by Sonja J. Keith

Lacey and Jared Standridge have created an incredible home – inside and out – amid the beautiful scenery and picturesque hills that wind through Van Buren County.

If you’ve traveled Highway 65 north of Clinton, chances are the red-roofed home that sits alone on a hill about a mile from the roadway has caught your eye. The family name is featured above the gated entrance that serves to keep the family’s 200 head or so of cattle on the 600-acre spread.

It will be three years this summer since the Standridges moved into their 6,300-square-foot dream home which they enjoy with their three children – 4-year-old Sydney, 2-year-old Sam and 9-month-old Shelby Lynn. “We’re very blessed,” said Lacey.

While Lacey grew up in Clinton, her family traces its roots as well as its future to the Dennard area. Her parents, Danny and Kathy Newland, purchased property and moved to the area when Lacey was in college. Her brother, Wes, has also purchased land in the area and is building a home. In fact, the house is one hill over from the Standridge home and you can see it from the backyard.

“That’s what makes it all so special and a blessing,” Lacey said. “We’re all back.”
Jared’s parents are Steve and Debbie Standridge, owners of Steve Standridge Insurance. While they live in Mount Ida, the family takes advantage of every opportunity to get together.

The couple has put a lot of work into their property, Lacey explained, since purchasing it in 2003. They moved into a mobile home on the property while they cleared the land and built their home. “It didn’t look like this.”

Wanting a home they could enjoy and a place comfortable for a family, Lacey and Jared drew inspiration for the design from the home her parents built. “It is very similar to their house plan,” she said. “It’s practical and pretty at the same time.”
As with any construction project, there are a few things Lacey would do different with the house “but all in all I love it. It’s a great place to raise a family.”

A nice porch surrounds the home, providing many opportunities to take in the incredible views from all angles. The back porch offers a place to enjoy the constant breeze and the outdoors while they watch the kids play. “We sit on the back porch a lot.”

Each season brings new colors to enjoy. While the hills are barren and gray in the winter, “it’s still pretty,” Lacey said. “Later, with things blooming, it’s pretty up here all year round.”

The property is also home to wildlife, especially deer and turkey. And bears. Lacey explained that a game camera on the property captured an image of 13 bears in one image, but she has not actually seen them on the property.

Inside, the home opens to a large great room with an impressive stone fireplace that burns wood and heats the entire house, even on those days when the ever-present wind drops temperatures to the teens or below during the winter.

The home has a large, open kitchen – Lacey’s favorite room in the house – with two dining areas. “I wanted a big kitchen – I love to cook.
“That’s where we always are. That’s where our day is centered around,” she said. “My kitchen is the best part.”

As with the time and attention paid to the design and construction of the home, Lacey also decorated the home herself in a “rustic lodge” style. They’ve also done their own landscaping.

Throughout, there are family photos and other heirlooms, like the bear skin rug hanging on the wall next to the fireplace and the pictures hanging in one of the children’s rooms which belonged to a great-grandmother.

Family is obviously important to both Lacey and Jared. They enjoy time spent with loved ones and hosting get-togethers at their home, like the big family hayride in the fall. This summer will mark the third in a row that a family member has been married at the home.

“We are very family oriented…Our families are our best friends. That’s who we hang out with.”
Lacey noted that her parents and Jared’s have been married for 32 years and her children have seven great-grandparents living. “We’re very blessed. God has truly blessed us.”

While the inside of the home is warm and beautiful, Lacey points out that it is what is outside that she and Jared enjoy. “The best part of this place is the view,” she said. “Out every door and every window, there’s a beautiful view…To me, it’s the prettiest place in Arkansas.”