Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: Contemporary Mountain Style in North Carolina
Three generations gather to enjoy indoor-outdoor living in this new aerie in the Blue Ridge Mountains
Having recently sold her business and retired, this matriarch was ready to start another phase of her life in a new home in Asheville, North Carolina, that her children and grandchildren would enjoy visiting. Making the most of sweeping Blue Ridge Mountain views, facilitating an indoor-outdoor lifestyle and comfortably housing three generations were the priorities.
Living Stone Design + Build owner Sean Sullivan stood on the steeply sloped site with her, figuring out where to place the house, driveway, pool, decks and patios. Then he collaborated with architect Jason Weil of Retro + Fit Design on the plans.
Living Stone Design + Build owner Sean Sullivan stood on the steeply sloped site with her, figuring out where to place the house, driveway, pool, decks and patios. Then he collaborated with architect Jason Weil of Retro + Fit Design on the plans.
Exterior and Hardscape
The contemporary mountain house has a mixed exterior palette of local fieldstone, cedar siding, metal and, on the right, Nichiha, a stained fiber-cement siding that looks like wood but is easier to maintain. Sullivan and his client came up with the home’s style by sharing Houzz ideabooks.
New to Houzz? Here’s How to Create and Use Ideabooks
The contemporary mountain house has a mixed exterior palette of local fieldstone, cedar siding, metal and, on the right, Nichiha, a stained fiber-cement siding that looks like wood but is easier to maintain. Sullivan and his client came up with the home’s style by sharing Houzz ideabooks.
New to Houzz? Here’s How to Create and Use Ideabooks
Sullivan’s client also wanted the home to have handmade touches and places to display her art collection. The custom mahogany-and-glass front door gives all who come knocking a preview of the craftsmanship inside. “One of our trim carpenters had spent the previous year tinkering with metal forging and made this 3-foot-long metal door handle,” Sullivan says.
A balcony above protects the door from inclement weather.
A balcony above protects the door from inclement weather.
The material palette is consistent throughout the property. The designers at Gardens for Living, for example, matched the stone on the retaining wall to the fieldstone on the house. The light-colored pathway pebbles inspired flooring in the bathrooms. And the color of the Cor-Ten planter wall and pool fencing appears inside as well.
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Find a landscape architect in your area
Main Floor’s Public Spaces
Sullivan created an open plan for the public spaces so that they all have mountain views. The flooring throughout is durable engineered white oak.
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Sullivan created an open plan for the public spaces so that they all have mountain views. The flooring throughout is durable engineered white oak.
Find hardwood flooring in the Houzz Shop
“It’s important to make an open floor plan feel homey and not cavernous. We accomplished this with furnishings and architectural details that delineate the spaces,” Sullivan says. He tucked a wine bar between the staircase and the kitchen, using the back of a kitchen cabinet wall to help define the space.
The carpenter who made the front door handle fabricated the sculptural wine rack. The lighted niche in the stair landing’s wall is one of the special display spaces Sullivan added for his client’s art collection.
Browse more photos of home bars on Houzz
The carpenter who made the front door handle fabricated the sculptural wine rack. The lighted niche in the stair landing’s wall is one of the special display spaces Sullivan added for his client’s art collection.
Browse more photos of home bars on Houzz
A rug anchors the living room, and the furniture is oriented toward the quartz fireplace. “The walnut built-ins around the fireplace bring the height of the ceiling down and make it feel cozier,” Sullivan says. Slim soffits over the shelves line up with the tops of the doors and contain lights to illuminate the artwork below.
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Shop for rugs on Houzz
Designers from IDology Interiors & Design plucked the color palette in the living room from the mountains and sky.
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Find a local interior designer
Sullivan designed a niche for a buffet and artwork to visually separate the living and dining areas. Another area rug and a long chandelier also define the dining area.
Shop for contemporary linear chandeliers
Shop for contemporary linear chandeliers
“The kitchen was one space we wanted to feel more closed in,” Sullivan says. So he tucked it in the back corner of the house and added the cabinet wall on the right. Clerestory windows let in natural light and views of the foliage. Two runs of cable wire provide a structure for overhead lights.
“The quartzite we found for the island is really special and makes a statement in here,” Sullivan says. The other design elements in the kitchen are supporting players. A waterfall counter in gray-blue creates a transition between the kitchen and dining areas, and it can be used as a buffet when large groups gather for meals.
What’s the Difference Between Quartzite and Quartz Countertops?
What’s the Difference Between Quartzite and Quartz Countertops?
Indoor-Outdoor Connection
Sullivan made access to the outdoors easy all over the house. Kolbe glass doors slide into pockets in the wall, opening a 16-foot-wide doorway between the living room and the deck.
The house sits on a steel beam frame that supports this cantilevered deck and the one below it on the lower level. The decks span the mountain-facing side of the house. The far end of this deck leads to a large porch off the dining area that leads to the pool.
Sullivan made access to the outdoors easy all over the house. Kolbe glass doors slide into pockets in the wall, opening a 16-foot-wide doorway between the living room and the deck.
The house sits on a steel beam frame that supports this cantilevered deck and the one below it on the lower level. The decks span the mountain-facing side of the house. The far end of this deck leads to a large porch off the dining area that leads to the pool.
The porch includes a lounge, dining area, fireplace and outdoor kitchen. Screens roll down from the top of the openings, transforming the open porch into a screened-in porch during buggy seasons. Fieldstone at the column bases links the architecture to the landscape.
The porch opens to an infinity pool and hot tub, designed by Medallion Pool.
This photo also shows the home’s attractive massing, with the Nichiha-clad tower on the left, the sloping shed roof on the right, and the porch in the front.
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This photo also shows the home’s attractive massing, with the Nichiha-clad tower on the left, the sloping shed roof on the right, and the porch in the front.
Find a swimming pool and spa builder in your area
Main Floor’s Private Quarters
The master suite is on the other side of the living room and includes an office, a bathroom and a walk-in closet. It has direct access to the cantilevered deck.
Large expanses of glass allow the homeowner to enjoy the spectacular views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. And for those mornings when she doesn’t wish to rise with the sun, the designers integrated blackout shades into the automated draperies.
The master suite is on the other side of the living room and includes an office, a bathroom and a walk-in closet. It has direct access to the cantilevered deck.
Large expanses of glass allow the homeowner to enjoy the spectacular views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. And for those mornings when she doesn’t wish to rise with the sun, the designers integrated blackout shades into the automated draperies.
Serene earthy tones, natural stone and handmade touches continue in the master bath. The room also incorporates universal design principles: The shower is curbless, there is enough width for a wheelchair or walker, and there is ample lighting for aging in place.
Read more stories about universal design
Read more stories about universal design
The other bedroom suite on the main level has doors that open to a patio running along the back of the house.
The patio has a private feeling despite connecting to the porch and pool area. There’s a potting area under the porch roof for gardening supplies and prep.
Lower-Level Kid Space
Sullivan, the interior designers and the homeowner kept the grandchildren in mind while planning the lower level, but the design suits all ages. This level includes a bunkroom for the grandkids, a full bathroom, a two-car garage, and storage and mechanical rooms.
Sullivan, the interior designers and the homeowner kept the grandchildren in mind while planning the lower level, but the design suits all ages. This level includes a bunkroom for the grandkids, a full bathroom, a two-car garage, and storage and mechanical rooms.
This is the main TV-watching and game-playing space in the home. The room opens to the other long cantilevered deck.
The Japanese-inspired cubbies under the staircase are other special spots for the homeowner to display art and favorite objects.
Fieldstone makes another appearance on the chimney, and the Cor-Ten steel in the landscape inspired the tile choice.
Top-Floor En Suites
On the top floor, transoms and the glass stair railing maintain an open feeling. The glass door leads to the small balcony over the front door.
This level contains two bedrooms with en suite bathrooms. Sullivan planned the location of the bedrooms so that parents could stay on the same floor as their kids while they’re too young for the bunkroom. Once the kids are old enough to bunk on the lower level, the adults will have a peaceful retreat up here.
On the top floor, transoms and the glass stair railing maintain an open feeling. The glass door leads to the small balcony over the front door.
This level contains two bedrooms with en suite bathrooms. Sullivan planned the location of the bedrooms so that parents could stay on the same floor as their kids while they’re too young for the bunkroom. Once the kids are old enough to bunk on the lower level, the adults will have a peaceful retreat up here.
Sustainable Features
This gathering spot for extended family is nearly 5,000 square feet, but it is energy-efficient. It earned a Home Energy Rating System score of 39, which means that it is 61 percent more efficient than a code-built house. The home also earned a gold certification from the Green Built Alliance, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing sustainability via measurable standards in North Carolina. The sustainable aspects of the home include:
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This gathering spot for extended family is nearly 5,000 square feet, but it is energy-efficient. It earned a Home Energy Rating System score of 39, which means that it is 61 percent more efficient than a code-built house. The home also earned a gold certification from the Green Built Alliance, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing sustainability via measurable standards in North Carolina. The sustainable aspects of the home include:
- Photovoltaic panels on the roof that produce electricity
- An insulated concrete form foundation
- A tight envelope that includes open-cell foam insulation
- Long-lasting materials that require little to no maintenance
- Universal design features that enable aging in place
Read about green building
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Shop for home products
House at a Glance
Who lives here: A matriarch who wanted to have room for three generations of her family when they visit
Location: Asheville, North Carolina
Size: 4,849 square feet (450 square meters); five bedrooms plus bunkroom, six bathrooms
Designers: Sean Sullivan of Living Stone Design + Build, Jason Weil of Retro + Fit Design (architecture) and Laura Sullivan of IDology Interiors & Design (interior design)
On the approach, the driveway splits so the homeowner can drive straight into the lower-level garage or pull up to the front door on the main level. An elevator inside facilitates aging in place.
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