It’s hard to imagine a more magnificent setting than the one occupied by this ranch which sits on a private lane overlooking a private lake, surrounded by green and luxuriant fairways with the Blue Ridge Mountains for a back drop. It is open for viewing on Saturday, April 25 as one of the homes on the self-guided Green Blades Garden Club Decorator Showcase Tour of Homes.

 

The amazing views are the real stars of this show. For the Granvilles, the success of this N.C. project lies in the intensely meaningful blend between nature and architecture. It wasn’t all decorating, however. The owner found the original layout a “hodge-podge of rooms” that an older ranch seemed to display, so they strategically shifted a few walls and doorways to establish an easy circulation pattern that is another hallmark of her style.

 

You can never tell a book by its cover. It was the owner’s wish to maintain this unassuming, very tailored look, of this ranch circa 1960, knowing full well that upon entering the front door you are in another world of visual views of scenery, glass walls, and decorating that will take your breath away.

 

The floor plan opens the living room to a dining room that features chairs of banana palm around the table that seems to float to the outside thru the glass wall. The living room, upholstered in muted color, edged with nail head trim, completes a relaxed feeling with the art and visual view of the lake and back porch, and fairways but maintaining a elegant feeling with the chandelier that hangs above.

 

The kitchen is a gourmet cook’s dream with granite counters and a top of the line collection of appliances. Tucked in the corner is the breakfast nook with padded valences and a banquet of seating. The kitchen is done in soft beiges, blacks, and cream.
“I wanted the house to be open and inviting,” said Gale, the owner and decorator. “Every area of the house has glass walls open to the extensive deck facing the water.”

Rooms are linked by French doors offering long sight lines for all of the spaces to the outdoors. The subtle neutral palette and furnishings throughout the home coupled with the reflections of the water is a calming and beautiful combination.

The place works; you have never seen square footage so brilliantly used. Apart from the sublime balance of functionality, flow and sheer fancifulness, the owners recognize that their Red Fox foothold is something much more.

Tickets for the tour may be purchased at the following stores: in Landrum at PJ’S Fashions, Sissy’s Fashions and Expressions Florist; in Tryon at Vines n’ Stuff and Down to Earth Garden Center; in Columbus at The Flower Cottage and The Openroad Coffee & Tea.  Tickets will also be sold the day of the tour at the homes and at our ticket booth at the Corner of Hwy. 14 and Fairview Farms Rd. For more information please call Liz Norstrom at 828-894-2296.

–       Submitted by Liz Norstrom