Mountain Modern, Continued

Preferred Builders round out Cliffs Living magazine’s “Haven” highlight

Home is where the art is, and since The Cliffs exemplifies the high art of fine living, it stands to reason that homes themselves should be works of art. What these owners, builders, and designers are calling “Mountain Modern” will transcend the heart of your living space into a gallery-curated masterpiece. 

In this special extended article, Cliffs Living asked our Preferred Builders how trends are evolving with homebuilding and what modern elements clients gravitate towards. See the full print article here. 

CL: What trends are you seeing from clients wanting to build that lean towards the modern aesthetic?

Gabriel Builders: Large walls of windows and large, open family rooms are common requests. Our clients want simple, clean lines, minimal trim, and less decorative or embellished accents. Site-finished hardwoods are almost obsolete, having been replaced with pre-finished engineered flooring. Cold plunge tubs and saunas are hot right now, replacing home gyms as clients are content using the community wellness center.. 

Cottage Group: Many of our clients are drawn to our more modern plans in our portfolio or want to add more of a modern aesthetic to our transitional style plans. Exterior changes include smaller roof pitches, clean lines, and simple doors and windows. Interior selections have also been reflecting this – black door hardware and plumbing fixtures are very popular right now, and modern-style cabinetry with little to no door details and hardware.. Lastly, modern, linear fireplaces are a common request by clients. 

Living Stone Builders: Architecturally, we are seeing more glass and cleaner lines consistently, as well as indoor-outdoor connectivity for biophilic design and wellness spaces within the home. We are also seeing growing interest in indoor air quality, aging in place, and low-maintenance features. In design, we are seeing a lot of natural, warmer colors come around again, such as browns and terra-cotta in varying tones, with lots of natural textures and patterns for a more organic, contemporary, or modern feel. Deeper jewel tone colors, such as emerald and sapphire, for a cooler juxtaposition. Colored concrete materials, such as tiles, wall panels, plumbing fixtures, etc., are trending. We are also seeing a continuation of curves and softer lines trending.

CL: Can you give an example of a home that you have built recently within The Cliffs that shows a more modern aesthetic? 

Gabriel: We built a home not too long ago in The Cliffs at Walnut Cove that’s very modern. We’re drawing up a few new modern-mountain-style homes and looking forward to bringing them to life in the coming months. A few notable design elements: Straight lines, natural materials including walnut doors, floors, and douglas fir interior beams.

Photo Credit to Firewater Photography

Morgan-Keefe: Modern Mountain Tranquility is aptly named, as it features style and elements that evoke a modern feel. Situated high above a river that runs through The Cliffs at Mountain Park, the home feels as if it is perched on a treetop. It so perfectly blends with the elements that it feels as if the natural surroundings are part of the interior. For instance, warm wood tones in the floors, walls, and ceilings perfectly complement the soft white pallet in many of the rooms and ceilings. The home features an open concept on the main level. The kitchen, dining, living, and main-level screened porch flow here. Despite the size of this modern mountain home, it has a warm and comfortable feeling. This modern mountain home’s construction and design elements result in a Morgan-Keefe work of art that will be cherished for many years by its owners and their friends and family. It is a home that evokes a welcoming feeling from the moment you arrive at the edge of the driveway.

Photo credit to: Inspiro 8 Studios
Builder: Morgan-Keefe Builders
Architect: Altura Architects
Interior Design: Allard & Roberts

Cottage Group: Our upcoming showhome and spec home at The Landing at Keowee Springs will both have a modern style, still with a very unique look. These will be completed this summer. Some notable design elements that make these homes unique are modern cabinetry, roof pitches and style, clean line ceiling details, contemporary light fixtures, plumbing fixtures, and railings.

Living Stone Builders: The Clovertop Retreat at Walnut Cove fits this bill. It’s Energy Star certified, Greenbuilt certified, indoor air plus certified, aging in place, and biophilic designs. Wide pivot front door, show garage with attached home office, gaming room, bedroom balconies, putting green, outdoor kitchen, ample outdoor living with fire and water features, custom lighting design with smart controls and audio, custom floating staircase with Mexican pebble light well, heated floors in the primary suite, exposed steel beam walkway.

Photo credit to: Living Stone Builders

CL: What other interesting or modern features have clients wanted in their homes? 

Gabriel: Interior trim is also being influenced. Heavy trim, crown, and coffered ceilings are less desirable. People are looking for simple wood beams and minimal trim. Simple cove-type trims are favored over traditional ogee millwork. Pools were very hot for a couple of years, but this has calmed tremendously, possibly due to overall costs.

Morgan-Keefe: We have clients who are embracing contemporary living and building modern homes that blend luxury with practicality. Little conveniences like dog showers and bowl fillers, while outdoor spaces boast rain curtains by the pool. Others seek artistic endeavors in kilns and art rooms, complemented by smart features like automatic shades and lighting. Eco-conscious components include car charging outlets and wireless setups. For safety and durability, bear-proof trash rooms and sturdy slate roofs are standard, alongside stylish metal stairs in our mountain communities. 

Cottage Group: An interesting feature we’ve had requests for is water features for noise.  Things like “spools”–not as small as a spa, not as big as a pool– but can still be heated like a spa, have become very popular.

Living Stone: Ambry baths–a design feature we invented for the primary bathroom and closets to be open and airy with custom built-in cabinetry for the closet system–provide a much more high-end, high-design aesthetic and use of the space. “Dirty kitchen/Scullery,” which is a modification to the butler’s pantry, wellness rooms for yoga or meditation, panic rooms with hidden and secure doors, and built-in pet amenities like dog baths, floating shelves with dog bowls, and cabinetry built-ins for pet food and equipment have all become very popular. Clients who build custom, one-of-a-kind homes are also looking for furniture that is unique to them and fits their new space. They don’t want the same furniture that everyone else has. We specialize in starting with a personalized space plan and then designing or curating, the furniture to meet their lifestyle and the certification requirements of an Indoor AirPlus home for our client’s health.

Learn more about all the Preferred Builders at The Cliffs and view some of their recent builds.