Massively Cozy – Carolina Home + Garden magazine

Cottage-minded estate is elevated by mountain craftsmanship

The floating light design over the dining-room table delights everyone, with the possible exception of the electrician who hung each of the 40 or so orbs from a lift, directed by interior designer Mae Hight. Six more hang over the sideboard and are reflected in the antique glass mirror. Though built similarly to the high-performance kitchen cabinetry, the dining cabinets have a brass inlay on their front panels, and the buffet a knife-edge detailing, that make the scheme more decorative.
Photo by Ryan Theede

This is the story of how a would-be English cottage manifested as a contemporary modern home, swathed in stucco with soaring windows front and back and a massive fireplace in between.

Blame the location, a wooded lot that inspired a bigger plan. As soon as the property was cleared, one thing was perfectly clear — the windows needed to get much larger.

“It not only had near views, but long, broad views through Reems Creek Valley. That really struck a chord with the owners,” says Robert M. Todd, AIA, founder of Red House Architecture. Working with Dröm Construction, Todd opened up the homeowners’ original wish for a European-style cottage.

“[They] saw some modern designs when they attended a local Parade of Homes, but were concerned they felt cold. We suggested that warm, natural materials could create the English-cottage vibe they liked but in a modern and streamlined way.” Todd points out that the cottage features they were drawn to — stone, natural wood, multiple fireplaces, cozy spaces — ended up newly interpreted in the home, with a tremendous bonus. “An English cottage would not have those huge, expansive windows” — which Red House and Dröm made 23 feet tall. “You just couldn’t shut those views out.”

“Those are the largest windows we have ever dealt with in terms of one big window package,” says Bryan Bartels, co-owner (with Colt Paschall) of Dröm. “Figuring out and engineering that was one of the most fun parts of the project for us.”

Guilded Home of Waynesville, founded by Kristen Levy and Mae Hight, did the interior design. “The space is very open, so playing with the lighting — where it hits and how it hits — helps divide up some of these [large] spaces,” says Hight, who specializes in this area. “Working with low-voltage lighting in those areas really helped set the tone and the mood for the spaces, keeping them warm and inviting,” she explains.

Having spent many years caring for elderly parents in declining health, the homeowners are well prepared for their own future. They requested the construction of an elevator shaft that ascends three stories, from the lowest level, where an additional two-car working garage is located, to the main floor that is otherwise accessed by an open steel-and-wood staircase — the entry point to a dramatic mezzanine.

The home’s “foundation system and roof system was pretty complex and had a lot of intricacies, but we felt up to the challenge. All that steel was very at home for us,” says Bartels. Both Dröm and Red House have thick commercial portfolios that number some of Asheville’s favorite breweries and restaurants.

But the element he and Todd speak most proudly of is the curved, steel-slatted wall at the entrance of the home that anchors the mezzanine. Much of the home’s custom metalwork was created and welded on site by Relics Fabrication and BTL Welding and Fabrication.

“It’s not a traditional foyer … but you need some space as you come in so the whole house is not revealed right away,” Todd explains. “That and the corresponding curve of the mezzanine itself” — which, due to its size, had to be forged in a facility in Chicago — “create a point of design where something different happens.” Meanwhile, Hight drew plans for the home’s three custom concrete hearths. Caleb Lawson built these luxury pieces even after his first efforts were washed out of the Lawson Design workshop in Canton by Hurricane Helene.

“We selected colors [for the concrete] from Caleb’s current library that coordinated with our tile selections,” notes Hight. “However, he can create color mixes if needed. Caleb truly understands customization, and his craftsmanship is paramount.”

Warmth and Scale

Horizontal steel transom beams subtly define the great room from the kitchen and the kitchen from the dining area; wood beams add warmth and scale. The rear 23-foot-high wall of windows is made of sliders that completely disappear into the walls on either side. Mechanized screens that drop from above keep pesky bugs out. The enormous fireplace chimney is framed in stacked stone (Aldana Construction Stonework), with large-format tiles (Horizon Tile & Stone) in the center. The hearth is concrete by Lawson Design.

Portal for Contemplation

The ceiling fixture first caught the homeowner’s eye while she was looking for lighting and furnishings for this small, intimate room. Drenched in moody color, specifically Benjamin-Moore’s “Pacific Sea Teal,” the space is used as an office and for meditative solitude. Custom shelving to display family heirlooms was built in-house by Dröm Construction. Contrary to the 20-foot-plus windows in the main part of the house, the single window here was a deliberate choice, intended to eliminate distractions.

Cozy Connection

The custom concrete corner fireplace in the primary bedroom (Lawson Design) with rock trim (by Aldana Construction Stonework) uses many of the same material components as the large, central fireplace in the living room, and was placed so the valley view was not interrupted. Interior Designer Mae Hight, co-owner of Guilded Home, says blue is the wife’s favorite color, and she wanted the room to convey a sense of calm and tranquility. Accordingly, the base of the bed is upholstered in steel-blue leather, a similar shade to the swivel chairs by Taylor King — a North Carolina furniture brand — selected by Hight. Floors throughout the home are French white oak with a gray wash, which keep them light and organic.

Add Heavy Cream

The homeowner requested that in addition to the everyday cabinets — rift-sawn white oak with a custom tobacco-hue stain — special ones be built to display glass and china. So Keystone Cabinetry made these, too, of glass-fronted matte-black steel. The impressive 12-foot island with waterfall edge is “Statuario Gold” marble from International Stone Distributors, two pieces cut from the same slab and butterfly matched so all the veins meet and mirror the other. The tile range hood weighs 1,800 pounds.

Ahead of the Curve

Architect Robert Todd describes the mezzanine as “a transition up to the primary suite that gives this interstitial space to sit and read a book or look out the window. It kind of sums up the aesthetic of the house — wood and steel and all handcrafted.” The curved slatted wall was made by Relics Fabrication.

Cottage Curb Appeal

Once the owners had embraced the modern and minimal ethos from their original English-cottage vision, Robert Todd (Red House Architects) suggested stucco for the outside because it delivers a clean and crisp look but is low maintenance and durable. The three-step process was done by hand — the base coat, scratch coat, and finished coat totaled just 7/8 of an inch. Designer Mae Hight of Guilded Home selected exterior paint and stain colors, decking, and soffit materials.

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Architect: Red House Architects (Asheville)