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LIFE
Casual, formal styles converge in family's spacious Huntington home
HUNTINGTON -- Gina and Richard Finley wanted a place closer to town yet wanted to be within driving distance of their family in Lavalette.
In 2007 they found just the lot they were looking for in Huntington and built their house. Like most folks looking at a new build, Gina had saved pictures of what she wanted in a home.
"I had a folder where I had collected ideas of what we wanted," she said.
"We used a Southern Living house plan and adjusted it to meet our needs and to fit the lot," Richard added.
One of the things Gina wanted was a large utility room. Adjusting the plans to suit their needs was key.
"I knew I wanted a huge mud room, and when we adjusted the house plans to fit the lot I got exactly what I wanted," she said.
She has trained her family well. The mud room is filled with book bags, shoes and laundry. With three sons (Will, Ryan and Trey) all involved in sports, there needed to be a room to hold all of their equipment and shoes.
When building the home they complemented the casual with the formal. The entrance foyer offers a view of a lovely red dining room and a living room ready for company. Even so, a step away is a spacious kitchen and huge gathering room.
Richard says this is his favorite area.
"It is all open and everyone can be together," he said.
One of Gina's loves is cooking, and she appreciates having this space to spread out, cook and keep an eye on the family.
"I always dreamed of having a large kitchen where I could cook and be with the family," she said.
The open floor plan they chose offers this advantage.
One of the challenges people often face when building a home is starting from scratch with the decorating. The Finleys had some help from Stephanie Mayberry of Hickory Hills Designs in Hurricane (304-546-9828).
"They live in a beautiful wooded area, and we tried to draw those colors inside," Mayberry said.
Gina said having a decorator helped pull everything together.
"She helped us in color choices, fabrics and putting it all together," Gina said.
The earth tones with touches of red here and there flow throughout the house and even on to the screened-in porch.
Mayberry said she usually asks a client to show her lots of pictures of what they like and from that she can pretty much zero in on their color palette and style.
"Then we find inspiration pieces such as the granite countertop in the Finley kitchen and work from there," Mayberry said. "Their home is a very comfortable yet stylish place. It has that southern hospitable feel."
The Finleys, who are both pharmacists, like to spend time with their boys, and this home accommodates everyone's interests. The gathering room and the kitchen on the main floor may be the heartbeat of the house but there are also individual spaces for the family. The downstairs playroom offers the boys a place to play and view the television with their friends. Then each of the boys has his own room that has been decorated it to fit his individual taste.
The expanded upstairs hallway has been incorporated into a sitting area for the boys. Plenty of shelving for board games, books and puzzles enhance this area for quieter times.
Though the Finley house is open and spacious it also offers a coziness and warmth of a smaller home. It is a house built for entertaining whether it is a soccer team or an adult gathering. From the screened-in porch to the game rooms, there seems to be a place in each area for a person to curl up in a comfortable spot and just watch the action.
It is truly a house for all seasons -- from the rambunctious antics of three boys to the busy life of their parents.
Festival of Trees and Trains 
Ashland's annual Christmas Parade 
MEN'S BASKETBALL: Marshall vs. Lamar 
3rd annual Turkey Trot 5K Fun Run/Walk 
John Evans 
52nd annual Appalachian Model Railroad Society Show 
FOOTBALL: UTEP vs. Marshall University 
Indoor Demolition Turkey Derby 
Christmas For a Cause 
MEN'S BASKETBALL: Marshall vs. Ohio 
