Scandinavian-inspired farmhouse balances landscape and light
Photo by Ryan Theede
The pandemic didn’t just spark a craze for sourdough and home gyms — it drove a mass migration. According to census reports, since 2020, smaller towns and rural counties have seen their fastest population growth in decades, fueled by professionals leaving major cities behind. Among those who joined the exodus were a pair of husband-and-wife attorneys who traded Western New York for Western North Carolina.
“We were ready for a change,” the wife says. Hailing from snowy Buffalo, the family, including an active teenage son and a five-year-old Visla who “runs around in the grasses at the back of the property,” wanted more land and a more temperate climate. “The pandemic really propelled us to start looking for other places to live.”
By the time the couple closed on four acres in The Farm at Cane Creek in June 2020, she had long been sketching her dream home — a Japanese-Scandinavian farmhouse defined by clean lines, neutral tones, and a calm, understated feel. “We wanted something awesome, but not in your face.”
To bring that idea to life, they turned to Carlton Edwards, a boutique design-build firm with offices in Asheville, Nashville, and Memphis. Lead Designer Gordon Schissler says the Fletcher build site was unusually forgiving compared to most mountain parcels. Flat and meadowy, it faces gorgeous long-range vistas. “The real challenge was capturing those views while balancing openness,” he explains.
That challenge was met with a thoughtful floor plan: a great room anchors the middle of the home, flanked on one side by bedrooms and on the other by spaces for work and exercise. Walls of glass frame Bearwallow Mountain to the east, while subtle moves — a dropped ceiling here, a corner window there — prevent the open plan from feeling stark.
Smooth Moves
“Lots of windows — that was our biggest requirement,” the husband says of the family’s open-concept living space. A plaster fireplace wall (From The ARCH Architectural Finishes) conceals the television, while a Natuzzi Italia sofa — the first piece of furniture the couple bought together in New York — offers ample seating. The dining table is Lulu and Georgia, and the Wishbone chairs are Carl Hansen & Søn. Above it all hangs an abstract charcoal work by Canadian artist Sara A. Tremblay.
Every hidden detail is important to the whole. “Minimalism done well is deceptively complex,” Schissler says.
Inside, restraint gives way to warmth. White oak stretches across floors and ceilings, softening expanses of glass, while a waterfall island of “Cremo Delicato” marble from Mountain Marble adds refinement, its subtle veining inspiring the home’s material choices. “The homeowners fell in love with that stone, and we built the palette from there,” says Interior Designer and Assistant Project Manager Emily Benson of Carlton Edwards.
Of course, the design team was sure to make the home as livable as it is striking. In the kitchen, for example, an upholstered banquette offers a casual gathering spot, tucked into a brick-clad nook that carries the exterior material inside. Meanwhile, the living room centers around a plaster fireplace wall that conceals a television and leaves space for the couple’s Natuzzi Italia sofa — the first piece of furniture they bought together in New York.
Even utilitarian spaces were treated with care. The office, which the couple shares, stands in sharp contrast to their old setup in Buffalo. There, they had worked from a converted closet with no window — a makeshift space that wore thin after years of remote practice. “I remember saying [to my husband], ‘If I’m going to sit here for so many hours, at least let me look out at something,’” the homeowner recalls. “So, we built a house where the office has a stunning view.”
For Rob Carlton, principal architect at the Asheville location, these little details illustrate the firm’s larger philosophy.
“What makes this project stand out in our portfolio is the way it’s so deeply connected to its setting,” he says. “We used simple forms, honest materials, and expansive glass to create a home that feels timeless, modern, and completely in tune with the landscape and the lives lived inside it.”
The homeowners echo that sentiment, noting that what looks simple is anything but. “To make it appear clean and effortless actually required a tremendous amount of precision.”
Stay for Breakfast
The breakfast nook brings the home’s Arriscraft architectural brick indoors, grounding the space with texture and warmth. A custom banquette by Garner Woodworks, upholstered in vegan leather from Knoll Textiles by Crossroads Upholstery, tucks neatly against the wall and pairs with a white-oak table by Cris Bifaro. Overhead, a brushed-bronze pendant from Audo Copenhagen completes the inviting corner. Interior designer for the project was Emily Benson of Carlton Edwards.
An Island of Itself
The kitchen’s design began with a single choice: a waterfall island of “Cremo Delicato” marble (Mountain Marble). Its subtle veining set the tone for a palette of white-oak floors (Hardwoods by Design), white-oak ceilings (Gennett Lumber), and custom casework by Garner Woodworks. Overhead, a sculptural fixture by Aldo Bernardi casts a warm glow, while barstools from Restoration Hardware keep the space comfortable and casual. The homeowners like to cook, so they wanted an “open, airy, functional kitchen with a big beautiful island.”
Photo by Ryan Theede
Photo by Ryan Theede
Work, Uninterrupted
Once crammed into a windowless closet in their Buffalo home, the couple now works side by side in an office that looks out across their backyard meadow. A custom desk and shelving by Garner Woodworks keep the room functional without distracting from the views.
Resources:
Builder: Carlton Edwards (Asheville)
Architect: Rob Carlton, Carlton Edwards (Asheville)
Lead Designer: Gordon Schissler, Carlton Edwards
Interior Designer: Emily Benson, Carlton Edwards
Cabinetry: Garner Woodworks (Swannanoa), Cris Bifaro Woodworks (Asheville)
Countertops: Mountain Marble (Asheville)
Hardwood Floors: Hardwoods by Design (Granite Falls)
White Oak Ceilings: Gennett Lumber (Fletcher)
Tile: Best Tile (Charlotte)
Appliances: Haywood Appliance (Asheville)
Plumbing Fixtures: ProSource Supply (Asheville)
Landscape Architect: Drake Fowler (Asheville)
Landscaping: Gardenology (Asheville)
Plaster Fireplace Wall: The ARCH (Asheville)
Banquette Upholstery: Crossroads Upholstery (Asheville)
Primary Bedroom Drapery: Bianca’s Stitchworks (Hendersonville)