Walnut Valley

Located at the Cliffs of Walnut Cove, the home is nestled into the far northwestern end of the valley before it turns up to meet the Blue Ridge Parkway. While situated directly adjacent to the open golf course, the site itself is a well-established wooded forest with a mature tree canopy and vibrant native understory of plants and rich mountain ecology. Within this context, the design concept was to embrace the revelatory nature of walking through a more densely forested landscape to allow the house to unfold along the way, revealing itself and the adjacent landscape iteratively while seeking to preserve as much of the forest as possible. To that end, the house is conceived as a simple composition of two timber-framed gabled volumes connected together with a hyphenated glass gallery bridge that both serves to connect these volumes and to disguise much of the home’s secondary functions and overall footprint. The two primary volumes are situated to frame and protect clusters of existing trees while choreographing an arrival experience for both the homeowners and guests to feel deeply connected to the landscape.

Upon arrival, the first volume frames the entry “latern” at grade under its deep cantilevered roof. From there, the glass-filled gallery bridge provides a link to the second volume, housing the great room, cantilevered outdoor deck and master suite, which is elevated off the ground as the natural grade slopes away below. This higher position allows for new vantage points in which to enjoy the forest landscape as well as affording longer range views to the golf course beyond. Anchoring this volume is a more massive stone and glass foundation that remains connected to the landscape as the grade gently falls along the site. Within this base, the lower level family room spaces spill out to covered and open outdoor living areas. Natural and timeless materials such as regionally harvested oak, sassafras and stone, have been chosen to age more beautifully over time and root the house into its surroundings.

Location: Arden NC

Size: 5,800 sf

construction commencement
fall 2021