The house introduces itself quietly, its long and low profile resting comfortably in the heavily forested landscape at the northwestern edge of Polk County. Wood, steel, and glass hold a congenial conversation with the white oak and beech that edge the 13-acre plot.
In the distance, a lake shimmers in the sun.
Piedmont House was a collaboration between Asheville’s Carlton Architecture and the British couple who came to them nearly three years ago, looking to build a primary residence after years of living in Europe. Outdoor enthusiasts (he likes biking and motorcycling; she’s an avid horsewoman), the pair had lived in New Canaan, Connecticut, while their two children grew to adulthood. Now, they sought a warmer climate and a rural setting to site their new home.
Polk County’s long-established horse-jumping and showing traditions — especially the nearby presence of the new Tryon International Equestrian Center — and ample opportunities for other outdoor pursuits drew the couple to the foothills of the Blue Ridge.
“They wanted modern, light, airy, and low maintenance,” said Carlton Architecture’s Chad Harding. “They were very open clients and were looking for something different … that combined regional vernacular elements with modernist design.”
A year of discussion and planning and nearly another year of construction ensued, resulting in a residence that, despite its 3,600 square feet, is remarkably compact and efficient.
Essentially a long rectangle oriented east/west, with attached private and guest quarters at each end, the home reflects a dedication to fitting a structure into a site, rather than manipulating the land to accommodate the edifice.
“When we first saw the site, a rectangular pad had been clear-cut, and there was a grassy meadow to the south, but the rest of the site had been left heavily wooded,” explains Harding. “The clients wanted to keep it that way as much as possible.”
A visitor approaches the house along a walkway paved with Pennsylvania bluestone. This leads to a main entry clad with cypress siding and white oak, encountered throughout the home. Oak framing and, overhead, a jutting oak pediment, embrace a custom-made white-oak door; but even here, the touch of modernism begins with the door’s handcrafted and decidedly contemporary steel hardware.
The outdoors seems to follow the visitor inside, appearing in the oak-wall paneling and, underfoot, tiling that matches the blue of the flagstones just left behind. With its south-facing glass-curtain wall, the entire central block of the home is a light-filled open space defined by an open kitchen at the eastern end, a dining area in the center, and a living area to the west. The exposed steel-frame beams and girders, and the large weathered steel panels at either end of the space, mix easily with the wood-trimmed details. It’s the traditional Great Room, given a modernist twist.
“We wanted to use regionally inspired elements in a new way,” says Harding. He describes the firm’s aesthetic as “modern simplicity,” and adds, “We wanted to blend modern elements with traditional materials like wood and stone.”
Counter tops in the kitchen and in the home’s three-and-a-half baths are made of concrete, finished to a lustrous smoothness. Two slabs of white oak form the custom-made dining table, surrounded by pine chairs brought by the couple from Germany. Lighting is subtly concealed in overhead soffits, while natural light falls from two narrow skylights.
Along the main passageway (warmed by splashes of color provided by the owner’s abstract artwork) lie the private quarters, guarded by a light sculpture that washes the walls with delicate reds, blues, and greens. The glass-walled master bedroom and bath provide access to an outdoor lap pool and to an exercise room whose walls are adorned with electric guitars (courtesy of the husband’s hobby).
At the opposite end of the house are the two guest bedrooms, one cleverly furnished with a Murphy bed that, when folded up, allows the room to do double duty as an office. A custom-built oak desk runs the length of the east wall, while an antique pine desk, also brought from Germany, can easily be moved should the bed be needed. The room is cantilevered out from a garage below, and seems to float among the trees.
The central block and wings of the house enfold a terrace for outdoor entertaining or for merely enjoying the view over the meadow and the nearby lake, or the sunset to the west over Tryon’s White Oak and Melrose mountains.
“This is my favorite part of being an architect,” says Harding, standing in front of the house during a recent visit. “Coming back to see the house and its spaces being lived in and enjoyed.”