/ by Brendan Blowers
/ photography by Carl Amoth
The engine revs as the elevation rises. Enveloped by nature’s palette, a vehicle can disappear into a fold of pines, mountain laurel, hemlock, and sturdy oaks. After winding up the mountain for a half-mile, a peaked roofline emerges against a leafy backdrop.
A bluestone sidewalk leads up to the custom-made steel pivot door. This is no typical mountain house.
The foyer draws its guest up a few steps to the dining room and then sunken just a step, a truly great room comes into view. The low sectional makes the 25foot high ceilings appear even higher and the eye struggles to take it all in. Beckoning on the far side stands twelve-foot sliding doors open to an expansive world of outdoor living.
“All of that glass draws you through the house,” says architect Wayland Shamburger, “once the house opens up it never stops. Its attitude expands. The ground plane disappears, and you’re in the sky facing the mountaintops.”
Shamburger knows this home better than anyone because he’s designed it,
twice. “I designed the original house,” he says. “It was previously a European traditional design.”
When the new owner called Shamburger to explain an industrial-modern vision for the eight-year-old home, the architect looked forward to accomplishing it. Shamburger recommended Kevin Reed of Bluestone Construction to perform the renovation. It was an ideal match for Ronal Fenstermacher, an interior designer who had worked with the family before. Sadly, this would be one of Fenstermacher’s last projects. He passed away in July after a storied career.
What started out much smaller in scope, became a complete rebuild from the foundation up. “There were four months of backward stepping to correct things that had been overlooked when the house was built the first time,” Reed says.
Shamburger describes it this way, “Kevin Reed doesn’t compromise on quality.”
As the house progressed and more of its bones were exposed, so did the possibilities. Rooms became opportunities to indulge curiosity and stimulate the senses, to question the very idea of what the home could be. “They wanted to wake up every day feeling like they’re on vacation,” Reed says.
The architect, interior designer, and homeowner took a quick trip to New York to experience desired pattern, texture, form, and color for the project and returned teeming with ideas for the home set on its steep outcropping in Western North Carolina overlooking the layers of Blue Ridge mountains. Fenstermacher covered tables with fabrics, patterns, and pictures. The team recalls asking the homeowner for photos of his art collection, his taste in wine, even dishware.
The design/build team of Shamburger, Reed, and Fenstermacher eventually altered every surface and light fixture, replacing drywall and knocking down walls to find the freedom, beauty, and artistry that the homeowner appreciated. An elevator that spans three floors was installed for a Great Dane who is afraid of stairs.
Square footage went from 6,000 to 11,500; steel exposed beams were flown in by crane. A curved staircase was removed to open the great room and a traditional fieldstone fireplace was replaced with a massive one, clad in smooth Crossville tile made by Laminam SpA.
The study became the dining room. A main-level bedroom became a bold red den that conceals a flat-screen while sparkling with gold dust applied to the ceiling.
In the open kitchen, the interior designer selected a lighting package that handsomely displays a polished Quartz D’Orcia surface. Stone Connection in Zirconia created the island’s waterfall edge and mitered corners. The stone’s copper striations are matched by a custom-made hood mounted over a Chevron-patterned tile.
What used to be a dark basement wine cellar is a denizen for entertaining. There’s a full commercial bar topped with Aviator tile embedded with stainless steel rivets and strips. It serves seven with green velvet chairs, one restaurant-style booth and an additional seating area with a long couch facing three liquid green molded pedestal chairs.
A door at the far end of the bar leads into the home theatre with white carpet, orange walls, and custom seating. The theatre can also be accessed via upholstered leather double doors that lead down a hallway. A home gym and art gallery are down here too.
Throughout the interior, on every level, are stylistic touches from Denmark, Croatia and Asia, a nod to boutique hotels and bespoke spas. Medallion Pools installed the infinity edge pool and hot tub which sit fifteen feet above original grade, surrounded by a bluestone cap. There are areas to lounge poolside, warmed by a fire feature facing the mountains or there are steps to swim up to for conversations protected from the wind without ever leaving the water.
Inspiration on this scale doesn’t arrive easy. Like a trip around the world, there were delays, surprises, and tension at times, but everyone pulled together to make this four-bedroom, seven-bath home something special. Shamburger is interested in architecture that is relational. What better way to explore that than re-designing a home to match a new owner’s personality?
“I want to give people the opportunity to live as their truest selves in the house,” Shamburger says, “That’s what feeds the soul.”
Reed agrees. “I think about how inspiring a house can be. It’s not just a place to sleep and eat,” says Reed, “It’s important to physical and emotional well-being.”
