Allison Marks is no mere dabbler when it comes to the mountains. Overflowing with memories, professing a deep love for the scenery she calls “heartbreakingly beautiful,” she talks about the three-generational “family home” she designed on Pinnacle Mountain in Henderson County for her parents, brother, daughter, grandchildren, and other near extended family.
“My brother and I had been coming to the Blue Ridge mountains for summer camp since the 1960s,” says the South Florida native. “Our parents, who were schoolteachers, had always wanted to own some land in Western NC, but at that time it was totally out of reach … when the opportunity arose in 2010 to purchase a homesite atop Mt. Pinnacle, where we had spent so many summers, my parents were able to realize it. One of the last things my father wanted to do before his passing was to start the building process.”
Sitting on more than two acres, at an elevation of 3,753 feet — the Continental Divide runs through the property — the house enjoys a resplendent view, with natural spaces meticulously crafted to honor the site. Locust, rhododendron, and other removed wood was made into furniture where possible. Whimsical touches — a vintage-bike-turned-planter, a flock of birdhouses grouped around a bench, a totem of street signs in various languages — brim with personality. While also fun, the property’s hand-hewn tiki hut and hammock-furnished gazebo broadcast a serious intention: they invite the home’s inhabitants and guests to spend as much time as possible internalizing the outdoor amenities.
The look: Upscale folksy
The location: Pinnacle Mountain
The luxe factor: Copious use of local plants and repurposed site materials to achieve a deeply indigenous feel
RESOURCES: Homeowner/Designer Allison Marks; Architect Vincent Wiegman, Wiegman Architecture PA; Landscape Architect (including water feature): Creative Landscapes by Drew Johnson; Landscape Design Carson Stuckey, Carolina Landscape Management; Builder John and Brian Bittle (Bittle Homes); Indoor and outdoor ironwork, fire pit: Iron Expressions, Aubrey Deaver; Outdoor furnishings and structures (bar, gazebo, railings, wood-pile cover, furniture): Jeff Wilkie, Wilkie Custom Furniture; Lighting Marshall Rimerman, Specialized Electronic Systems