October 4, 2023

Bringing Duke Delight Home | Duke Now

For the individuals who know Mark and Maxie Hipps-Figgs, there is never ever a concern about the Durham couple’s Duke fandom. And just after a residence makeover, now any individual who passes by their Avondale Generate dwelling can get a perception of their true Blue Satan devotion, far too.

Painted a Duke-like shade of blue, and with Duke flags and a Duke-themed wreath on the door, the dwelling, just like Mark, an IT analyst with Duke Health Technological know-how Alternatives, and Maxie, a supervisor with the Affected person Revenue Administration Corporation, emanates Duke spirit.

“We love becoming a part of the Duke local community,” Maxie stated.

The Duke-themed décor came about previously this 12 months, when Mark and Maxie resolved to renovate their residence, which was created in 1929 and had been clad in white paint with black trim. When it arrived time to pick a coloration, they knew they wanted a shade of blue, but they waited until the past minute to settle on a distinct a person.

“The day right before the painters arrived, I discovered this coloration online and I confirmed it to Maxie and we equally claimed, this is the one particular,” Mark reported.

The shade was termed “Honorable Blue,” and seemed significantly like the shade Duke has applied for several years.

After choosing the blue paint, the rest of the Duke-themes flourishes were a logical choice. Photo courtesy of Maxie and Mark Hipps-Figgs. “It was the perfect coloration, not also dim, not as well light,” Maxie reported. “Once we noticed it up on the home, we thought, ‘Oh my gosh, this is Duke.’”

The selection was intentional as the pair shares a many years very long relationship to Duke and Durham. Mark has lived in Durham due to the fact 1983 and labored at Duke since 1999. Maxie very first moved to Durham in 1990 and has worked at Duke for 15 decades. Although the two have been married for 6 several years, their devotion to Duke, and its athletics systems, solidified for the duration of their early times residing in the Bull Town. Both equally of them can inform you tales of watching the Blue Devils get championships and score massive wins against rivals.

On Duke game days, Maxie Hipps-Figgs, left, and Mark Hipps-Figgs, right, wear their lucky Duke sweatshirts. They also make sure their dogs, Buddy and Lucky, have on their lucky bandanas. Photo courtesy of Maxie and Mark Hipps-Figgs. Ask about their most loved Duke athletes, and they can convey to you why players these types of as Quinn Cook, Elizabeth Williams and Grayson Allen will constantly have their devotion. 

Question them to hold out for the duration of the months of February and March, and you’d far better test the Duke basketball schedules to start with. If there is a women’s sport at household, they’ll likely be in Cameron Indoor Stadium. If the Blue Devils men’s crew is playing, they’ll need to be in front of a Tv set, generally with their lucky sweatshirts on.

And now, their “Honorable Blue” property – with Duke flags and flourishes on their redone entrance porch, and Duke-themed décor inside such as a framed drawing of Duke University Chapel– matches their perseverance to Duke.

“It turned out much better than we could have hoped for,” Mark said of the makeover. “The blue and the white just genuinely pops. As soon as the coloration was there, then we understood we had to get the flags and every little thing else. It is nevertheless a do the job in development.”

Mark stated that soon after sharing shots of their home on their Facebook web pages, close friends and family who pull for rival College of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have shared their opinions. Some begrudgingly say it appears to be like wonderful, while many others have jokingly available Carolina blue cushions or paint for their future renovation challenge. Mark politely declined.

“We really considerably value what Duke is about and that we’re a aspect of that,” Mark claimed. “It’s terrific to have that connection.”

Ship story concepts, shout-outs and photographs through our story plan kind or write [email protected].