There are those who believe that you need to travel to exotic locales in order to experience the superlative. The local and familiar are simply too…quotidian. But for globetrotters Michael Forde and Bill Griffin, their far-flung adventures taught them to recognize the extraordinary possibilities that existed just outside their own back door.
The style-savvy duo co-owns Four Corners Home and Mobilia — two of Asheville’s premier home furnishing and design showrooms. Four Corners began as an online wholesale business importing artisan baskets from South Africa, the first stop they visited on a nine-month grand tour of the world. Clearly, they know a good thing when they see it and have the talent and vision to turn an idea into a reality.
And so it was with their sleek, modern home in the Town Mountain section of Asheville, which began its life as a standard mid-century rancher. “We knew we wanted a Contemporary with a view, close to town,” Bill explains. “We soon discovered that there wasn’t such a thing out there and began thinking in terms of something we could make into a Contemporary.”
When a 1960s home nestled into a steep hillside became available last May, they snatched it up and began working with architect Jason Weil of Retro+Fit Design on plans for a renovation. “Our initial plan was to redo the first floor and to finish off the unfinished basement,” says Michael, “but we had some people over to the house for a July 4th party — a “Wrecking Ball” before deconstruction. Some friends were standing on street level, above the house, watching the fireworks. We realized that the view from there was astounding, so we decided to take advantage and expand up.”
Weil was delighted with the new direction. “That view became the driving principle in the design,” he says. “It was what the site lent itself to. It became our goal to blur the line between the outside and inside of the house — to capture the landscape and bring it into the house in every way possible.”
Nowhere is this imperative more apparent than in the new second floor living area. Nearly the entire expanse of the rear wall — over 20 feet total — is dedicated to a NanaWall: a set of concertina-style folding glass doors from Haywood Building Supply that open to the deck. Outside, whisper-thin stainless steel cable railings allow for a virtually uninterrupted line of sight that embraces downtown Asheville and extends beyond as far as Mt. Pisgah. The effect is that of being physically drawn into the landscape from the moment one enters the front door.
But capturing the view and integrating the outdoors into the design was only half the challenge. “We were very conscious of not wanting to give the impression of having taken a ranch house and pasted a box on top of it,” notes Michael. Creating continuity between the old and new sections of the home began with the roof. “It was critical, because it’s the first thing you see from the street — the first impression” says Weil. “The existing home had interesting roof lines, so we tried to incorporate them while creating a clean, contemporary line. The seamed metal roofing keeps it crisp.”
The exterior materials play a vital role in melding the two elements: concrete Hardie Board panels, with bronzed metal joints and cedar siding blend comfortably with the original laid stone foundation and help to maintain the horizontal lines of the structure. The pièce de résistance is a dramatic planked bridge that leads the visitor from street level to the new front door at the upper level, featuring industrial style steel stairs and railed by the same steel cables that secure the deck.
As design professionals, Bill and Michael were hands-on in the entire process; sourcing many of the materials themselves, including the exquisite carbon black, 12 by 24 matte finish ceramic tiles for the baths, the jarrah wood for the deck (“it’s as resilient as ipa wood, but sustainably harvested,” notes Bill), the Ikea cabinetry and the lighting. “The biggest challenge was finding a builder who really understood our vision and understood Contemporary design,” says Bill. “We worked with Brad Rice of Bellwether, and quickly developed a shorthand. I didn’t have to explain or justify wanting to do things a certain way.”
“Brad is one of the few builders who can do Contemporary and do it right,” Weil concurs. Like the house itself, the team came together beautifully. “It was such an easy build process,” Michael recalls. “We were on schedule; everybody got along. We were determined never to hold up the project because someone was waiting for a decision from us.”
Not a chance of that. The homeowners had a very clear sense of the overall aesthetic and direction of the house. And when it came to interior design, they had the ultimate resource: their two showrooms. “Our perspective with Four Corners and Mobilia has always been that we wouldn’t sell something if we wouldn’t put it in our own home,” says Michael. And indeed, they have.
With a minimalist color palette — there are only three paint hues used throughout the house — and a plethora of exquisite furnishings that combine a clean, modern style with comfort and ease, Griffin and Forde have created a sophisticated, yet unpretentious aerie that invites the visitor to relax and take in the world class panorama just beyond their back door.
It is a place where a pair of seasoned travelers finally takes their rest. “There are times,” says Michael, “when the city lights are glistening and it’s just breathtaking. Don’t think for a moment that we take this for granted. Sometimes we still have to pinch ourselves to know that it’s not a dream. It’s our home.”