The Webbs built a coastal oasis with Carolina charm
Kent and Teresa Webb have created a home away from home in a big blue house in Legacy Park. After their daughter, freshman Hayley Kate, committed to play basketball for the Lady Bisons, they knew they wanted to build a house where their daughter could live and that would also be a place to call home when they were on campus.
The Webbs originally purchased a lot in Harding Park and planned to build their home there. According to Kent, shortly after, Steve Lake, assistant vice president of advancement, reached out and told them about a new housing development called “Legacy Park,” which was going to be a more urban, fun, on-campus environment. That really appealed to the Webbs.
“I can hear the band in the background, and there are young people and activity everywhere. It is very energizing, it is very invigorating,” Kent said. “You have plays and American Studies speakers. Because we live here I get to go to the Ganus Activities Complex if I want to go up and get on the treadmill. It is just a wonderful life.”
When deciding on the design of the home, the Webbs worked with an architect in Little Rock who helped bring their vision to life.
“We took two plans that the architect had and we just kind of merged them to fit our needs,” Teresa said. “We really wanted to make it kind of colonial revival, but we kind of turned that into what I like to call Carolina coastal because we wanted it to be relaxing and inviting and have a lot of light.”
There are several design aspects they implemented to make their home have a certain beach-like environment.
“We have all the windows and skylights to kind of make it lighter and sunnier,” Teresa said. “There is a big porch to make it more inviting. We chose the color of the house because it reminds me of the beach, which is my favorite relaxing place.”
The interior of their home was inspired by a photo from Tony Newlin, a wildlife photographer based in Colorado. While vacationing in Beaver Creek, Colorado, the Webbs visited his gallery and liked a photo called “Frosty Bison.”
“We fell in love with [the bison in the painting] and we were hoping that Hayley Kate would decide to come to Harding, so Kent bought me a copy of the photo for my birthday,” Teresa said. “We have been saving that for a couple of years.”
According to Teresa, nothing could clash with the photo, so all their living area décor matches the snowy image.
Hayley Kate lives in the home, which according to Kent, means there are usually always women from the team at the house. The Webbs love to host the Lady Bisons and provide them with a home away from home.
“We always want the house to be open,” Teresa said. “We have had a couple students come over. We are both accountants and they might have a homework question. They might come over if they just want to get away. Sometimes they will come and ask ‘what is for dinner?’ because they are tired of the caf.”
The Webbs have built a gorgeous home that embodies coastal relaxation with the perfect amount of Carolina charm. Creating an oasis away from campus for the women’s basketball team and an environment of relaxation for Teresa and Kent, The Webb’s home away from home is exactly that — a home.
