Enveloping its owners, their artwork and style, recalling the past and what makes them comfortable in the now, the home of Shannan and Jeff Wren opens its doors, invites one in, offers rest, nourishment and spaces to gather.
By Beth Brown Ables
A building weaves its own tale, of the hands that created it, the teamwork of masons, roofers, glaziers, architects, designers, homeowners; a delicate, careful orchestration of skill and communication. It can’t be easy to take a vision inside someone’s head and apply it to paper and raise it up from the ground, but when it works, when each note and skill work in harmony, hand over hand, the result sings.
This particular orchestration of vision, talent, and conviviality finds its happy crescendo in Jeff and Shannan Wrens’ home nestled in the Cleveland Park neighborhood.
Accustomed to a life of travel and adventure, the couple had specific ideas in mind for their retirement home: walkability, access to nature, and as much natural light as possible. A wooded lot along the edge of Cleveland Park means that the couple is steps away from downtown and the Swamp Rabbit Trail. Jeff and Shannan’s memories brim with time in Europe, Colorado and Atlanta, where instead of acquiring mementos and a lifetime of furnishings and knickknacks, they continued to pare down with each until reaching a minimalist’s standard. For the Wrens, the architectural details of the building itself became a personal testament to the life they’ve lived to surround them for the years yet to come.
Specific Vision for Woodland Park
With several moves and renovations between them, the couple approached this project with a specific vision. “We wanted a home that blends a touch of modern a touch of character from the past,” Shannan says. “We lived in the city while in Belgium and everything from the windows to the cobblestone streets inspired us and found a place in our home’s design.”
To blend old and new in a way that doesn’t jangle with disjointedness demands an architect with vision and passion, which the Wrens found in Mitch Lehde of MHK Architecture & Planning – The Carolinas. Their architect’s commitment to the entire design process impressed Jeff. “Mitch spent days off experimenting with mortar to get just the right old-world feel for the brickwork, took time to visit the site throughout construction to see that the initial vision was brought perfectly to fruition.”
A true collaboration, the personal touch is a highlight of the building process for the Wrens.
Archways throughout the property are a beguiling motif, mixing Old World warmth with the clean lines of modern minimalism. The outdoor entryway arch may be the most dynamic of all, a statement rooted in problem-solving. Since they preferred not to build a garage in the back of their steeply graded lot, a clever entry perfectly disguises front-facing garages while offering a warm arched entry from the street, framing the front door across a cobblestoned drive. Because of this, the Wrens enjoy a courtyard feel, transforming a design obstacle into a show-stopping focal point.
Through the remainder of the home, arches add movement and warmth to linear spaces, bending around the patio, and framing a soaking tub.
In contrast to the softness of archways, black-clad modern windows soar two stories high in some places, serving as walls rather than openings, allowing light to pour into rooms, providing those within uninterrupted landscapes of verdant trees and landscaping. A bold choice with a bolder payoff: the windows lend an airy nature to the home where a traditional Old World design might feel dim and cramped.
Who needs a dining room?
One of the Wrens most used rooms isn’t even a room at all, at least not in the traditional sense. “We chose to forgo a traditional dining room and use our patio,” Shannan says, “off the kitchen through accordion French doors serves as such most of the year.”
The wide wooden table here is one of their few souvenirs from Europe, formerly used in an ancient monastery.
The inspiration for the kitchen was lifted from their former home in Atlanta, featuring an oversized island. “It seems to always be the place everyone gravitates to,” Shannan says.
The Old World feel of the range hood is a concrete-look plaster framed in reclaimed timber; the counters are a polished dark platinum Quartzite and the Wrens requested a dark gray wash brushed over white cabinets in order to disguise wear over time. Dark grout around herringbone tile backsplash mimics sleek hardware pulls and dramatic
Restoration Hardware pendulums, which illuminate the island.
If the Wrens kitchen is from Atlanta, then their floors are from Brussels. “We really loved the cobblestone streets in Belgium,” recalls Jeff.
Using Benjamin Grey Limestone tumbled 8×8 tiles, the Wrens were able to complement oak flooring by European-based brand Stuga with cobbled floors in their mudroom, butler’s pantry and powder room. Better than any postcard, the family is reminded of their time overseas daily.
With feet on the cobbled tiles, the eye is drawn to roughhewn reclaimed beams spanning the living area’s elevated ceilings. For Maggie Madarasz, an interior designer with Ridgeline Construction Group, this remarkable detail became a labor of love. The reclaimed timber came from a barn in rural Ohio and was carefully selected for each location.
“The framer who installed them along with our site superintendent laid them all out in the garage and rotated each one so I could decide which side was facing down and which were tucked against the wall based on their natural characteristics,” she says.
The effort is the grace note of the home’s design, stitching together old and new flawlessly.
Hand in hand from conceptualization to finish, Jeff and Shannan Wren cannot seem to say enough about the joyful experience of creating their home. A true collaboration of artisans with a design paying homage to a life well-lived, while raising a glass to retirement to be enjoyed to the fullest. For all that has been, for all that will be, here in a home with story yet to be told.
Photography by Inspiro 8 Studios
