Country Chic

Ryan Bradley of Precision Trimming did the exterior siding and interior-finish carpentry on the home, which sits atop a mountain plateau. Built by Glennwood Custom Builders, reclaimed lumber is from Appalachian Antique Hardwoods while framing material is from Builders First Source. Con Dameron of The Architectural Practice designed the floor plan and elevations. Photo by Kevin Meechan
Ryan Bradley of Precision Trimming did the exterior siding and interior-finish carpentry on the home, which sits atop a mountain plateau. Built by Glennwood Custom Builders, reclaimed lumber is from Appalachian Antique Hardwoods while framing material is from Builders First Source. Con Dameron of The Architectural Practice designed the floor plan and elevations. Photo by Kevin Meechan

Over the years, Glennwood Custom Builders has grown a portfolio of splendid estates. Heirloom lodges dominate lake shorelines. Multi-tiered rooflines emulate the sweep of panoramic mountain views. Majestically arched porte-cochères spill onto golf greens.

The company’s luxurious homes average 6,000 to 8,000 square feet, confirms Glennwood President Dan Collins. And although his own Hendersonville-area guesthouse is more modest — Con Dameron of The Architectural Practice designed the floor plan and elevations — the building’s smaller scale does not limit its grandeur — least of all its hosting capabilities.

Located just outside of Flat Rock and near his full-time residence, Collins’ custom dwelling complements, rather than commands, its 12-acre parcel. Where the winding dirt road crests and the land softens into a high-mountain plateau, attention drifts first to old-growth trees and sweeping panoramas. Then, a grange-like edifice — a workshop and garage topped with 800 square feet of living space — comes into view.

The handcrafted dining table is by Chad Corey Construction. Photo by Kevin Meechan
The handcrafted dining table is by Chad Corey Construction. Photo by Kevin Meechan

Fittingly, the home obliges its Blue Ridge landscape. Kentucky barn-wood siding, sourced from Appalachian Antique Hardwoods and installed by Collins’ brother-in-law Ryan Bradley of Precision Trimming, Inc., echoes the forested lot. The pines appear greener against ruddy, oxidized steel roofing. It was “bright and shiny” a year ago, Collins notes, but now the mellowed patina blends well with other sturdily fashionable sentiments: industrial sconces, a 2.25-inch-thick iron door, and dark-trimmed windows.

It’s a new structure, but it feels well established. “As though it’s been there for a while,” says Collins, a former mechanical engineer who hails from Michigan.

Glennwood Custom Builders President Dan Collins created a guesthouse that packs countless artisanal touches within cozy dimensions. Interior gray flagstone was installed by David Ayres, Inc. RIGHT: Exterior siding, interior reclaimed ceiling boards and timbers, interior Z buck doors, and hardwood flooring are by Appalachian Antique Hardwoods. Photo by Kevin Meechan
Glennwood Custom Builders President Dan Collins created a guesthouse that packs countless artisanal touches within cozy dimensions. Interior gray flagstone was installed by David Ayres, Inc. RIGHT: Exterior siding, interior reclaimed ceiling boards and timbers, interior Z buck doors, and hardwood flooring are by Appalachian Antique Hardwoods. Photo by Kevin Meechan

Inside, the style tends toward gentleman-country with chic industrial accents. The open great room is something like an antebellum hayloft, jazzed up with 21st-century cable lighting. Reclaimed timbers from Appalachian Antique Hardwoods add rustic drama: “Some [boards] were beaten by the weather and sun. Others were shielded from the elements,” says Collins. Their varying hues, streaks, and tiny divots offer a silent narrative — but, stirring among the planks, the ceiling fan feels contemporary.

Inspired by the rough natural rock that defines Asheville’s Omni Grove Park Inn, Collins selected a Chocolate Grey flagstone to run underfoot through kitchen and den. Installed by David Ayres, Inc., the muted grays, greens, and blues give the rooms a particular vividness, counterpoising masculine leather loveseats.

In the bedroom, stylish steel-frame beds are from Restoration Hardware. Photo by Kevin Meechan
In the bedroom, stylish steel-frame beds are from Restoration Hardware. Photo by Kevin Meechan

Collins and his wife Angela wanted a refined feeling for the interior. They chose white shiplap to span the living quarters and accent bedroom walls. The crisp lines also brighten corners susceptible to shadows. “It offsets the reclaimed materials,” he says.

Awareness of light and dark peppers every corner. The kitchen, for example, though compact, feels airy with open shelving. Further lightening the scheme are traditional white-oak cupboards by Advance Cabinetry, Caesarstone countertops by Mountain Marble, and a dreamy farmhouse sink.

In the light-bathed master suite, windows face the tree-fringed property line. The spacious room comfortably accommodates a queen-size bed from Hendersonville’s High Country Furniture & Design. Wood flooring (for warmth, says Collins) and a Jack-and-Jill bathroom bridge the master with the bunk room. This vacation-ready space, capable of sleeping six, sports stylish steel-framed beds from Restoration Hardware, an expansive taupe rug, and a Seuss-ical loft.

Custom appointments abound in the kitchen, including traditional-style white-oak cupboards from Advance Cabinetry, Caesarstone countertops from Mountain Marble, trendy open shelving, and a farmhouse sink. Plumbing fixtures are from Ferguson. Photo by Kevin Meechan
Custom appointments abound in the kitchen, including traditional-style white-oak cupboards from Advance Cabinetry, Caesarstone countertops from Mountain Marble, trendy open shelving, and a farmhouse sink. Plumbing fixtures are from Ferguson. Photo by Kevin Meechan

In the living area, tree-stump side tables and plush couches invite deep spells of rest. A handcrafted dining table by Chad Corey Construction practically demands long family meals — the kind where the talking goes on hours after the plates are cleared.

Collins built the small home hoping for big moments: to watch his young children run around on the “unique flat ridge top”; to host his Michigan-based parents and in-laws at Christmas; to catch up with brothers and sisters and close friends on New Year’s Eve, when fireworks light the sky in the surrounding valleys.

“It needs to be comfortable,” says Collins. And he means it. If guests feel so satisfied they get the urge to prop their feet up on the table, “we want them to [do that].”

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