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PrintA Serene Retreat
Contemporary forms meet Arts & Crafts styling in this Balsam Mountain home by architect Shawn Leatherwood.
Photography by Roger Wade
“Over the river and through the woods…” One can’t help recalling that childhood song as you drive the winding gravel roads of Balsam Mountain Preserve. There is a feeling of wildness here, but don’t be concerned. Tucked into this forest, perched on a mountainside, your destination awaits. A place to abide within the wildness, comfortable and embracing, yet still connected. And it will be well worth the journey.
Balsam Mountain’s commitment to celebrating the wild spaces was a large part of what led a Nashville couple to choose the community for their mountain getaway, and their desire to build a home that listened to the landscape and spoke the same language led them to architect Shawn Leatherwood.
“Balsam is not about big, showy houses,” Leatherwood observes. “This is a private setting. Very few lots actually share a property line…most are surrounded by conservation land. It’s about total relaxation…about coming to the mountains and really getting away from it all. But you still have the amenities — golf, a pool, tennis courts, riding stables and fantastic hiking trails.”
The restful, outdoor lifestyle — and a home that reflected it — appealed to the homeowners. “We wanted a place that fit into the mountain — that worked with the local architecture — but I didn’t want a cutesy cabin. We wanted something more sophisticated,” recalls Claire, the lady of the house. “Left to my own devices, I would have gone uber-contemporary.”
“If she had her way, the house would have been all concrete, glass and steel,” Leatherwood agrees. Her husband had a more down-home vision for the project. “If he’d had his way, it would have been a reclaimed barn that they renovated.” The challenge was to harmonize both aesthetics — as well as the surroundings. “So therein lies the concept,” he continues, “contemporary building forms and floor plan — with open spaces and the lower pitched roof — all clad with rustic materials. The materials and the color palette make it accessible and inviting.”
The site also played a large role in the design and rhythms of the home. On the main floor, rooms are defined not so much by walls, but by changes in elevation. The stages are staggered: descending from the entrance foyer into the main living space, ascending the central stair to the office loft or stepping up into the kitchen and dining area. “The lot was challenging because it was relatively steep, so it’s a narrow, elongated house,” Leatherwood observes. “That’s a reaction to the topography — to wrap around and slide uphill with the landscape. When you look at the floor plan, it’s as though we took two rectangular boxes and slid them in opposite directions. Where they touch in the middle is the stairway.”
The intersecting gable of the entry, the stair tower and the main gable of the house form a pyramid effect above the stairs — an axis from which one can truly appreciate the geometric beauty of the building. Enveloped in walls of 16-foot windows that visually integrate the surrounding forest into the living space, and supported by cedar timber posts that echo the tree trunks outside, the lofty exposed framing of Douglas fir ceiling beams creates an “old barn” sensibility, forming a spine that extends from the interior living space and into a generous screened porch where the domestic and feral worlds truly meet.
The blending of natural and built environments is also reflected in the extensive use of wood and stone — inside and out. The central pillar, which houses the main fireplace, is clad in Tennessee fieldstone, artfully laid by Burress Stone Construction. The exterior, dressed in fieldstone and poplar bark siding “speaks to the environment and the landscape,” says Claire. “There are so many sandy-gray tones on the property.
Wood defines the home’s interior, from the black walnut custom cabinetry in the kitchen and master bedroom to the wormy white oak stair treads and built-ins in the living room area to the reclaimed barn wood floors that unify the main level.
As a contemporary counterpoint, metal is used sparingly — but to great effect — in the architectural features. Adding definition without obstructing the views, a series of hand-wrought turnbuckles hover like spider webs between the support posts. The spectacular, sculptural stairway that anchors the home floats on a lattice of burnished railings and wire mesh, substantial yet airy.
The finishes and furnishings of the interiors — selected by the homeowner in collaboration with Leatherwood and his in-house interior design consultant, Nikki Owens — reflect the structure’s clean lines, with soothing, neutral tones and a focus on texture and detail. From the alluringly supple, low-slung leather couch to the custom concrete kitchen and bath treatments by Mandala Design, the visual and tactile qualities of the residence harmonize with — and enhance — the experience of living within the verdant landscape.
“The house is so open, it inspires movement,” notes Claire. “During the summer and fall, it feels like a tree house…I’m often out on the screened porch. In winter and spring, when the mountain view is revealed, I find myself in the library area. It’s like having two different homes.”
But in the midst of the enchantment of the ever-changing seasons there is also a sense of stability and permanence — in both the structure and the location — that contribute to the homeowner’s peace of mind. “One of the main reasons that we chose Balsam Mountain Preserve is because of the conservation lands — the eco-trust that ensures that this place will be the way it is from here to eternity.”
And the winding roads will continue to lead to a welcome retreat.
