See Inside Broadway Star Heather Headley and Retired NFL Player Brian Musso's Chicago Coach House

The spacious structure features a recording studio, office space, and a movie theater

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Published on July 10, 2020 08:10AM EDT

Heather Headley home — Stoffer Photography. Photo: Stoffer Photography

Just steps away from actress Heather Headley and Brian Musso's Chicago-area home stands a spacious coach house with a little something for everyone in the family.

The Tony winner, 45, and her retired NFL player husband, 44, began to build the 2,100-square-foot structure in 2018, and it was originally intended to be a gift from Musso to Headley, who is best known for her starring role in Aida and as the original Nala in The Lion King,

At first, Musso thought the space would be perfect as a recording studio for his wife, but the three-story building eventually turned into much more for the couple and their three children.

"That's how it started," Headley told archdigest.com. "Then Brian went to, 'I'll get an office and then maybe I'll do a movie theater in the basement so I can watch my golf.' I was like, 'I thought this was my space!'"

Alabama architect Walker Renneker and Chicago-based interior designer Amy Storm were hired to build the coach home with both the couple and their three children in mind.

The sanctuary includes nods to Headley's Trinidadian heritage and her roles on stage, as well as a home theater for the former New York Jets player to catch up with sports and an office for other work.

There is also a bedroom where guests can sleep, a full kitchen, an outdoor dining area and lots of open space and windows for sunlight to pour in.

The home includes pieces that Headley and Musso found themselves, like a dining table from an Atlanta antique market and wooden beams from Alabama, where Musso's father played college football.

"In five or 10 years, I still want to like this place," Headley, who stars in Netflix's Sweet Magnolias, told AD.

The coach house was finished being built earlier this year, which Headley said she was thankful for.

"I am not great with the process," she admitted. "Even in my theater work, I'm all about the show. Rehearsals drive me crazy. There were tough days [during construction] where I thought, 'I'm just going to make it a swimming pool.'"

During the coronavirus pandemic, however, having a little home away from home on their property has made all the difference.

"It's been a respite," Headley said. "We're all together, and there are definitely worse places to quarantine."

To read the full story and see more photos, visit archdigest.com.