CONTAINER HOMES 101 | Kelly and I have had a fascination with homes made from shipping containers and have been discussing the reality of them here in Asheville. Over the course of the past couple of years I’ve found a few interesting sources that I thought provided the best overview on them. There is an online article from Better Homes and Garden, a HGTV style video and some Pinterest boards.

Life Inside the Box | This article by Cynthia Bowman provides a good overview on the particular needs of container homes, as well as, some great visuals on a variety of residential uses. It is a “go to” for me. Please enjoy it here.

Man Converts Shipping Container | From Better Homes and Garden Television this 20 minute video is a good watch following one man in the creation of his own container home. It provides a step-by-step breakdown on the process from container to a Danish modern living space. We really enjoyed it and you can do so here.

Pinterest | Of course you know we have our own Pinterest page with a collection of information we’ve been saving. I’ll just connect you to our collective board. We do each have our own boards for our own industrial dream homes. I’m piecing together my own design for a construction using three 20′ containers; 1 for Living, 1 for Bed and Bath, 1 for covered Outdoor Living. All with green roofs. Please enjoy what we have collected here.

Do you have an interest in an actual container home? Let us know by emailing us here. We do have a source and when we have that finalized we can follow-up with you. Until then enjoy your Sunday. Cheers!

Giuseppe Terragni {1904-1943} While researching for various talks on Modernism at Black Mountain College we became familiar with this Italian architect Giuseppe Terragni. He was an Italian architect who worked primarily under the fascist regime of Benito Mussolini and pioneered the Italian modern movement under the rubric of Rationalism. His most famous work is the Casa del Fascio built in Como, northern Italy, which was begun in 1932 and completed in 1936; it was built in accordance with the International Style of architecture and frescoed by abstract artist Mario Radice. Some of his European counterparts were Le Corbusier and Marcel Breuer. We love his clean lines and compositions of shadow and light. Please find more samples of his work on our Pinterest page here. Cheers!

4 Bedrooms  |  4.5 Baths  |  3675 SQFT  |  MLS#3167915

Modern Asheville Real Estate is excited to bring Biltmore Forest’s ultimate mid-century modern home to the local market. This fashionable home has been completely updated with sophisticated refinements. Layered within the cool split-level are four bedrooms — three having their own en-suites. Additionally, there is an office and detached studio for endless versatility.

The home showcases a modern, italian designed kitchen with Snaidero cabinetry, marble counters & Miele appliances including: 2 dishwashers, espresso machine, steamer, wall oven and warmer. Furthermore there is a wine cooler, ice-maker, extra bar sink and a custom hood floating above the central gas cooktop. There’s everything you need including two kitchen sinks.

The Master Suite has a stunning Snaidero custom closet & spa bath that includes separate shower, soaking tub & sauna. All 4.5 bathrooms throughout the home have been completely updated with sparkling tile & Toto Washlets.

Outside there is a 200 sqft studio building with both power and water. Lush mature landscaping surrounds the home in a private park of its own secured by 6′ aluminum fencing. The property is situated centrally to both Asheville and South Asheville while remaining an exclusive escape.

Call Kelly and Troy for our complete listing package and to discuss a private tour. Until then enjoy our virtual tour here. Cheers!

BLACK MOUNTAIN COLLEGE DISCUSSION | The Mid-Century Modern design aesthetic is as compelling now as it was in the mid 20th century. Find out why and how this style of architecture and design came into being and why it resonates as positively even now. Wednesday, August 3 – 7:30 p.m. @ 69 Broadway {Free for BMCM+AC members + students w/ID / $8 non-members}

Moderated by curator, lecturer, and essayist Andrew Glasgow. Participants include: Charlton Bradsher, of Charlton Bradsher Art + Design; Tamara Reid, Textiles Manager at Knoll Textiles; and Troy Winterrowd of Modern Asheville Real Estate.

Article from UNC Asheville Magazine | “UNC Asheville, like the city in its name, is known for doing things a little outside the box. Call it an innovation center, a design lab, a fabrication facility or a makerspace, the university will soon have two new spaces to call home and to create new things. These makers resource centers will take students off campus and into their creative careers, and as far as coming out of the box, they may well blow the box away.” 

Read the rest of this interesting article by Melissa Stanz. We at Modern Asheville are excited by these positive developments within our creative community and cheers to Brent Skidmore for stewarding this vision!

Preserving a Design-Centric Community | I know I have previously written about my small hometown of Columbus Indiana, however, a new article by from the American Institute of Architects caused me to reflect on it more this weekend. Growing up I don’t think I recognized the town’s uniqueness as I was simply trying to be a kid fitting in like any other kid. A recent article regarding Columbus led me to reflect back and I remembered a black and white crayon drawing I created in 3rd grade.

It looks like a typical child’s drawing, but then I thought about it  It looks like a typical child’s drawing, but then I thought about it further. The drawing is of a Harry Weese designed church that stood on the hill across from my Edward Larrabe Barnes designed elementary school.

That drawing was then framed and hung in our county library designed by I.M.Pei next to the Henry Moore sculpture I used to bang my little hands on to create the hollow sound of the Tin Man in Wizard of Oz. The sculpture was centered in a brick plaza across from the North Christian Church designed by Eliel Saarinen. Clearly, my childhood was not so typical and perhaps I was being subtly brainwashed in the community’s design-centric spirit. I truly can’t recall ever thinking about design, but clean architectural lines in austere landscapes definitely feel at home to me.  

The article by the American Institute of Architects recognizes Columbus as one of the most celebrated concentrations of mid-century architecture in the country. While it gets into details about the future challenges of physical preservation of their buildings it speaks to preserving a community philosophy around good design — “The other thing that needs to be preserved is this intangible thing—a community that wants good design. The idea that needs to be preserved is the value of making good things.” — which is something many of us feel is important for our own community of Asheville.

Whether a Columbus type of philosophy can be applied here remains to be seen, but it is worth considering something of our very own beyond the past and for our future. In the meantime you can red the full article here. Enjoy your Sunday.

Cheers!

Tonight was the Matsumoto Design Awards in Raleigh celebrating modernist residential design across the state of North Carolina. Locally, we had four entries. Jason Weil received a People’s Choice Award for his home design at Ceil. Congrats Jason! And congrats to our friends at In-Situ Studio for their own Matsumoto Awards as well. And thanks to George Smart and NC Modernist Houses for hosting the awards for five straight years.

Cheers!

A NEW LEVEL OF MODERN LIVING

“Earth Friendly” doesn’t have to be “Earthy.” Mindful modern design lives as lightly as any concerned steward of our planet plus a whole lot shinier. Clean design rooted in the form and function ideals of Breuer and Neutra avoids the gravity of excess. A home can be both incredibly cool and quietly step back creating a stage for carefree living. We like to say, “Less House ~ More Life!”

This community of nine consciously designed homes, Shelburne Woods, is nestled in nature against the woods and proposed greenway and between the lively urban corridor of West Asheville and the active outdoor corridor of the French Broad River. The first home is a collaborative effort by award winner’s Mountain Sun Building & Design with #51 being designed by Rusafova-Markulis Architects. Together, all homes will be carefully craft and steward a new level of life sustaining modern home for active earth beings of any age.

4 Bedrooms  |  3.5 Baths  |  2035 SQFT  |  MLS#3176992

51 Shelburne Woods Dr is the first home to hit the market. The three level, quality home is designed with simplicity and maximum efficiency in mind. Open Main Level Living with both 2 bedrooms up and 2 down. The home’s placement is designed to maximum an urban style neighborhood while remaining private from the inside out. The homes are designed to be Green Built NC Platinum Rated and Net Zero. 

The nine lots for sale are located in their own private cul-de-sac, backing up to Rhododendron Trail Greenway leading to Hominy Creek. Easy access to the highway and everywhere! Currently see MLS#3198509 and #3198515 listed with six more available.

Reach out to Troy and Kelly for more information on this cool new home or lot options. Also, join us for an Open House on Sunday, Aug 7th to learn more from us and the builders firsthand. See you there. Cheers!

2016 Matsumoto Prize Awards Presentation: McConnell Studios in Boylan Heights, Raleigh, will host North Carolina Modernist Houses’ 2016 George Matsumoto Prize Recognizing Excellence in North Carolina Modernist Residential Design. Free and open to the public, the awards presentation is part of NCMH’s monthly “Thirst4Architecture” networking events. Along with the awards presentation, entertainment for the evening will include live music, catered food, various beverages, and the opportunity to tour McConnell Studios. For more info go HERE.

The Playful Architecture of Andrew Geller | Yesterday, I was scrolling through our Pinterest pages for some thoughts on a post for today. As always I was drawn to Horace Gifford‘s architecture on Fire Island and thinking of the gay culture given the events of the week. However, that led me to a cool documentary called Modern Tide on the mid-century homes of Long Island. While I’m not showcasing the whole documentary this section on designer Andrew Geller is very inspiring given the combined desire for design  and innovative, affordable homes. Watch this nine minute segment and think about how this sense of efficiency and play could be applied to some fun little homes in the mountains. Do enjoy and have great Sunday!