Houzz Tour: At a Working Horse Farm, a Mix of Rustic and Refined
This North Carolina home features white oak beams, stone fireplaces and a cleverly designed central kitchen
Camille LeFevre
January 25, 2018
Houzz Contributor. Arts journalist specializing in design and architecture. Former editor of Architecture Minnesota, editor of Innovative Design Quarterly, contributor to Midwest Home and HomeDish blog, contributor to Architect's Newspaper and author of the monograph Charles R. Stinson: Compositions in Nature. Have also written for Architect, ICON and Architectural Record. On my bucket list: Modernism Week in Palm Springs; happy to have done Modernism Week in Phoenix in 2017!! More at camillelefevre.org
Houzz Contributor. Arts journalist specializing in design and architecture. Former... More
Photos by Todd Crawford Photography
House at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple with three children, including one daughter who lives here full time
Location: Mill Spring, North Carolina
Size: About 4,000 square feet (about 372 square meters)
Designers: Duncan McPherson of Samsel Architects and Allard + Roberts Interior Design
When the homeowners first saw this site on a knoll with views to the nearby mountains, they fell in love. It was the ideal perch to build a second home for vacations and a working horse farm to be run by their daughter. While they attempted to save the existing house on the site, it was beyond repair. But architect Duncan McPherson says the former structure “gave us cues as to what not to do. We ended up reorienting the new house to take advantage of views of the barn to the west, and the pastures and pond below to the north.”
The house is clad in western red cedar “for durability,” McPherson says, and has a standing seam metal roof “to make that agricultural connection.” The siding was treated with a finish product that “weathers the wood to the silvery look of old barns and farm structures.” The long form to the left houses the garage, mudroom and a guest suite.
House at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple with three children, including one daughter who lives here full time
Location: Mill Spring, North Carolina
Size: About 4,000 square feet (about 372 square meters)
Designers: Duncan McPherson of Samsel Architects and Allard + Roberts Interior Design
When the homeowners first saw this site on a knoll with views to the nearby mountains, they fell in love. It was the ideal perch to build a second home for vacations and a working horse farm to be run by their daughter. While they attempted to save the existing house on the site, it was beyond repair. But architect Duncan McPherson says the former structure “gave us cues as to what not to do. We ended up reorienting the new house to take advantage of views of the barn to the west, and the pastures and pond below to the north.”
The house is clad in western red cedar “for durability,” McPherson says, and has a standing seam metal roof “to make that agricultural connection.” The siding was treated with a finish product that “weathers the wood to the silvery look of old barns and farm structures.” The long form to the left houses the garage, mudroom and a guest suite.
The main living, dining and kitchen areas lie to the left of the front entrance, and are bracketed on both ends by fireplaces of Tennessee fieldstone. The pendant lights in the living room are from Masiero. The open living spaces serve the homeowners’ desire to create a comfortable environment for entertaining during large family gatherings. There are plenty of spaces for spreading out, whether eating or cooking, watching TV or chatting by the fireplace.
The art on the walls have been collected by the homeowners during their travels around the world. The colorful pieces add life to the neutral furniture and finishes.
The art on the walls have been collected by the homeowners during their travels around the world. The colorful pieces add life to the neutral furniture and finishes.
McPherson situated the kitchen at the center of the main living area, where multiple islands provide workspaces and large windows ensure a visual connection with the outdoors. The color and materials palette in this main living area were selected to be calm and neutral. All of the wood — floors, ceilings, ceiling beams, posts — is white oak. Four white oak floor-to-ceiling beams frame each side of the kitchen, demarcating the space while keeping an open feel. The wood-and-metal bar stools are from Resource Decor.
Find more bar stools
Find more bar stools
The large kitchen window faces south with a built-in workspace that McPherson calls “command central.” The custom cabinets were painted white. A built-in refrigerator is just to the right of the window and hidden behind cabinets.
Range: Wolf; countertops: Caesarstone
Range: Wolf; countertops: Caesarstone
The daughter who lives here full time and tends to the horses uses this bedroom. A window seat with built-in shelves provides a comfortable spot to curl up with a book.
McPherson positioned the master bedroom on the opposite side of the entrance, well away from the bustling living, dining and kitchen spaces. A wood-paneled wall of white oak behind the bed and painted ceiling beams distinguish the space. The bed, chair and ottomans are from Vanguard Furniture.
McPherson embedded the double sinks in the master bath into floating oak cabinets with white Caesarstone tops. Above the inset mirrors, two clerestory windows draw in natural light. The shower and floor tile are from Artistic Tile. Towel warmers, sleek drawer pulls and faucets and a curbless shower complete the bath.
The home’s lower level has a game room with table shuffleboard and table tennis. In the background a built-in wet bar sits underneath accordion windows that open up to a screened porch.
On the other side of the game room is a wall of salvaged barn wood with matching doors that can slide to conceal the TV.
The homeowners plan to make this house their forever home one day and therefore wanted it to include several green building features, including a solar panel array on the roof, geothermal heating and an EnergyStar certification. “This is a mountain-modern home that will eventually, as the couple gets closer to retirement, become much more than a getaway,” McPherson says.
More home tours: Apartments | Small Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | All
The homeowners plan to make this house their forever home one day and therefore wanted it to include several green building features, including a solar panel array on the roof, geothermal heating and an EnergyStar certification. “This is a mountain-modern home that will eventually, as the couple gets closer to retirement, become much more than a getaway,” McPherson says.
More home tours: Apartments | Small Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | All
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Thank you! That means alot to us. :)
Still (im)patiently waiting for images of the barn and horses! ;-)
That's a lot of beige.