Above | It's the personal touches that make Oxendine's 300 Hay apartment come alive,
including paintings, a G.I. Joe figure from his boyhood and an old-fashioned percolator like
the one his grandmother once owned.
Below | Designer Lynn Leath worked keepsakes in with the contemporary (and
comfortable) furnishings.
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spare room for guests. "Or storing a few
things," Oxendine says and laughs.
The living room is equipped with a
fireplace and space above for a flat-screen
television, which is just what Oxendine
plans to do with it. The kitchen has retro
red and black lamps suspended from the
ceiling above black granite counter tops.
He even brought a retro touch to his
appliances, choosing an old-fashioned
percolator over a traditional coffee maker,
just like the one he had growing up.
Oxendine gives much of the credit for
these details to dear friend and designer
Lynn Leath. She has woven in childhood
keepsakes with more recent collectibles
that hold personal significance for
Oxendine. A G.I. Joe doll, a gift from
Oxendine's paternal grandfather in 1969,
is propped on his bedroom dresser. Prints
from the outdoor drama "Strike at the
Wind!" are displayed throughout the loft.
A member of the Lumbee tribe, Oxendine
served on its board of directors.
"The play has special meaning to me
because it takes place near where I grew
up and is about the history of Robeson
County," Oxendine says. "It's a story
about Native Americans, blacks and
Caucasians living together and helping
each other."
But most special to LaVern is a print
called "Puttin' In" by Jerry Locklair. He
points to the scene of children and adults
working side by side, putting up a crop
of tobacco.
