home of distinction
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talking to Estelle Baker, whether
it’s inside the showroom of her
gift shop or across the fence
gate of the Airlie Road home
she shares with her husband,
Johnnie Baker, and their golden retrievers,
first thing she’ll tell you about her home is
“there’s nothing in my house that doesn’t
have a story.”
Furnished with what she loves — family
antiques and decorated with heirlooms
— Estelle is quick to zero in on her passions
— the color red and the full range
of its tonal blue spectrum. Red, plus white
and blue, is found in nearly every room in
the home, along with Uncle Sam and the
American flag.
With the stars and bars proudly waving
in the southerly sea breeze year-round
from the Bakers’ front porch and a pair of
pots planted with American cherry rose
geraniums, no truer words are spoken than
Estelle’s: “It’s Fourth of July all the time.”
“This was kind of like my dream house.
I lived in it in my head for about five years.
Johnnie came home one day and said, ‘OK,
it’s time to start thinking about building
a house.’ I already knew what I wanted,”
Estelle says. “A house is a personal thing to
us, and I don’t think a lot of people feel that
way about homes.”
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