Credits:
Principal Designer- Jason Weil: Retro+Fit Design LLC
Interior Designer- Talli Roberts: Allard & Roberts
General Contractor- Brad Rice: Bellwether Design Build
Structural Engineer- Frank Ungert: Medlock and Associates
Developer: David Zimmerman
Photographer: David Dietrich

The Privé (Ciel 10) is a custom developer spec, located in a high-end mountain community on a beautiful lot offering spectacular views with many challenges. The developer stipulated only that it be modern, marketable, and exceptional.

The south-facing site has views of the Asheville skyline, and long-range views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The lot warranted something dramatic and sculptural. I designed the house conceptually from the outside in, as if designing a piece of sculpture. By shifting a series of cantilevered blocks at different angles and anchoring them to the mountain visually and structurally with the stucco clad vertical circulation block, I created a dynamic structure while incorporating optimal views. The views of and from the local mountains are very important in the marketing of homes and land in the Asheville area. Care was taken to make sure that the splendid views from the beautiful lot were incorporated into as many room as possible and that generous windows were installed to soak up all the beauty.

The approach to the house from the road, and then along the switchback driveway creates interest as the house reveals itself slowly upon arrival. The house appears to change kaleidoscopically on approach as the cantilevered blocks seem to shift with the view angles.

The drama continues when you enter this house. Large floor to ceiling windows, a 24’ sliding door, and expansive decks at each level merge the interior and exterior capturing the stunning views of downtown Asheville and the mountain ranges beyond.

The entire upper floor is a sumptuous master suite culminating with the cantilevered master bedroom which has a glass prow pointed directly at the Asheville skyline.

This site presented numerous challenges. The mountain site drops approximately 320' from the road and falls under several protected ridge ordinances. Guidelines limited the amount of site disturbance, tree removal, LRV values, and restricted height of the structure above grade. Another challenge was balancing privacy with accessibility. The further we put the house from the street the more difficult it was to design a manageable driveway. We arrived at a happy medium to give the house the quality of privacy that the developer requested and the ability to get cars down to the middle level garage on the very steep lot.

The cladding choice of vertical cypress siding was made by the developer and the design team decided to finish the cypress with Everlast an ecologically friendly finish that would give the boards a nice aged grey finish. The concept behind the finish color was to hide the building somewhat from the valley below, during the time when the leaves were off the trees in this deciduous forest by creating a cladding close to the color of the natural tree trunks. The house blends in with it’s surroundings on the mountain very naturally at all times of the year.

Although the house was designed in a sculptural way, I was able to create an efficient flow of functional spaces that would be marketable to a variety of potential buyers. Since The Privé was meant to be a spec house I had to come up with a program that would make it marketable to retirees, younger families with children, or empty nesters. There is an inherent flexibility in the floor plan that accomplishes this goal.

The concept for the interiors at the Privé was to create a neutral palette that would not take away from the beautiful views surrounding the house. We decided that we wanted modern interiors, however we did not want it to be too cold as some modern interiors can appear. The interiors had to respond to the beautiful nature of the site while not detracting from it. The interior designer Talli Roberts of Allard & Roberts did an excellent job creating a nice warm but neutral palette that is carried throughout the house. This is achieved through the use of beautiful materials of varying textural qualities that enhance the spaces and their relationship to the surrounding site.

In conclusion, The Privé is as exceptional as the surrounding mountains, breathtaking, solid and inspiring.