News + Inspiration

Meadow Creek Farm is a quiet retreat in Southwest Virginia that overlooks the property with views of the barn, a duck pond and pastures beyond. Because the property is so beautiful, we incorporated several outdoor spaces including an all-season porch with retractable glass walls. The owners refer to this room as the “Sunday Room” where they can sip coffee and catch up with the morning paper. The walls can be opened on either side to allow cool breezes in the summer, or shut in the winter months to enjoy a lit fire.

We drew inspiration from traditional prairie motifs for this modern home at The Cliffs at Walnut Cove. The screened porch sits at the end of the home and nestles into the land. The porch boasts an outdoor fireplace and a television that can be concealed when not in use. The back terrace runs parallel with the great room and has ample space for relaxing and also includes an outdoor kitchen.

This light-filled modern farmhouse in Mill Spring, North Carolina is tucked in the countryside on a horse farm with rolling pastures and beautiful mountain landscape. To keep a strong connection between the farm and the house, there are several outdoor living spaces around the home. A large game room at the lower level connects directly to the screen porch, pool terrace and fire pit beyond. The game room has a built-in wet bar and accordion windows that open up to the screen porch. The completed design is a relaxing retreat that the family will enjoy for generations.

This home is also located in The Cliffs at Walnut Cove and is inspired by the homes of the Pacific Northwest. We used simple forms and natural materials to create this comfortable hideaway in the mountains. It was important that the house not obstruct the view of the mountain for neighbors, so we created a low profile home that blends into the woodscape. There are a lot of outdoor living spaces at this residence but the most spectacular is at the rear of the house. This large porch overlooks the beautiful mountain range and can be used as an open deck or a screen porch. A custom motorized screen can be lowered to prevent pesky bugs in the summertime, or the screens can be lifted for an unobstructed view.

The Lookout is a treehouse-like hideaway tucked into a mountainside. The outdoor and indoor features are designed with a purposeful circular flow of interconnected space. Each interior space of the great room is mirrored on the outside giving the exterior all the conveniences of indoor living. The terrace has a grilling station, a dining table, lounge area and a covered porch with a fireplace. Because of the steep site, the back terrace is four stories off the ground and makes the house feel like it’s floating in the tree canopy. The slim stainless steel railing is designed to be unobtrusive to the views.

Building in the mountains requires a careful design response to our dynamic land. The Cliffside House has amazing mountain views, however, a rock slide occurred after our clients purchased the property. Rather than sell the lot at a potential loss and start their dreams over, our clients asked us to create a design that was both safe and beautiful. The screened porch and fire pit terrace create outdoor rooms from which the nearby mountain range can be enjoyed while feeling like you’re hanging out on a cliffside.