Photography by Michael Patch and Southern Landscape Group
Smith MountainLake home a blend of traditional & modern
Growing up in the Northeast, the Coleen and her family spent summers on a small lake near the White Mountains in Maine. When the kids were grown and the parents relocated to North Carolina, buying a place on Smith Mountain Lake just a few hours away brought the family together again for weekends all summer long. Everyone liked the relaxed lifestyle of Smith Mountain Lake as it reminded them of their summers swimming and fishing at their childhood lake house. Although SML is larger, it was a perfect fit, and swimming and fishing are even better on the big water.
Photos: Southern Landscape Group
With siblings living all over the United States, having a place to gather was important. When the small house grew old and outdated, Coleen had the vision and the talent. With her mother’s input and suggestions, Coleen spearheaded the project to buy the house from her parents then tear it down and build a home to accommodate their growing family (her mother, her siblings and their families). Everyone pitched in with ideas and requests. Neighbors recommended a builder, Robert Bauer of Robert R. Bauer Building Contractors. Bauer, who excels at renovating as well as building high quality new homes, was a good match for the job. As Bauer says, “the house turned out amazing! We really enjoyed working with them.”
Photos: Michael Patch
Bringing the vision to life
Begun in 2020 and finished in 2022, the home combines a balance of stone, wrought iron and glass. Heavy millwork and moldings make it appear timeless. The views of the lake are stunning. “They had to get rid of the previous house and clear all the undergrowth brush in order to see the potential of the lake view,” Bauer notes. From the vaulted living room, inside loggia and front porches, the home, sitting up on an elevated slope, feels like it is perched over the water. “Everybody who comes here wants to sit in the living room. It offers abundant light and lots of seats for family to gather,” Coleen says. Looking out at the lake, it is easy to see why.
Photos: Michael Patch
Every weekend, the home hosts a multitude of family members and friends who travel to this idyllic setting to unwind and catch up with each other. With five bedrooms and six and a half baths, there is plenty of room. The home was carefully planned with detail and thought — and little wasted space. Jon Braithwaite of Atelier 11 Architecture in Lynchburg took Coleen’s vision and her mother’s and siblings’ requests and produced a remarkable family home. This stunning white brick and stone home with mahogany doors and slate, metal and copper roofs meets and exceeds all their aspirations.
Photos: Michael Patch
Curating the space
Well-curated cabinetry, custom built for the home by Peters Woodworking of Roanoke, creates generous alcoves for displays and storage in the kitchen, living room and the library. The cabinets and shelving in the living room, painted a shade of white found in the nearby stone, sit on either side of the large fireplace. Large gray and white book-matched slabs of quartzite surrounding the fireplace cover a third of the living room wall from floor to ceiling. In a remarkable display of nature’s art, the rock marbling brings the outside into the home in a stunning exhibit of stone. The black wrought iron chandelier with angular lines plays off the swirl patterns in the slabs that mirror each other in an exquisite design. The black fixture hangs high in the barrel ceiling, so it does not obstruct the round window in the arched lake front wall. The triple-pane plate glass window below absorbs light from the lake. The room acquires a conservatory feel with the large glass panes on two sides, white marble tile floor and large stone slabs flanking the fireplace.
Photos: Michael Patch
The dining room features Asian art, furniture and oriental statues that Coleen loves and collects. “I love artwork, especially Asian pieces,” she says. By pulling all the Asian collections together in one room and furnishing it with her mother’s rich wood dining table and chairs, an oriental rug with gold hues, and a black wrought iron sculptural chandelier, the atmosphere exudes elegance. Her mother loves a formal dining room and this one, located just off the kitchen, is a sophisticated room with polished wood cabinets that display the family’s beautiful china collections. The black chandelier’s dahlia sculptural style connects the décor with the black lantern pendants hanging over the kitchen island. To balance the kitchen’s large lanterns and dark wood cabinets, a white stainless steel kitchen range hood is trimmed in brass, which plays off a black-and-gold Asian monastery figure hanging in the dining room.
Photos: Michael Patch
Creating welcoming rooms
Everyone agrees the favorite room is the library. Located off the inside loggia where a wall of windows commands an outstanding lake view, the library is a feast for the eyes. With warm wood walls that house a fireplace, TV, gorgeous dark cabinets and shelves that hold books and collected mementos from all over the world, this room always feels comfy.
Photos: Michael Patch
Coleen, a geologist, collects stone, ethnic relics and handcrafted artifacts. There are small statues and carved works of art on the shelves that surround the comfortable gray leather chairs and sofa. Her sister, an artist, curates the shelves beautifully in every room, but her artistic eye shines in these library displays. She organizes each shelf to highlight a sculpture or relic in the best light. This room is so perfect for reading and watching TV that they use it every night. “We wanted a room that would hug you,” Coleen notes.
Photos: Michael Patch
The bedrooms and bathrooms invite guests with comfort and hospitality. Baths are well-designed to be small but efficient and elegant. The marble windowsills complement the choices of tile and stone. Each bedroom has colorful textiles on the beds and patterned rugs that warm the white oak floors.
Throughout the home, unique light fixtures add just the right touch to each space and the art adds depth and color to the walls. The common areas – a massive kitchen, large dining and living rooms and cozy library offer indoor spots to gather. Outside, porches, patios, a fire pit and the dock beckon everyone to head out for activities.
Photos: Southern Landscape Group
Cultivating outdoor spaces
Coleen’s mother fills the planters on the front and lakeside patios with colorful flowers each year. Her sister plans to fill the inside loggia with green someday when she has more time to tend them. The large Mediterranean planters by the front door each hold a Japanese Maple tree surrounded by cascading stems of pansies, petunias and lantanas that flow down toward the elegant Kentucky Bluestone porch.
Mark Maslow and his team at Southern Landscape Group designed the grounds. He went to Tennessee to find just the right large, natural rocks to line the stone retaining walls and walkway to the lake. Mark says, “Selecting the stone was important to Coleen so we spent a lot of time choosing the right materials to match her vision as well as complement the architecture of the house.”
Designing the hardscape, and choosing plants, was truly a joint effort between Mark, Coleen and her mother. Small butterfly bushes, gardenias and boxwoods line the beds in the front of the house. Tall viburnum, native grasses, and several small trees offer privacy and mitigate drainage issues. The result is a remarkable landscape that fits the architecture of the house and offers garden areas that synch with the land. “Coleen and her mom are true gems,” Mark says.
Photos: Southern Landscape Group
Mark chose all of the trees and shrubs carefully so the family has maintenance-free (almost) gardens that surround the house and patios. His team selected plants with texture as well as color so the beds are not just green swaths when shrubs are not in bloom. Another consideration was choosing shrubs that deer do not eat. Mark notes, “A huge dynamic of this property is the abundant wildlife population, so plant selection was one of the big obstacles we were able to overcome.”
Beyond the spacious parking area that fronts the entrance and garage doors, the green sloping lot gives a lush space of tranquility before it meets the street. The family lives easy on their land and is vigilant about protecting the lake ecosystem. They installed a system to collect the rainwater to water their garden. Coleen purchased a lot across the street, cleared the brush and planted trees. It provides a park-like buffer area. This extra land holds potential for a greenhouse or a garden someday.
This transitional home is always evolving as family members bring their time and talents while they relax and dream at the lake. From its outside architecture and landscaping to the furniture and art inside that came from several family members’ collections, it is a wonderful blend of traditional and modern. As her mother says so well, “This is not a lake house; it is a home at the lake.” ✦