Houzz Tours
Blue Ridge Mountain House for Generations to Enjoy
An architect crafts a home on a hill, inspired by an old barn, where her extended family can gather in style
Based near the Chesapeake Bay in Annapolis, Maryland, architect Cathy Purple Cherry and her husband had long dreamed of a vacation home in the mountains. When they first began searching winding country roads in western Maryland and West Virginia, their children were still young. By the time the kids had grown up, Cherry and her husband were still looking but their needs had changed.
“We realized that we needed close proximity to a hospital and that our children would never come visit us if we were out in the middle of nowhere,” Cherry says. The search ultimately led them to a site ringed by mountain views in Afton, Virginia, conveniently located near Charlottesville, Virginia.
The home they built was influenced by several factors, including the site, the couple’s desire for single-floor living and their wish for open spaces that would contrast sharply with their circa-1740 Maryland house, which had small rooms, low ceilings and narrow hallways. They also knew that their children would want private spaces of their own within the weekend retreat, with room for future children. The couple’s five dogs — and Cherry’s desire for a painting studio where she could work while staying connected to family life — also shaped the design.
“We realized that we needed close proximity to a hospital and that our children would never come visit us if we were out in the middle of nowhere,” Cherry says. The search ultimately led them to a site ringed by mountain views in Afton, Virginia, conveniently located near Charlottesville, Virginia.
The home they built was influenced by several factors, including the site, the couple’s desire for single-floor living and their wish for open spaces that would contrast sharply with their circa-1740 Maryland house, which had small rooms, low ceilings and narrow hallways. They also knew that their children would want private spaces of their own within the weekend retreat, with room for future children. The couple’s five dogs — and Cherry’s desire for a painting studio where she could work while staying connected to family life — also shaped the design.
Photo by Jason Cherry
The property spans about 65 acres. The couple cleared acreage for the home. With five dogs of their own and three belonging to their son, they added a large fenced area where the pack can run and play. Campion Hruby Landscape Architects also created a wildflower meadow, where ornamental grasses provide year-round interest and colorful blooms appear in summer and fall.
Abundant sunlight was a top priority and influenced their decision to purchase this property. “On our many searches for property, we found that land located between two mountains was shaded until about 11 a.m. and after 4 p.m.,” Purple Cherry says. “We needed more sunlight than that.”
The property spans about 65 acres. The couple cleared acreage for the home. With five dogs of their own and three belonging to their son, they added a large fenced area where the pack can run and play. Campion Hruby Landscape Architects also created a wildflower meadow, where ornamental grasses provide year-round interest and colorful blooms appear in summer and fall.
Abundant sunlight was a top priority and influenced their decision to purchase this property. “On our many searches for property, we found that land located between two mountains was shaded until about 11 a.m. and after 4 p.m.,” Purple Cherry says. “We needed more sunlight than that.”
Approaching the home’s steel-and-glass doors on the right, visitors are greeted with views of the Blue Ridge Mountains to the left. Walls of glass fill the entry breezeway with natural light.
Because Cherry and her husband plan to use this home for the rest of their lives, everything they need is on the 2,600-square-foot main level. They can enter directly from the garage or the front entry without navigating a single step.
The opening behind the blue pocket door leads to the garage and the staircase to the son’s apartment above it. That apartment contains two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room and a kitchen.
A custom cream paint covers every wall in the house, while each door is painted a slate blue.
Because Cherry and her husband plan to use this home for the rest of their lives, everything they need is on the 2,600-square-foot main level. They can enter directly from the garage or the front entry without navigating a single step.
The opening behind the blue pocket door leads to the garage and the staircase to the son’s apartment above it. That apartment contains two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room and a kitchen.
A custom cream paint covers every wall in the house, while each door is painted a slate blue.
Cherry layered in color through textiles, artwork and furnishings she collected over about five years. She made several trips to Schwung, a creative studio in High Point, North Carolina, to select antiques such as the carved door on the left. At Asia Minor Carpet, she purchased Turkish rugs that bring pattern and warmth to the floors.
Keeping the budget balanced required careful choices. “I really wanted Cor-Ten steel for the roof, and my husband really wanted [radiant-heat] floors,” Cherry says. To offset the costs of those elements, she used a commercial-grade large-format floor tile that mimics rustic wood throughout the main level. It was affordable and is durable enough to handle the dogs.
Other savings came from buying light fixtures from Visual Comfort on sale, cutting the number of recessed lights in half, choosing budget-friendly appliances and skipping smart home features. Cherry also found large pieces — such as the cabinet on the right side of the hallway — during a major sale at Restoration Hardware.
“Everything on the floor was 80% off, and with my trade discount it was 90%,” she says. Those savings left room in the budget for the features that mattered most to her and her husband, including the Cor-Ten steel roof and radiant floor heating throughout the home.
Keeping the budget balanced required careful choices. “I really wanted Cor-Ten steel for the roof, and my husband really wanted [radiant-heat] floors,” Cherry says. To offset the costs of those elements, she used a commercial-grade large-format floor tile that mimics rustic wood throughout the main level. It was affordable and is durable enough to handle the dogs.
Other savings came from buying light fixtures from Visual Comfort on sale, cutting the number of recessed lights in half, choosing budget-friendly appliances and skipping smart home features. Cherry also found large pieces — such as the cabinet on the right side of the hallway — during a major sale at Restoration Hardware.
“Everything on the floor was 80% off, and with my trade discount it was 90%,” she says. Those savings left room in the budget for the features that mattered most to her and her husband, including the Cor-Ten steel roof and radiant floor heating throughout the home.
At the couple’s home in Annapolis, the hallways are narrow and the ceilings are lower than 7 feet. Here, she wanted the opposite. The main hallway is wide enough to accommodate furniture.
Find a builder on Houzz
Find a builder on Houzz
“As you get older and the kids are gone, you have to decide if you and your husband want to be in close proximity,” Cherry says. She notes that there can be a lot of calling out “What did you say?” between rooms.
To keep people connected, she clustered the main spaces. The great room combines the kitchen, family room and dining area. Cherry’s glass-enclosed painting studio sits behind double sliding barn doors on the left, with the dining area in front of it.
7 Ways to Make Your Living Room More Sociable
To keep people connected, she clustered the main spaces. The great room combines the kitchen, family room and dining area. Cherry’s glass-enclosed painting studio sits behind double sliding barn doors on the left, with the dining area in front of it.
7 Ways to Make Your Living Room More Sociable
“I wanted us to be able to see the 195-degree views from the great room at all times,” Cherry says. “I wanted to be able to sit on the sofa and see the fireplace, the TV and the view all at once.” Overhead, reclaimed beams with a rugged patina reinforce the “old barn on a hill” inspiration.
A 12-foot island separates the kitchen from the family room, offering ample cabinet storage and casual seating. Because Cherry didn’t want cabinets along the kitchen’s window wall, she designed a back kitchen to support the main space. Openings from both the kitchen and the hallway provide easy access while allowing the main kitchen to remain clean and uncluttered.
The back kitchen includes a second sink, dishwasher and refrigerator, along with china cabinets painted the same slate blue as the doors throughout the house. Counter space holds small appliances such as the toaster and Keurig coffee maker, and a walk-in food pantry is across the hall. Flower arranging is another activity here. Cherry notes that she and her husband used nearly every vase on the open shelves when they hosted their son’s wedding at the house.
“When working within an open plan, you have to decide if you’d be happier with the dining area in between the kitchen island and the casual seating, or happier with it off to the side,” Cherry says. She placed the dining area off to the side. The table extends to seat 12, as pictured.
See why you should hire a professional who uses Houzz Pro software
See why you should hire a professional who uses Houzz Pro software
Large windows in the studio match the home’s exterior windows and frame views across the dining area to the mountains. The windows and sliding barn doors keep Cherry connected to the great room while still allowing her to close off the studio when she needs to focus.
Ample countertop space and a farm table give her room to spread out when she’s painting. A small sink area to the left is dedicated to cleaning brushes. Although work has kept her busy, Cherry plans to spend more time painting at the mountain house in the future.
The primary bedroom looks west toward the mountains, offering beautiful views to wake up to each morning. The couple plans to add window treatments when the budget allows. Warm bedding tones create an inviting feel; many of the textiles are made from repurposed saris.
In the primary bathroom, a large bathtub is positioned to capture the widest views. A zero-threshold shower and a separate toilet room sit at the opposite end.
Cherry found the double vanity at the Restoration Hardware floor-model sale. Knowing the mountain house wouldn’t be ready for years, she topped it with back-painted glass and used it as a worktable in her firm’s Charlottesville office for several years. When it was time to install it here, she removed the top.
Check out our guide to get started on your home project
Cherry found the double vanity at the Restoration Hardware floor-model sale. Knowing the mountain house wouldn’t be ready for years, she topped it with back-painted glass and used it as a worktable in her firm’s Charlottesville office for several years. When it was time to install it here, she removed the top.
Check out our guide to get started on your home project
The daughter’s lower-level apartment includes its own kitchen. Because her daughter had always wanted a yellow kitchen, Cherry chose a marigold shade for the cabinets. Apartment-size appliances include a four-burner 24-inch range and a 24-inch refrigerator.
The lower-level apartment also has two bedrooms with en suite bathrooms, as well as an exercise room, a powder room and a sauna. Concrete floors with radiant heat run throughout. The living room palette echoes the colors of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Upstairs, above the garage, the couple’s son and daughter-in-law enjoy sweeping mountain views. Their apartment includes a kitchen open to the living room, along with a primary suite and a second bedroom and bathroom.
The years it took Cherry and her husband to find the right property ultimately ensured that the home would suit them for the rest of their lives — while also drawing their children and future grandchildren back again and again to spend time together in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
More on Houzz
Read more home tours
Browse millions of photos for ideas
Find home design and construction professionals
The years it took Cherry and her husband to find the right property ultimately ensured that the home would suit them for the rest of their lives — while also drawing their children and future grandchildren back again and again to spend time together in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
More on Houzz
Read more home tours
Browse millions of photos for ideas
Find home design and construction professionals
Sponsored
House at a Glance
Who lives here: This is a second home for Cathy Purple Cherry, her husband, their three adult children, their daughter-in-law and lots of dogs
Location: Afton, Virginia
Size: 6,500 square feet (604 square meters); five bedrooms, 5½ bathrooms
Designers: Purple Cherry Architecture (architecture and interior design) and Campion Hruby Landscape Architects (landscape architecture)
Builder: Ilex Construction
“I had to decide if I wanted the house to stand out or not,” Cherry says. “I decided I wanted it to be more quiet. Like an old barn sitting on top of a hill.” She nestled the structure into the landscape and used hemlock siding and a Cor-Ten steel roof to evoke the look of a weathered barn.
The exterior offers clues to the floor plan. A long gabled roofline runs north to south. The garage sits on the far left, with an entry breezeway connecting it to the rest of the house. From there, a long hallway leads to the great room at the far right. Beneath the cross-gabled roof in the center are the laundry room, a closet, a powder room and stairs to the lower level on one side, with the primary suite on the other.
The studio apartment over the garage is the couple’s son’s domain, while the lower level belongs to their daughter. Both were designed as fully functional apartments with full kitchens.
“This is the first time my husband has ever had a garage in his life, so I made it an oversized three-car garage,” Cherry says. “At our home in Maryland, he’s always losing things between a shed and a barn. I wanted a place for him to be able to keep all his tools in one place.”
Find an architect on Houzz