It’s not unusual to refer to a cabin in the woods as a “hideaway,” but that generally implies a remote location, not the overriding aesthetic principle of the residence. Yet that is exactly the case with this family retreat on Fontana Lake, near the Tennessee border. “The recurring theme of the house is blurring the line between exterior components and the interior elements,” notes architect Nathan Bryant of Samsel Architects, who designed the home. “It was about maximizing the setting rather than making a grand architectural statement.”
To that end, Bryant utilized a reinterpretation of the “dog-trap cabin,” a rather common sounding description of a very elegant design solution that detaches the sleeping quarters from the living and dining areas, creating two distinct structures connected by a breezeway — in this case, a glass encased interior space similar to an atrium. “By parting the house to offer an unobstructed view of the lake, the western sky with the sunset and the Fontana Lake train trestle, the architecture gets out of the way of the landscape,” Bryant explains.
The exterior materials, too, were chosen to blend into the surroundings and camouflage the house: cedar shingles stained the tone of tree bark; bluestone that makes reference to the color of the lake; poured concrete that is board-formed with a faux-bois texture and, of course, abundant glass. Bryant reinforced the relationship between the structure and the setting by bringing these elements into the breezeway section, which also incorporates the front entry, creating a seamless transition from the outdoors when entering the house from either side.
Inside, oak slats line the walls and floors. Designer Traci Kearns of Alchemy Design Studio chose a grayish wash to tone down the amber color in the wood. “The wood almost resembles driftwood,” she says, “and it has a somewhat raw quality to it, even though it has a fairly complex finish. The palette was very conscious of the light coming into the space. The idea was for it to be serene, so the materials that we used on the interior are fairly neutral and quiet.”
The great room area features a monumental hanging “trellis” with concealed up-lighting — another integrating nod to outdoor elements — that defines the kitchen and dining areas, creating a more intimate sensibility in that space while allowing an enjoyment of the benefits of the soaring cathedral ceiling. “There’s an interesting juxtaposition in that the wood and other elements are rather light in the living room area, but as you move into the kitchen there is the dark island, the structural trellis and some darker side elements,” Kearns notes. In the kitchen itself, stainless steel trims, frosted glass cabinet fronts, polished aggregate quartz counters and island top and sandblasted glass tiles reflect the light from the lake.
Furnishings are classically modern — minimal, sculptural, comfortable and functional — intended to have a light feeling so as not to distract from the natural beauty beyond the windows. Sympathetic landscape architecture design by Hutch Kerns of Kerns Landscape Architecture and the careful work of builder Bill Baxter of The William Baxter Company minimized the disturbance to that placid setting and allowed the site to heal back quickly, giving the sense that the home has been in place for many years.
So, ultimately, this hideaway does make a statement, but it does so quietly, in a whisper that says: “I belong.” Which is a powerful statement, indeed.