Get the Owner Involved

Rick didn’t mind the input. “I like to get clients involved in the design,” he explains. “I tell them, ‘Go find me stuff.’ ” Yandell complied. What look like tiles adorning the fireplace’s mantel and the arch above the firebox are actually masonry coasters he bought in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He found the copper platter that’s atop the mantel while on a skiing trip to Aspen, Colorado. Twin bottle trees crafted by a local artist are mounted on either side of the chimney. They never fail to start people talking. “I wanted them because bottle trees have a lot of history in Mississippi,” says Yandell. “People say they scare off evil spirits.” A heavy metal tray serves as an anchor for the iron trunks and branches.