Parade of Homes shows every luxury mountain vernacular
Photo by Ryan Theede
This elegant and lively stone-and-cedar home in Arden’s Southcliff community, constructed by Living Stone Design + Build, was only completed three months ago. However, homeowners Laurie and Chris Bailey aren’t the kind of couple who postpone a party. Asked by Living Stone if they could have the new residence showcased on the Asheville Home Builders Association’s annual Parade of Homes, they agreed right away. “We thought it was special, as well,” says Laurie.
Photo by Ryan Theede
But the air of festivity was established long before. When Kristen Levy with ID.ology Interiors & Design first met the Baileys, they revealed that they had 500 bottles of wine in their keeping — and Levy responded: “Well. That’s something to celebrate.”
Indeed it was. “We didn’t want to hide the wine room away,” says Levy. “We wanted it to be a focal point. As you’re coming down the staircase, it’s the first thing you see; it sets the tone for the rest of the space — for entertaining and relaxing.”
Instead of stowing all those impressive vintages in some dark cellar, Levy implemented a wine showcase just off the main living area, giving it reasonable access to the kitchen suite. An iron-trimmed, floor-to-ceiling glass door (framed by Elite Metal Works in Mills River) swings open to reveal all the bottles nestled in their nooks. With the oak floor and traditional area rug and sconce setting up the contrast, it resembles nothing less than a wine library — Masterpiece Theatre edition, but with a hip facelift. It’s hard to imagine the toasty-looking niche feeling cool inside, but Levy confirms that the room enjoys its own temperature control.
“It was Kristen’s idea to have a glass facia [on the door]. We came up with a local artisan to do an iron frame — and it all came together,” notes Bailey.
Elsewhere in the house, additional master craftspeople, including carpenter Jason McDowell, have given the interior a heritage aura, as in McDowell’s tongue-and-groove woodwork accenting the living-room ceiling. Trends do pop up; e.g., in the ash-wood master bed (from green company Cisco Brothers) and navy-painted cabinetry, but even here, the stately color pastiche, set against bright white, isn’t likely to fade from relevance anytime soon.
A PACE (Promoting Advertising and Construction Excellence) winner as designated by the AHBA, the residence is one of around 40 stops on this year’s tour. Every type of upscale build is typically represented, including sleek ultra-contemporary projects, deep interpretations of the Arts & Crafts vernacular, rustic-chic estates thickly textured with rock and cedar, and modern farmhouses with crisp board exteriors and interior barn doors. Many of the featured homes have received green-building awards.
Photo by Ryan Theede
Photo by Ryan Theede
It takes a village of styles, as it were, to represent the full range of upscale construction in the Asheville area. As Levy states about the Bailey home’s use of mixed metals paired with softer, subtler elements, “the concept is a timeless look, while still trending … as though the home had been established, collected, and cultured.”
The Asheville Home Builders Association Parade of Homes happens Saturday, Oct. 12 and Sunday, Oct. 13 and again Saturday, Oct. 19 and Sunday, Oct. 20. 1-5pm. Free. For more information, see paradeofhomesasheville.com.
Resources
Architect: Brad Wright, Wright Design (Greenville, SC)
Builder: Living Stone Design + Build (Black Mountain)
Cabinetry: ID.ology Interiors & Design (Asheville)
Carpentry: Jason McDowell Construction (Fairview)
Interior Design: ID.ology Interiors & Design (Asheville)
Landscaping: Gardens for Living (Swannanoa)
Tile: Horizon Tile & Stone Gallery (Fletcher); Installed by Rick Martin, Carolina Designs (Asheville)
Steel/iron: Artisan wine-room door by Elite Metal Works (Mills River)
Stone: Wright Stone Works (Fairview)
Paint: Shiloh Painting (Asheville)