The Height of Intention – Carolina Home + Garden magazine

Home’s finessed footprint required next-level engineering

In the living room, Mountain Sound Builders installed a spruce tongue-and-groove ceiling, adding warmth to the modern home. PettlerWorks Architecture designed sky-high “loom windows” around the perimeter, topping the typical clerestory.
Photo by David Dietrich

Joshua Pettler is fond of obscure terminology. The boutique architect says “loom windows” instead of the familiar “clerestory,” referring to long, horizontal glass panes set high in the wall. Today a clerestory is a sophisticated feature, but loom windows were purely utilitarian, offering visibility in 19th-century weavers’ workshops where spinning often took place at the attic level.

Pettler also veers away from the trendy term Mountain Modern. He says his design of Cindy and Clay Brelsford’s home is simply “inspired by the mountain vernacular.” Its “simple shed rooflines,” he adds, “are a nod to local agrarian structures,” although here that’s expressed as restrained, contemporary quietude. The Couch Mountain community was developed with large plots and a green mindset including common gardens and hiking trails. With this house, stacked native stone used inside and out, plus details like a stately wooden front door, add the warmth of natural materials to complement the woodsy surround.

The community’s long-range views are seen from a ridgeline, and that means its homes must be integrated precisely into the slope. For the Brelsford project, Pettler used a “slender, linear” footprint, varying the massing with multiple bump-outs to add light and designing discreet wings to delineate common and private areas.

The architect, founder and proprietor of PettlerWorks Architecture, is also known for his work on tiny homes and custom commercial spaces. His bespoke vision aligns with the approach of Mountain Sound Builders, who constructed the house on the topographically tricky lot. Co-owner Corey Black remarks, “We haven’t built the same type of house twice — ever.”

Black’s simpatico focus is tight on details. He notes, for example, that together with the exterior stone trim Mountain Sound used high-tech Hardie Artisan cladding; a notch above the more standard Hardie Plank siding, it is impenetrable to mountain weather and mitered for a seamless modernity.

“The corners are doubly thick, but it’s very streamlined. There’s no trim,” explains Black. However, the engineering starts from the inside out, and in fact, “we over-engineer to accommodate [for the mountain climate],” he says. “We put the good work into making sure everything behind the walls is conscientiously done — very strong, and absolutely correct.

“If you don’t make sure of that, whatever’s on the outside of the house may not matter.”

The builder also notes that the house’s sleek, tight roof will mean “little to no maintenance” for the retired homeowners.

Cindy and Clay, once high-school sweethearts, are now the grandparents of five. “We’ve been hanging out for 52 years,” quips Cindy. (They celebrate their 46th wedding anniversary this June.) Black notes that many married couples who commission custom residences ask for their his-and-hers spaces to be located on far ends of the household; thus he was charmed to build a studio for Cindy and an office for Clay situated side by side above the garage.

“I thought that was fantastic — a really sweet request,” says Black, whose own wife Anne is the other owner of Mountain Sound Studios.

The Brelsfords are long-time Texans who finally decided they needed a cooler climate. Because they designed two other homes before moving to the North Carolina mountains, they selected all the finishes and furnishings themselves. Elements of the “Texas Tuscan” interior of their last home are reinterpreted as a sophisticated rusticity: a brick backsplash here, a stone wall there, soft earthy hues in the blue-green palette.

Cindy is an emerging painter and member of the Art League of Henderson County, and pieces from established local artists (sculptor Janet Leazenby, painter Diane Dean) adorn the home. Another work of art is the blackened-steel interior fireplace hearth constructed by Mountain Sound Builders Project Manager Norm Cunningham. Running to the top of the twenty-foot-high ceiling and visually anchored by a floating concrete bench, it was a daunting installation to pull off. “It’s probably my favorite element of this project,” says Norm. “The height of it, and the look and finish.”

“That’s the kind of professional Norm is,” notes Black. Rather like the loom workers of old who created intricate tapestries before the advent of electric light, “he takes something that is an enormous amount of work and makes it look easy.”

One Tall Order

Seen here in detail, the 20-foot-high, blackened-steel fireplace surround, engineered by Mountain Sound Project Manager Norm Cunningham, claims pride of place in the open living area. Together with the floating concrete shelf at its base, this major installation is “the centerpiece of the house,” says builder Corey Black. A pair of outdoor rooms provide all-weather access; at left is a maximum-view deck and at right, a screened-in porch. The porch boasts a striking fireplace surround of its own, this one fashioned out of naturally weathering corten steel. Flooring is luxury vinyl planks by Blue Ridge Floors, further setting the tone for the active mountain lifestyle.

Texture in the Mix

A chunky backsplash of 3D ceramic tile in “Trouvaille Greige,” via Carolina Designs, lends texture and character to the kitchen. The deep-sage shade of cabinetry with a mild Shaker edge is balanced by open, floating shelving (the latter crafted by Buffalo Construction) for wine glasses. The sleek island of “Dumont Leather” quartzite was executed with materials from SARE Granite and Tile. LVP flooring in “Ambridge Creole” is the ideal earthy complement (Blue Ridge Floors).

Something Old, Something New

Paired with a mirror from the couple’s former Texas Tuscan home, the solid-oak vanity was “another lucky find,” says homeowner Cindy Brelsford. This piece was discovered at local Tryon Antique Mall & Marketplace and refinished by Mountain Sound Project Manager Norm Cunningham, who repurposed it to accept a sink with a drain. The light fixtures are from the Gallery of Lights and the hardware is from Designer Accents (both of Texas). Sink from Ferguson Plumbing Supply.

Building a Dynasty

The arched, royal bed frame in the primary bedroom is nothing less than a statement piece. Architect Joshua Pettler answered its stately scale with even higher “loom windows.” Ten feet high, made of solid oak double doors, the headboard from Italy is complemented by the richly finished ceiling and the leather ottoman. Like the furniture, the nubby neutral textiles were also selected by the homeowners, who finished their interior themselves.

Light, Views, and V-Grooves

Mountain Sound Builders, owned by husband-and-wife team Corey and Anne Black, engineers all their homes to weather the fickle mountain climate. In the Couch Mountain community, that means integrating a home into a significant mountain slope. PettlerWorks Architecture introduced a linear footprint with the addition of bumped-out rooflines that stretch interior space and give additional access to light and views. The front door is solid mahogany with vertical V-groove beaded insets, made by Rogue Valley Door, an artisan company in Oregon.