We designed this modern home to fit the scale of the neighborhood, which was mostly one-story bungalows.

The house is conceived of as two small cabins. The front cabin is a one-story structure that faces the street and keeps with the scale of the block. It houses the living room, kitchen, and dining room, while a small bump-out at the front allows for a wood burning stove and built-in media cabinet.

The back cabin is a two-story structure that contains the bedrooms, bathrooms, a small office and laundry. The upper level of the back cabin houses the primary bedroom with views over the Biltmore Estate grounds. Between the two cabins is the entrance. With dark wood walls and a small built-in bench under a circular window there is an undeniable tea-house vibe as you enter the home.

When designing the home, we went for a “warm” modernism. We love the clean lines and thoughtful composition of modernism, but did not want the house to feel cold or sterile. As such, we included a number of custom built-ins and plenty of naturally finished wood walls and ceilings. The kitchen has white oak cabinets with birch walls and oak floor. The primary bathroom has an arched shower, birch ceiling, and skylights. The end result is both modern and inviting.

Additionally, we used a variety of sustainable strategies when building this home. We implemented advanced framing techniques which utilized 1/3 less lumber than traditional building to lower our carbon footprint, and to improve thermal bridging. To improve insulation, we created an encapsulated crawlspace and used additional insulation to improve air sealing for energy efficiency. We also used southern yellow pine- local to the area of the build- for the interior of the home both for its beauty and to lower our carbon footprint. Lastly, the home uses a heat pump to condition and heat the home efficiently. This system consumes less energy much better than a furnace and air conditioner.