No Place Like Home: A French Country Home Surrounded by Beautiful Land & Wildlife

Story by Lindsay Allison, Photography courtesy of Eddie & Martina Smith

Eddie Smith is a native of the Jackson, Tennessee area and Martina Smith was born in Flint, Michigan. Martina’s family moved to Jackson in 1983 when her father, John Elford, purchased Dixie Distributing Company in Jackson. Eddie and Martina have been married for 31 years, and they owned and worked hands-on Smith Remodeling Company for 21 years serving the Jackson and surrounding area. Eddie is an avid hunter and travels throughout the United States and Canada. He has met and made many cherished friends in his travels. Martina likes to travel with Eddie, but her passion now is her two grandsons, Parker Smith and Wyatt Muir. She loves spending weekends with their daughter, Erica Muir, and her grandchildren. They live in Murfreesboro and drive home every weekend so they can spend time together.

VIP: Is your home new construction or a remodel?

Martina Smith: It is new construction. We purchased our 146-acre farm in 2004, worked the land, built a custom cabinet shop, and built two large ponds in the front of the property. The small lake in the back of the property was already there and stocked full of all types of fish. There were also three other ponds on the property. We decided that we wanted to move on the property full-time, so in 2008 we built our dream home.

VIP: Who is the builder, and what year was it built?

MS: Eddie and our crew built the entire house in 2008. Donna Frankland designed and decorated everything. All of the cabinetry in the kitchen and living room is black walnut, and the floor-to-ceiling cabinetry in the master bath and closet are made of hickory. They were made in our cabinet shop. We have worked and observed many fine homes in the Jackson area and flipped many houses so we had the advantage to take what we loved in those homes and create our home. Between working on other houses, it took one-and-a-half years to build. When we finally finished, it was perfect.

LA: How would you describe the design of this house?

MS: We designed the house in a French Country manner with a very homey environment.

LA: What is your favorite room and why?

MS: The room I love most in the home is the kitchen. With the huge island and the big bar for everyone to sit and the sitting area off the kitchen, it is truly the heart of the home. Other favorites are the three master suites so when the kids come home we all have our own areas. But our favorite area and hearts belong to the land. We spend the weekends fishing and teaching our grandchildren conservation of the land that is used to provide various food plots for the deer and turkey and wildflower fields to get quail and rabbits back into this area. It is truly a haven for all animals.