The Asheville Citizen-Times recently featured Hickory Homestead, an original Morgan-Keefe Builders home on their website. The Balsam Mountain Preserve home, loved and inhabited by Bobbye and Ken Bowdon, is a magnificent, one-of-a-kind design nestled at an elevation of 3,800 feet in the Western North Carolina Mountains. The Bowdons chose Balsam Mountain Preserve due to its peaceful surroundings and closeness to nature. They say they can hear the flowing creek rush by, and in the summer, feel like they are on an island surrounded by trees.
This Appalachian-style home is a full 8,600 square feet, featuring a slate roof and reclaimed as well as locally harvested wood to emulate a rustic, but grand log cabin. The experience begins before entering the front door, with a stone driveway leading up to a large waterfall encompassed by large boulders. Although transported up the mountain, the boulders are sculpted into the mountainside, giving the feeling it emerged from its native surroundings.
The home boasts high ceilings and windows, allowing light to flood in and illuminate the entire interior. The couple wanted the house to look as if it had been pieced together and expanded throughout time. There are creative hints of this throughout, such as an old log cabin-style passageway, unique staircase, the vintage New York-style cage elevator and the enormous grand fireplace. The kitchen features a substantial island crafted from Verde Veccio granite, a green stone quarried in Brazil and strategically hidden appliances for a clean look.
We are certain this home will hold many memories of friends and family to come. There are so many beautiful places to dwell, from the acreage outdoors to the luxurious communal areas within. This unique and carefully crafted home features even more creative details and expert design.
