerous and Pride’s Jubilee Encore, both World Grand Champion Walking Horses.

In the master bedroom, Primm blended French Country with more modern furniture and the addition of modern abstract art and floral still lifes. While the quest bedroom is more classically Country French, it sports a heavy canopy bed draped in a creamy satin embroidered duvet that stands out against the pale French blue walls. All of the draperies are custom made, in the bedrooms and throughout the home.

Upstairs: Modern Teen Haven

While the downstairs is very formal, the second floor has been turned over to their teenaged children. Brookelyn has chosen to go with more current colors in her bedroom. These include soft Millennial pink walls with light gray accents. She has also added a few Mid-Century modern furnishings, including a fur boudoir stool and a bamboo chair.

Brookelyn has also turned an upstairs den into a hangout for she and her girlfriends. The den is all contemporary girl with a curtain of lights hanging behind the white leather couch and cream shelves filled with Barbie collections, sports memorabilia from her athletic career in basketball and volley ball at Webb School and crowns from the many beauty pageants she has won. She is the currently reigning Miss Murfreesboro Teen. Coleton’s room has been painted bright blue and green, with a decided sports theme, including a University of Tennessee bean bag chair. He too is involved in many activities and was 6th in the state in Trap Shooting for his age group.

The bonus room is where Coleton and his friends will hang the most once it is safer to have friends over. The Pedigos are in the middle of turning the room into a movie theater, with big soft dark brown leather chairs that have just arrived from California and a large screen television. Also in the room is a ping pong table that can be turned into a billiard table. Eventually it will have a popcorn machine and movie posters.

Busy Family, Focused On Their Kids

Both of the Pedigos are proud of their children. They have many photos of them as they were growing up hanging in the house, most of the photography was done by Studio Z.

Their world currently revolves around getting their kids to and supporting them in various activities, but the Pedigos also have 400 acres in Woodbury where Jerrold runs cattle. And they still have toes in the Walking Horse arena. Plus, he has a very busy work schedule as a builder and real estate agent, while she manages condos they rent.