The Great Cooldown

Four-season Ramble home explores the lighter side of traditional

By: Catherine Brooke Eastman

Though the owners of this home in The Ramble are long-time Southerners, they cribbed a bit of New England history with gray cedar shingles. Customized local stone kept the palette a cool neutral. 
Photo by Ryan Theede

After 20 years living in central Texas, Carrie and Bob Thomas were ready for a geographical change. Even a change of leaves would do.

Now settled in the lush woods of The Ramble in South Asheville, the retirees enjoy the splendors of autumn, along with three other distinct seasons. Carrie Thomas admits the Carolina coast beckoned for a while — but, like Texas, “that was just another hot climate,” she notes. Her mother’s roots were in Western NC, so those mountain memories ultimately made the decision. 

Headed into winter, the couple will experience the local lifestyle to the fullest thanks to a heated screened porch, part of a fresh, gracious custom build by Buchanan Construction.

Thomas, a long-time runner who enjoys playing pickle ball, cherishes all the trees — “trees everywhere,” she says. “It’s just so beautiful.” Bob is an avid reader, and his office blooms with custom built-ins by High Country Cabinetry.

A sunny-white palette is set off by textiles and art in creamy blues. Floors and furniture land on the silver side of neutral.

“This was one of my favorite projects,” says Kelle Vickery with LS Interior Design. “Carrie and Bob are such fun, interesting people. They loved the idea of using hand-crafted materials.” The white-oak dining-room table and family-room sideboard were custom crafted by Making Whole, a local apprenticeship program for men in recovery; its founder is Jeremy French. The Turkish rugs were sourced locally, through Textura Rugs and Togar Rugs.

“Carrie loves blue and white,” notes the designer, “and this combination of colors became a theme as we selected fabrics and wallpaper. Being empty nesters, [the Thomases] could also weave in white upholstery that really made the blue pop.”

Parents to three grown children living in scattered locales, the couple appreciates the social activities that happen in the close-knit Ramble, where many folks, like them, are settling from out of state. They chose Buchanan Construction because “they’ve done such a wide variety of homes,” says Thomas, “not just a lot of one style.”

Architect Tad Dotson notes the home’s “well-proportioned roof slopes and window articulations,” as well as “the large windows in the rear bringing the beautiful Ramble forest inside.”

“I wanted the windows to be the biggest that they could be,” says Thomas.

To nail the particulars, another interior designer, Madison McGraw-Parries with Buchanan, administered all exterior materials, from garage doors to roof tiles, and hard interior finishes including cabinets, plumbing, trim, flooring, and doors. 

Curbside impression was important, and that involved close collaboration between the homeowners, McGraw-Parries, and local stonemasons (Hipps Stone supplied the material and Steep Creek Stoneworks installed it). 

“I didn’t want a lodge look — I didn’t want dark anywhere, in or out,” says Thomas. 

“The stone is very customized,” agrees McGraw-Parries. “It was taken from many palettes to make it white and gray instead of just all gray, and the mortar is also custom white.”

Gray cedar-shake siding nudges the whole look northward. McGraw-Parries acknowledges the Nantucket vernacular: “With the traditional but light feel, it takes on a Cape Cod feel.” 

This continues inside with white-painted moulding, wainscoting, coffered ceiling, arches, and mantel in the great room, all installed by Weaverville’s Biltwell Construction. “This house was certainly a team effort,” says Biltwell president Jordan Caldwell. “All in all, a challenging but rewarding project.”

The steep white dormers against gray shingle “really does bring in New England,” says Thomas. Not that it alters her original vision much. The trees visible through those big windows include firs as well as hardwoods, so she’s assured of that Blue Ridge nature immersion all year round.   

“Our lot slopes down, so if you’re walking in on the main level or going down to the lower level, there’s green in every window.”

All the Right Curves 

Homeowner Carrie Thomas loves blue and white, and interior designer Kelle Vickery (LS Interior Design) responded with a sophisticated set of linen chairs from Lee Industries. Cobalt-blue ottomans are from Hickory Chair. Print pillows from Schumacher. Architect Tad Dotson designed the home’s gracious arches and coffered ceiling, and these features, along with thick moulding and wainscoting, were installed by Biltwell Construction. Custom built-ins are by High Country Cabinetry.

Photo by Ryan Theede

A Solid Foundation

The dining-room centerpiece is a custom white-oak table created by the local artisans of Making Whole, an apprenticeship program for men recovering from drug addiction. Linen dining-room chairs are from Lee Industries. Chandelier and sideboard lamps are from Visual Comfort. Turkish rug is from local Textura Rugs. All of it was appointed by Kelle Vickery of LS Interior Design. Blue-toned painting is “A La Plage” by Alexis Walter.

Photo by Ryan Theede
Kelle Vickery added a royal touch to the foyer with a gold-framed mirror from Village Antiques and Interiors in Biltmore Village. Fine wainscoting is seen throughout the house, leaving an impression at once traditional and fresh (custom woodwork by Biltwell Construction).
Photo by Ryan Theede

White-Glove Service

“We kept everything timeless and classic,” notes interior designer Kelle Vickery of LS Interior Design. “Simply White” paint was used throughout the home. In the kitchen, the immaculate palette is set off by a compelling set of Hickory Chair upholstered bar stools: a modern geometric print in demure powder blue (Vickery). Construction interior designer Madison McGraw-Parries, with Buchanan Construction, chose mullioned cabinetry in modified Shaker lines from High Country Cabinetry; the company also made custom built-ins throughout the home. Pendant lighting is from Visual Comfort. Chevron backsplash tile is from Crossville Studios.

Photo by Ryan Theede

Bed of Clouds

This view of the primary bedroom shows off a coffered ceiling and traditional moulding (Architect Tad Dotson and G.C. Buchanan Construction, with custom woodwork by Biltwell Construction). Bedding is from Peacock Alley and the Hunter Douglas blinds come from Mountain Paint & Decorating in Asheville (soft interiors by Kelle Vickery). 

Photo by Ryan Theede

Bathed in Blue and White

Homeowner Carrie Thomas wanted light and lots of it, and that’s true even in the primary bath, where an array of painted plantation shutters (GBS Building Supply) flanks a deep soaking tub from Ferguson. Turkish rug from Togar.

Photo by Ryan Theede

New England Meets Southern Appalachia

Designed by Tad Dotson (T.A.D. Architect) and built by Buchanan Construction, both of Asheville, the Thomas home in the Ramble takes notes from New England with gray cedar-shake siding. But the light-toned exterior stone, sourced from Hipps Stone in Asheville and installed by Steep Creek Stoneworks in Brevard, is a breath of fresh mountain air customized by construction interior designer Madison McGraw-Parries (Buchanan). 

Photo by Ryan Theede

All-Season Sophistication

A fully appointed outdoor room oozes gracious living and includes a chef’s grill from Ferguson and a wood-burning fireplace with custom stone surround (Hipps Stone and Steep Creek Stoneworks with Buchanan Construction’s Madison McGraw-Parries). Kelle Vickery (LS Interior Design) selected wicker patio furniture from Kingsley-Bate in sophisticated contemporary neutrals. Stone floor by Jennings Builders Supply.

Photo by Ryan Theede

Resources

Architect: Tad Dotson, T.A.D. Architect, PLLC (Asheville)

Builder: Buchanan Construction (Asheville)

Construction Interior Designer: Madison McGraw-Parries (Buchanan)

Interior Designer: Kelle Vickery, LS Interior Design (Asheville)

Custom Woodwork: Biltwell Construction (Weaverville)

Cabinetry and Built-Ins: John Page, High Country Cabinetry (Asheville)

Countertops: Viktor’s Granite & Marble (Arden)

Flooring: Jennings Builders Supply and Hardware (Cashiers, Brevard, Franklin, Fletcher)

Custom Furniture (dining-room table, sideboard, desk): Making Whole (Asheville)

Blinds: Mountain Paint & Decorating (Asheville)

Custom mirror in lower level: BlackBird Frame & Art (Asheville). Antique mirror in foyer: Village Antiques and Interiors (Asheville)

Bath and Kitchen Appliances, Outdoor Grill, and Fixtures: Ferguson (Asheville)

Tile: Crossville Studios (Fletcher)

Stone: Sourced from Hipps Stone (Asheville)

Installed by Steep Creek Stoneworks (Brevard)

Doors and windows: GBS Building Supply (Fletcher)

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