Page 198 - South Mississippi Living - June, 2017

HOME well blended
Casual Living
FORMAL LOOKING
Pascagoula home comfortably blends formal and informal
story by Lynn Lofton photos by Katherine Sowers
The lovely Pascagoula
home of Jessica and Taylor McNeel sits comfortably on its Live Oak-shaded site as though it’s always been there. The couple — both
attorneys — built their home in 2016 and have settled in happily with their children Mollie, 7, and John Taylor, 3.
The commanding front entrance opens with a formal living room on the left and a formal dining room on
the right. Maybe the word ‘formal’
is misleading as there’s nothing off- putting in these inviting rooms. The seating pieces have white slipcovers that can be removed for laundering and both rooms have friendly touches. There is a lot of soothing white but
it’s tempered with touches of gold and blue, plus an abundance of color in the numerous paintings, fresh flowers, and pottery. Many of the paintings were done by Taylor McNeel’s mother
and other family members. “She’s very talented,” Jessica McNeel says of her mother-in-law, Melanie McNeel,
as she explains that the artist, in addition to the paintings, fashioned the French trumeau mirror used at one of the home’s entrances. The abundant flowers are compliments of Jessica’s mother, Deborah Banahan.
From the living room, double French doors open onto a terrace with an outdoor fireplace and a view of the >>
198 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • June 2017
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