Cindy and I spent many week ends looking at dozens of houses before we found the house that really fits our personalities. We closed in May 2011 on the anniversary of the day we first met in Cades Cove. The listing called this house mid-century modern architectural style. It's a style I hadn't seen before. The house is 1 story with a flat roof and is built on a slab. One of the 2 features that quickly caught our eye was the very large windows. In fact, most of the back side of the house (looking SW) is made up of big windows. The other unique feature is the layout of the house. From the living area, a hallway leads back to 2 rooms (our office and bedroom) on the left and a small full bath on the right. At the end of the hall is another room we are using for a guest bedroom. But then the hallway turns to the right. A half bath is on the right and the hallway leads into another room we will be using for a dining room. The previous owner used it for the TV room. A doorway to the right of the end of the hallway leads into the small kitchen. A doorway on the other end of the kitchen leads back into the living area! The previous owner used this large area as both a dining room and a sitting room. We turned the dining area into a sitting room and the other into the TV room.
The landscaping is fantastic, but is way overgrown and will take a few years to tame. The first priority was some minor repairs to the exterior and a total repaint of the exterior and interior of the house. The interior colors were quite different and not to our liking at all, so Cindy and I did the walls and some trim in the living area, office and master bedroom right away before we moved furniture in. I then turned my attention to the exterior which will be very time consuming. Harry did the needed repairs and I used to be a painter, so I'm doing it myself a section at a time, so I can wash and prep before I paint. The house is also 3 colors which is adding to the time.
We've had a lot of people ask about the house, and why I haven't updated my 2011 Adventures gallery so I'm posting pictures of the before, during and after the process of making this house our home.
Mid-century modern is really, really nice. As long as there's been basic upkeep, the good "bones" of these homes offer a terrific starting point for updating/modernizing. Plus, your have a terrific setting.
James Robert Smith
29-Oct-2011 12:28
The design of the house is obviously inspired by the work of Frank Lloyd Wright. I'd have nabbed that house in a split second. You guys have a gorgeous home.
Lonewolf Dave
01-Sep-2011 06:55
Lovely Rich. Love the house. Congrats again on all your big plans. I loved the new art work on the walls too . Nice touch.