Southern Indiana ranch-style home boasts modern motif, Star Wars theme
Scott Douthitt and Melissa Cline-Douthitt have made major changes to the Cobbler’s Crossing home they purchased three years ago.
“It looked totally different,” Cline-Douthitt recalled. “The entire house was this drab yellow color. We redid everything. We had the entire house painted … (we) just kind of modernized it.”
In addition to updating the walls with fresh coats of paint in new hues, Cline-Douthitt also makes it a point to keep the house current with timely decorations.
Home for Harrison
“I want to make him to feel like every holiday is a special event and occasion,” Cline-Douthitt said of their 5-year-old son, Harrison. At the moment, she is accomplishing this with pumpkins of every size, color, style and material placed throughout the space. Earth-toned gourds made of paper, ceramic, and more adorn the dining table, while Thanksgiving-themed sugar cookies from Louisville baker @_thecookie_jar sit atop the kitchen counter.
“Every holiday season, (I) try to do as much as we can,” she laughed, adding that she’s itching to take it all down and put up their Christmas decorations.
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Though the décor in the rest of the house will change very soon, Harrison’s Star Wars-themed bedroom will be more of a permanent fixture. Complete with Luke Skywalker-approved wall art, books, and lightsabers, it’s a dream space for fans of a galaxy far, far away.
Lower-level living
Downstairs, Harrison’s playroom features a completely different look. With a mini teepee tent, plush campfire setup, and mountain pillows, it’s a fun area for the couple’s little explorer. It is, however, more than a play space; Cline-Douthitt and her husband were thinking ahead when they outfitted the room with a custom closet system and large desk area.
“His bedroom space is so small,” she explained, “there’s really not room for a functional desk. We thought that as he gets older, it would be really nice to have something like this here. We just love the desk space; (and) storage is key for us because otherwise, his toys would be out everywhere.”
In addition to Harrison’s playroom/future homework area, the home’s spacious walkout basement also boasts a bar, reading nook, fireplace, additional living space, bathroom, workout room, extra bedroom, and an attached sunroom.
“Our old house had a basement, but it wasn’t a walkout,” Cline-Douthitt said, explaining that a walkout was on their list of desired features when they were shopping for a new home. “Basements without walkouts just tend to feel dark.”
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Unlike the farmhouse motif of the main floor, the basement has a mid-century modern look, with bold shades of blue and green, a repainted piano from Cline-Douthitt’s dad’s house in Corbin, Kentucky, and unique art from Work the Metal in Louisville.
Dapper deck
Though the basement — which they used to call “the dungeon” — underwent a significant remodel, the area that seems to have recently had the most impact on the family’s everyday living is the deck.
“We were kind of looking for a certain kind of house,” Cline-Douthitt said of their home search years ago. “We saw this house, and then we saw the deck — and that’s something we didn’t have in our old house. I really love the concept of having a really functional outdoor living space, so we just love the covered deck.”
They recently extended it, making space for a hot tub. “It’s fabulous, obviously, with COVID-19,” she exclaimed, “and it’s a saltwater hot tub, so you don’t have the yucky chlorine smell, and it’s much healthier. We love the sitting area and the hot tub.” There’s also a TV that can be adjusted to face either the deck’s main seating area are one side or the hot tub on the other.
“We looked at the weather-resistant TVs that you see in restaurants and bars … and they were just so expensive,” Cline-Douthitt said. They opted for a regular flat-screen TV instead, and Douthitt built a case to keep it protected from the elements. Between watching TV, reading, and working on her laptop, this area is where Cline-Douthitt spends a lot of her time.
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“(The deck) was really the selling point when we saw the house,” she recalled. “Especially with everything happening this year, this is just a nice space.”
Know a house that would make a great Home of the Week? Email writer Lennie Omalza at aloha@lennieomalza.com or Lifestyle Editor Kathryn Gregory at kgregory@gannett.com.
nuts & bolts
Owners: Scott Douthitt and Melissa Cline-Douthitt. Douthitt is a manager at UPS and Cline-Douthitt works in instructional design. Also in the home is their son Harrison, 5, and their dogs, Mac and Izzy.
Home: This is a 4-bed, 3-bath, 3,300-square-foot, ranch-style home that was built in 1997 in Cobbler’s Crossing in southern Indiana.
Distinctive elements: Extra-wide driveway for parking; 16-foot ceilings in the living room; open wall kitchen concept leading into dining and living room spaces; large windows and skylights; vaulted ceiling in master bedroom; whirlpool tub in master bath; elevated, partially covered 30-by-15-foot deck with TV and hot tub; spacious walkout basement with tall ceilings provides multiple spaces, including bar area, reading nook, fireplace, large family space, bathroom, workout room, playroom, extra bedroom, and attached sunroom.
Applause! Applause! Brian Kays Painting; Clore Construction for their work on the deck and exercise room; KJ Wilson Electric; The Southern Craftsmen; and Closets by Design for the cabinets in Harrison’s playroom.
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