It’s the apologist bon mot of awed newcomers: Bob and Karen Moore like to say they “got to Asheville as soon as they could.” On vacation one year, they bought the steep property that would, with careful plotting by project architect Rob Carlton, support their future dream home.
And now the retired businessman, a marathon runner who’s competed in all 50 states, and his wife, an engineer who says she loves “any sport that keeps me outdoors,” enjoy their ultra-sleek, 2,200-square-foot Blue Ridge haven. The structure wings out toward Beaver Lake and soaks in a wide tract of wilderness through life-sized windows.
The Moores’ grown children are away at college, one in medical school and the other pursuing a PhD in English with a concentration in Creative Writing. So they’re settled — or at least as settled as such an active couple could be. “It was so important to us that we could walk out the front door and go for a run,” says Karen. “We also wanted to be close to downtown. We love the art and music communities.”
But when they employed Carlton Edwards of Asheville, they weren’t going after a Mountain Modern masterpiece. “We didn’t intend to build a modern home,” explains Karen: the brisk layout merely evolved from their needs. “We told Rob to design whatever he thought would best fit the lot and take advantage of the mountain views.”
That he did: those peaks are visible from every room but the bathroom. Full glazing in the living room, dining room, and kitchen turn the outdoors into a real-life landscape painting. Inside, Carlton’s recessed lighting scheme glows in a supporting role. Karen admits she “didn’t fully appreciate” at first how the trough-sheltered lights would elevate the building’s naturalistic mood.
Now she gets it. “We are living in an adult treehouse,” she says.
Main Event
Call it al fresco with climate control — clear doors and a majestic clerestory attach the mountain view to the open dining/kitchen area inside this North Asheville home. Rob Carlton and his crew did the interior architecture, framed by light, matte cypress hardwood on the ceilings and walls and grounded by a satiny oak floor. All interior steel accents were made by Rob Sadler Designs, including posts, stair rails, the kitchen-sink backsplash, the exterior and shelving of the kitchen island, and the range hood. “The small details can be challenging at times … so it’s exciting to see everything come together at the end,” notes Sadler, who’s worked on previous homes with Carlton Edwards. The dining-room table is from local store Mobilia, which homeowner Karen Moore calls her “go to” source for modern furnishings. Spare pendant lighting lets the glass-front beech cabinetry (by Custom Living Quarters) shine.
Views That Don’t Stop
The look is linear from roof to root. Bob and Karen Moore’s Mountain Modern home in North Asheville was planned, designed, and built by Rob Carlton and his team at Carlton Edwards. The semi-retired couple wasn’t necessarily envisioning cutting-edge contemporary — the look grew from the requirements of their super-active lifestyle. Widespread glazing and recessed trough lighting take prime advantage of the mountain topography. The dining-room table is from Mobilia Contemporary Furniture. The cypress front door was designed by Rob Carlton and built by Architectural Woodcraft, with hardware custom made by Daniel Marinelli of OK Goods. The floating deck was also designed by Carlton Edwards, with steelwork by Rob Sadler Designs. Plygem windows are from Builders First Source. Jon Kiser and Mark Akers did the interior-trim installation.
K Game
A well-appointed open kitchen is the winning element in any contemporary home, and here, every rustic element gets smooth play. The cypress shiplap on the walls and ceiling and the glass-front European beech cupboards — all cabinetry and millwork was done by Ryan Morin of Custom Living Quarters — comprise the light against the smart dark of a custom black steel backsplash, range hood, and island, designed by Rob Carlton and crafted by Rob Sadler Designs. Countertops in “Black Absolute Leathered” are from Viktor Granite & Marble. Oak floor is from Gennett Lumber. To the right, a Rob Sadler-fabricated steel staircase leading to the guest suite is the deep note setting off white walls, a modish branch chandelier, and a large canvas by local painter Mark Bettis.
Resources
Architect/Builder: Carlton Edwards
Dining Room Table: Mobilia
Front Door: Architectural Woodcraft
Countertops: Viktor’s Granite & Marble
Floors: Gennett Lumber Co.
Steelwork: Rob Sadler Designs
Cabinetry and Millwork: Ryan Morin, Custom Living Quarters
Custom Hardware: Daniel Marinelli, OK Goods
Windows: Builders First Source