4 Bedrooms | 3.5 Bathrooms | Studio | 4379 sqft | MLS#3171637 

On the market is Grove Park’s premiere mid-century home by notable Asheville architect Tony Lord of the Asheville Citizen Times Building. This completely updated legacy home has been thoughtfully stewarded forward for future generations to enjoy.

Meticulously modernized this gallery style interior sets the precedent for a minimalist aesthetic allowing the occupant to take center stage. Framed by clean, architectural lines the flowing main level is open and nestled in lush nature offering a variety of rooms for living, working and entertaining.

The lower level is designed to be highly versatile as a studio, office or guest bedroom /in-law suite. There is a full bathroom and it comes readily plumbed for a studio kitchen. To tour more on this home, including the new European style kitchen and expansive master bedroom suite, go here. 

This home is shown by appointment. Give Kelly or Troy a call to learn more. Cheers!

Article from February 2009 | Architect Mark Allison is a native of Asheville. He left Asheville after high school to study at UNC Charlotte. He followed that with studies in Denmark and then finished with his degree from the Pratt Institute. Eventually, he moved to Atlanta where he spent several years working for the Epsten Group. The Epsten Group was one of the first design groups in Atlanta practicing sustainable principles and LEED certifications with their projects. In 1997 he returned to Asheville where he worked for both PBC&L Architects and Samsel Architects. One year ago, after completing a home for him and his family, he opened his own design office.

Mark’s office is in his new home, which is located in one of my favorite mid-century neighborhoods off of Town Mountain Rd. The home was constructed on a steep slope opposite many 1960’s contemporary homes. While creating a 3300 sqft modern home for today his design is sensitive to the context of his neighbors all while balancing with the steep slope of his 1.5 acre site.

Mark’s use of sustainable materials was evident through much of his home along with incorporating some passive solar exposure. The steep slope of the site allowed the incorporation of a deep basement into the foundation. Mark made use of a pre-cast concrete system to allow for larger openings and more a natural light. The basement does not feel like a basement.

One of the mechanical items I knew little about was the Energy Recovery Ventilator (ERV). Mark tried to explain it to me, but it went in one ear and out the other while admiring the house. Doing an online search I found the dictionary explanation in unreadable technical jargon. Still not getting it I found this video that will helped. Take a moment to watch.

Previous to visiting Mark’s office and home I looked at his website. I noticed two projects I wanted to discuss with him.

One of the two projects is a concept for a commercial building along Merrimon Ave. Mark has a great deal of experience developing commercial projects. In Mark’s words, “This building for a retail or office tenant creates a pedestrian oasis against heavy automobile traffic on Merrimon Avenue. A south-facing courtyard shielded from the street by an armature of precast concrete and glass block wall creates a multifunction courtyard. One passes from here to an inner court between an existing building and the new. The design reinforces the emerging emerging pedestrian character of this new urban edge. The challenge was to create an economical, energy efficient shell that is true to its concept, affords flexibility to its future tenants.” I could immediately recognize and appreciate the attempts Mark was making to address both the automobile and the pedestrian. The simplicity, scale and continuous portion of the architectural marquee creates a billboard to help identify it from an automobile. At the same time the way the pedestrian level falls back becomes welcoming to those on foot. For me they are simple, clean gestures that get the job done while addressing issues that many new buildings along Merrimon don’t.

The other project I noticed is a home he is creating for a family in Asheville.  He is designing a 1500q/ft., sustainable house that will house 3 generations under one roof. The house utilizes passive solar design principles and is tailored to its gently sloping site.  Shared terraces and courtyards join both the public and private wings. I appreciated what he and his clients were working to achieve and believe that they were creating something we will see more of in the future which is a smaller home with the flexibility to house more generations, accommodate a professional office all while working to be energy efficient.

Looking at Mark’s projects you notice that he works closely in blending the program of each project with the context of the specific site. He works back and forth with all the different issues involved in designing a building until there is a natural balance of all the pieces while always including his individual, creative vision as part of the process and result.

(text by Troy Winterrowd, Mark’s house photos by John Fletcher of the Citizen Times)

We received some sweet testimonials from clients this month that we just had to share. Cheers to our great clients and friends!

SELLER Jeff who left our community for, where else, Palm Springs has been a friend and long-term client with us. Thanks for singing our praises. We miss you! “I have worked with Kelly and Troy three times while in Asheville. Every single experience was top-notch. They KNOW this market — mid-century, modern, cutting edge — all of it. They love what they are doing, and you can feel it. They are strategic and never once wasted my time. Everything they showed me was on the money. 

Kelly had the vision to see past obstacles and offer solutions if needed, and it was never in an effort to sell me on something. I always felt that Kelly and Troy were on my side, had my best interest at heart, and that I was THE most important client they had. They have class and smarts and made selling AND buying easier. I’ve been on both sides of that table, and let’s face it, those can be stressful times. But I never felt stressed or pressured. They take care of all the angles. I will be forever grateful for their expertise and sincerity. You will not find anyone who works harder for you, or makes it as fun. Look no further!” And did we tell you the home sold for above asking price at a record level for the neighborhood?

BUYERS Andrea and Lucy just moved here from San Francisco. As we are always saying well located ranch homes are a great resource for “Making Your Modern” here in the mountains. We found them one walkable to town with mountain views. They are thrilled and preparing for the renovations with the architect and builder team all lined up. As always we can’t wait to see the results. 

“Kelly and Troy had an immediate intuitive sense for what we were looking for and helped us identify those types of houses without distraction. They work so seamlessly as a team–Troy’s ability to creatively visualize the possibility for a house and its surroundings; Kelly’s extraordinary efficiency and list of contacts. We found a home quickly and were able to see its possibilities. We were also able to close quickly. We are comfortable having relied on their knowledge, and they were awesome to work with. We have now chosen to work with them on a second project.”

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!