This Light-Filled Tennessee Dream Home Was 40 Years in the Making
A retired couple used Houzz to find design professionals to help build a spacious home that can easily host 100
Mitchell Parker
November 3, 2020
Houzz Editorial Staff. Home design journalist writing about cool spaces, innovative trends, breaking news, industry analysis and humor.
Houzz Editorial Staff. Home design journalist writing about cool spaces, innovative... More
For four decades, Dorinda Smith designed her future dream home in her head. She always knew that one day she’d retire, return to her family’s land in Tennessee — where her ancestors had been since 1792, before Tennessee was even a state — and build a spacious home for throwing large family parties. “It was kind of my happy place,” she says. “When things got stressed, every night before sleep I would think about different rooms, the design features, what I wanted it to look like, the parties we would have, all that.”
In 2016, she and husband Brant kickstarted that dream from Virginia, where they had lived and worked for 30 years. The couple searched Houzz for design professionals in Franklin, Tennessee, and found Noble Johnson Architects and interior designer Sarah Ashley to see their plans to completion, collaborating along the way using Houzz ideabooks. Working with the Smiths and builder Adam Forte, the design team created a whitewashed brick home that centers around a large, light-filled great room that’s comfortable and durable enough to host 100 people.
In 2016, she and husband Brant kickstarted that dream from Virginia, where they had lived and worked for 30 years. The couple searched Houzz for design professionals in Franklin, Tennessee, and found Noble Johnson Architects and interior designer Sarah Ashley to see their plans to completion, collaborating along the way using Houzz ideabooks. Working with the Smiths and builder Adam Forte, the design team created a whitewashed brick home that centers around a large, light-filled great room that’s comfortable and durable enough to host 100 people.
Photos by Garett and Carrie Buell of Studiobuell
House at a Glance
Who lives here: Retirees Dorinda and Brant Smith; Dorinda retired as CEO of SunTrust Mortgage in 2018 and Brant retired from human resources at the Defense Department in 2004
Location: Franklin, Tennessee
Size: 4,600 square feet (427 square meters); four bedrooms, 4½ bathrooms
Architect: Noble Johnson Architects
Interior designer: Ashley Rohe Home
Builder: Forte Building Group
Dorinda’s roots in Tennessee run deep. Like, really deep. Her relatives settled in the area in 1792, before Tennessee was a state. A few years later, a great-uncle hand-wrote the state constitution. “My family is really ingrained in the state,” Dorinda says.
In 1922, her grandfather bought a house and farmland in Franklin. Dorinda’s father grew up in the house, as did she. In 1946, her father returned from World War II and bought a 60-acre parcel adjacent to his father’s land. Dorinda grew up playing on that land, and eventually her parents deeded the acreage to her and her siblings in 2004, the year her mother died.
On one of the couple’s early dates, 42 years ago while walking the property, Dorinda pointed to the ground and told Brant, “I’m going to build my dream home here.” After the death of their father in 2013, she and her siblings divided up the 60 acres. Dorinda’s siblings sold their parcels but she kept hers, where the family had scattered her father’s ashes. To say the land is important to her is an understatement.
Once Dorinda connected with the design team, her dream began to unfold as planned. She had a general idea of what she wanted the layout to be, the overall style, the roofline style, but she didn’t have specifics for the finer details. She relied on her designers and builders to flesh that out.
Here, English oaks line the driveway leading to the house, which the architects helped properly site on the rocky land.
Watch now: See how this custom Tennessee dream home came together
House at a Glance
Who lives here: Retirees Dorinda and Brant Smith; Dorinda retired as CEO of SunTrust Mortgage in 2018 and Brant retired from human resources at the Defense Department in 2004
Location: Franklin, Tennessee
Size: 4,600 square feet (427 square meters); four bedrooms, 4½ bathrooms
Architect: Noble Johnson Architects
Interior designer: Ashley Rohe Home
Builder: Forte Building Group
Dorinda’s roots in Tennessee run deep. Like, really deep. Her relatives settled in the area in 1792, before Tennessee was a state. A few years later, a great-uncle hand-wrote the state constitution. “My family is really ingrained in the state,” Dorinda says.
In 1922, her grandfather bought a house and farmland in Franklin. Dorinda’s father grew up in the house, as did she. In 1946, her father returned from World War II and bought a 60-acre parcel adjacent to his father’s land. Dorinda grew up playing on that land, and eventually her parents deeded the acreage to her and her siblings in 2004, the year her mother died.
On one of the couple’s early dates, 42 years ago while walking the property, Dorinda pointed to the ground and told Brant, “I’m going to build my dream home here.” After the death of their father in 2013, she and her siblings divided up the 60 acres. Dorinda’s siblings sold their parcels but she kept hers, where the family had scattered her father’s ashes. To say the land is important to her is an understatement.
Once Dorinda connected with the design team, her dream began to unfold as planned. She had a general idea of what she wanted the layout to be, the overall style, the roofline style, but she didn’t have specifics for the finer details. She relied on her designers and builders to flesh that out.
Here, English oaks line the driveway leading to the house, which the architects helped properly site on the rocky land.
Watch now: See how this custom Tennessee dream home came together
The couple had wanted a stone-covered exterior but that option was out of their budget, so builder Adam Forte recommended whitewashed brick instead. Dorinda found a photo on Houzz of exactly what she liked — the color of the brick, the color of the wash, how much wash to use — and gave the picture to Forte. “It’s exactly what I wanted,” she says.
The front door opens into the most-used area of the home: a breezy great room flooded with light from six French doors.
Architect Bill Johnson loves windows, and it shows. In fact, when the Smiths were getting ready to move in, Dorinda realized there was nowhere to hang art. For some visual detail, architect Christian Noble came up with a design for trim that the finish carpenters then installed. “It’s absolutely gorgeous,” Dorinda says. “It’s very simple but probably one of my favorite design aspects of the house. Adding those little touches of trim makes a huge difference in the way the house looks.”
For the furnishings in the living area, which had to comfortably seat dozens of people, the Smiths worked from Virginia with interior designer Ashley — who was 600 miles away in Nashville — by coordinating through Houzz ideabooks. By looking through photos the couple had saved, Ashley got a feel for the style they wanted in their home. “She got a really good sense of what my design style was,” Dorinda says. “It really made the communication more effective by sharing pictures rather than just talking about what you like.”
Ashley responded with seating pieces that can be moved around as needed and that are upholstered in durable outdoor fabrics from Sunbrella and Crypton. “I wanted the fabrics in the room to hold up to shoes, stains and the sun,” Ashley says. “I didn’t want [the Smiths] to worry about anything. If a guest drops a glass of wine, they’re not freaking out.”
The couple hosted one of their two daughters’ weddings in the home about six months after they moved in. “We had 100 people here and it was no effort at all to have that many in this house,” Dorinda says. “It wasn’t crowded in the least. It flowed very nicely.”
Trim paint: Snowbound White, Sherwin-Williams; ceiling inset paint: Elder White, Sherwin-Williams
Architect Bill Johnson loves windows, and it shows. In fact, when the Smiths were getting ready to move in, Dorinda realized there was nowhere to hang art. For some visual detail, architect Christian Noble came up with a design for trim that the finish carpenters then installed. “It’s absolutely gorgeous,” Dorinda says. “It’s very simple but probably one of my favorite design aspects of the house. Adding those little touches of trim makes a huge difference in the way the house looks.”
For the furnishings in the living area, which had to comfortably seat dozens of people, the Smiths worked from Virginia with interior designer Ashley — who was 600 miles away in Nashville — by coordinating through Houzz ideabooks. By looking through photos the couple had saved, Ashley got a feel for the style they wanted in their home. “She got a really good sense of what my design style was,” Dorinda says. “It really made the communication more effective by sharing pictures rather than just talking about what you like.”
Ashley responded with seating pieces that can be moved around as needed and that are upholstered in durable outdoor fabrics from Sunbrella and Crypton. “I wanted the fabrics in the room to hold up to shoes, stains and the sun,” Ashley says. “I didn’t want [the Smiths] to worry about anything. If a guest drops a glass of wine, they’re not freaking out.”
The couple hosted one of their two daughters’ weddings in the home about six months after they moved in. “We had 100 people here and it was no effort at all to have that many in this house,” Dorinda says. “It wasn’t crowded in the least. It flowed very nicely.”
Trim paint: Snowbound White, Sherwin-Williams; ceiling inset paint: Elder White, Sherwin-Williams
The kitchen occupies one end of the great room. Dorinda wanted very few cabinets. “I like drawers rather than cabinets,” she says. “Drawers are easier to organize.”
The island with range faces an opening that connects to the dining area, where a banquette sits against the backside of the island. “If I’m in the kitchen cooking and friends are on the sofa in the great room I can still have a conversation while doing what I’m doing,” Dorinda says.
Watch now: See more of this kitchen on Houzz TV
The island with range faces an opening that connects to the dining area, where a banquette sits against the backside of the island. “If I’m in the kitchen cooking and friends are on the sofa in the great room I can still have a conversation while doing what I’m doing,” Dorinda says.
Watch now: See more of this kitchen on Houzz TV
Two sets of windows bring lots of sunshine into the room. A marble mosaic tile backsplash surrounds the bottom set of four-pane windows.
Dorinda says she likes the look of marble but that’s about it. “I don’t like the upkeep of marble. I don’t like the expense of marble,” she says. So for the counters she chose quartz that mimics the veining and striations of marble.
A stainless steel dishwasher drawer sits to the right of a paneled standard-size dishwasher, giving the couple extra dishwashing capacity during parties.
Cabinet paint and trim: Elder White, Sherwin-Williams
Dorinda says she likes the look of marble but that’s about it. “I don’t like the upkeep of marble. I don’t like the expense of marble,” she says. So for the counters she chose quartz that mimics the veining and striations of marble.
A stainless steel dishwasher drawer sits to the right of a paneled standard-size dishwasher, giving the couple extra dishwashing capacity during parties.
Cabinet paint and trim: Elder White, Sherwin-Williams
A trash and recycling pullout sits next to a microwave in the island.
One end of the kitchen features a baking station with a dedicated pullout for Dorinda’s stand mixer and storage for baking sheets and tools.
Although Dorinda stands just over 5 feet tall, she wanted the countertop at standard height in case she and Brant ever sell the house. To give her a little lift, she has a pullout wood block hidden in the toekick that she can stand on, raising her 4 inches. “I can knead bread and not have to kill my shoulders,” she says. “I’m pretty delighted with that baking center.”
Although Dorinda stands just over 5 feet tall, she wanted the countertop at standard height in case she and Brant ever sell the house. To give her a little lift, she has a pullout wood block hidden in the toekick that she can stand on, raising her 4 inches. “I can knead bread and not have to kill my shoulders,” she says. “I’m pretty delighted with that baking center.”
A keeping room off the kitchen is perhaps the Smiths’ favorite space. It includes a fireplace, comfortable chairs, a wine fridge, ice maker, liquor cabinet and views of the surrounding land.
The couple begin their day here with coffee and the paper and usually end up here in the evening with a drink. “We like to watch the trees leaf and watch the deer, wild turkeys, hawks, raccoons, owls and bobcats,” Dorinda says. “There’s a lot of wildlife and it’s fun.”
Watch now: See more of this custom dream home in Tennessee
The couple begin their day here with coffee and the paper and usually end up here in the evening with a drink. “We like to watch the trees leaf and watch the deer, wild turkeys, hawks, raccoons, owls and bobcats,” Dorinda says. “There’s a lot of wildlife and it’s fun.”
Watch now: See more of this custom dream home in Tennessee
Rather than a formal dining room, Dorinda wanted something more casual that was part of the main entertaining space. It also had to seat 12.
The custom banquette faces a large live-edge walnut table that Dorinda found on Houzz. “I can actually get probably 14 people around that table,” she says.
“It’s the biggest table I think I’ve ever installed at a client’s house,” designer Ashley says.
The Smiths have a lot of family in the area and Dorinda’s parents always threw a big Christmas party, with around 80 guests. Now Dorinda and Brant host the annual party.
The custom banquette faces a large live-edge walnut table that Dorinda found on Houzz. “I can actually get probably 14 people around that table,” she says.
“It’s the biggest table I think I’ve ever installed at a client’s house,” designer Ashley says.
The Smiths have a lot of family in the area and Dorinda’s parents always threw a big Christmas party, with around 80 guests. Now Dorinda and Brant host the annual party.
Ashley learned through Dorinda’s ideabooks that she leaned toward transitional style and preferred grays and blues. The homeowner talked a lot about ocean colors, in fact, and Ashley helped incorporate those hues into a home that sits on farmland rather than the coast.
“My style is very minimalist,” Dorinda says. “I don’t like a lot of clutter. I don’t like a lot of fussy stuff. I like real clean lines. I like a neutral palette but didn’t want white.”
Ashley also helped select pieces that didn’t block the sightlines through the great room. A pair of bamboo chairs, for example, don’t obstruct the eye the way heavy upholstered pieces would.
“My style is very minimalist,” Dorinda says. “I don’t like a lot of clutter. I don’t like a lot of fussy stuff. I like real clean lines. I like a neutral palette but didn’t want white.”
Ashley also helped select pieces that didn’t block the sightlines through the great room. A pair of bamboo chairs, for example, don’t obstruct the eye the way heavy upholstered pieces would.
The location of the house allowed the couple to go without window coverings. “Being on 14 acres we’re not concerned that much about privacy,” Dorinda says. “There’s nothing developed behind us for miles, so we don’t have window treatments in the back, which is something my husband had a hard time getting used to. He’s a city boy.”
Coffered 12-foot ceilings in the living area add to the roomy feel.
A fun feature Dorinda asked for is a hidden door to the right of the fireplace. Push on the paneling and it opens to a staircase leading to the second-floor bedrooms.
Watch now: See more of this home on the latest episode of Houzz TV
Coffered 12-foot ceilings in the living area add to the roomy feel.
A fun feature Dorinda asked for is a hidden door to the right of the fireplace. Push on the paneling and it opens to a staircase leading to the second-floor bedrooms.
Watch now: See more of this home on the latest episode of Houzz TV
Here’s a look at the hidden staircase.
The second floor contains two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a living area.
The second floor contains two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a living area.
Ashley reupholstered the two ottomans, which have translucent bases in keeping with the open feel she was going for. “We wanted things that went away and provided an airy thoroughfare,” she says.
Dorinda and Brant like different amounts of cushioning in their seats, so Ashley made one sofa and one blue recliner firm and the others soft.
Dorinda and Brant like different amounts of cushioning in their seats, so Ashley made one sofa and one blue recliner firm and the others soft.
The French doors open the living room to a large screened porch. The thick porcelain pavers are made to simulate slate.
The porch features dining and lounge areas.
The couple also wanted to make their home a place they could grow old in. Their bedroom is on the first floor, for example, and all of the doors are wide enough for a wheelchair. Their curbless shower can accommodate a wheelchair or walker if needed. A guest area over the garage includes a bedroom, bathroom, sitting area and kitchenette. “The apartment,” as the couple call it, could one day house a live-in health care provider. But the Smiths aren’t there yet.
“This was the dream,” Brant says. “A place where we could entertain, kind of ramble around and look at the beautiful sunset to the west. We’re going to be here the rest of our lives and it’s the kind of place where Dorinda says, ‘I’ll leave this house feet-first.’ ”
Watch now: See how the Smiths used Houzz to create their custom dream home
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The couple also wanted to make their home a place they could grow old in. Their bedroom is on the first floor, for example, and all of the doors are wide enough for a wheelchair. Their curbless shower can accommodate a wheelchair or walker if needed. A guest area over the garage includes a bedroom, bathroom, sitting area and kitchenette. “The apartment,” as the couple call it, could one day house a live-in health care provider. But the Smiths aren’t there yet.
“This was the dream,” Brant says. “A place where we could entertain, kind of ramble around and look at the beautiful sunset to the west. We’re going to be here the rest of our lives and it’s the kind of place where Dorinda says, ‘I’ll leave this house feet-first.’ ”
Watch now: See how the Smiths used Houzz to create their custom dream home
More on Houzz
See more episodes of Houzz TV
Get home design ideas
Find home professionals
Shop for products
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Beautiful home. Can you share the mosaic backsplash tiles, manufacturer and color?
@djob0001 Sure, the mosaic backsplash is Marble Systems: Avenza, Snow White Honed Large Lattice
i notice the owner wanted more drawers then cabinets where is the food stored?