When Charlestonians Ashton and Lavonne Phillips decided to build a second home, they looked to the mountains of North Carolina as well. "We thought of having a vacation house out on Kiawah," explains Lavonne, "but Kiawah was too close to be a true vacation home." The Phillips wanted a place where the whole family—their children Ted, Mark, Al, and Sarah and 11 grandchildren—could retreat. They found an idyllic tract of land 3,400 feet up on a ridge straddling the borders of
Cypress-paneled walls lead to the back of the home, a wall of glass that opens to a panoramic treetop view.
The Phillip's kitchen is literally the heart of the house.
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North and South Carolina that locals of the Cedar Mountain community call "Lightning Ridge." Mind you, there’s no town to speak of; the closest civilization is the tiny town of Tuxedo in one direction and the music mecca of Brevard in the other. But the remote location suited their needs. "That’s the point of this house," says Ashton, "for us to be together, to have the children come up, and to relax."
When they purchased six acres in 1996, the Phillips consulted with the innovative architects, Robert Epps and John Edwards of Charleston-based Epps Edwards Architects, with whom the family has had a 20-year relationship. The firm restored the couple’s historic downtown home, remodeled one son’s house, and designed their daughter’s award-winning abode |
road leading to the mountain access. "From that point," says Epps, "we looked to the hillsides to see how they had been dealt with." The result is a simple, yet grand, cypress structure with two "saddlebag" appendages off the kitchen and the master bedroom and a crimped metal roof. Although decidedly modern, the home retains the sensibility of a 1940s country house.
A bridge spans the top of the ridge to the main entrance on the uppermost level of the three-story haven, perched on the side of the mountain. "One end of the house resembles a typical mountain home," says Lavonne, "and the other looks as if it will take off in flight." Soaring above the Green River Preserve, the house stands among the dense mixed foliage of oak, hickory, white pine, |
sassafras, and dogwood trees. Upon crossing the bridge and entering the foyer, cypress paneled walls lead directly to the back of the home—a wall of glass that opens to a panoramic treetop view. Custom steel windows structurally allow for huge expanses of glass without thick lines. "The idea of coming into a small opening and having the house open up to you was a great part of the concept," adds Epps. "Everything about the house ultimately revolves around the views and the environment."
The walls of cypress—the wood chosen for its warm, uniform color—and glass continue throughout the house, as do the red, steel-framed windows, steel girders, and conventional oak floors. "All of these elements tie back into each other," explains Epps.
The Phillips appreciate the simple elegance of the materials and the color scheme which allows the serenity of the outdoors to be the focus of the interior.
