Written by Anne Marie Ashley
Photography by Jim West
Abandoned in the 1960s, this old steel-framed and woodpaneled home on a hilltop overlooking Crabtree Creek seemed unredeemable to everyone but the Chiles’. Through the kudzu covered walls and rotted, ivy-ridden wood they could see a pristine, modern home that would pay proper homage to the Mid-Century Modern structure it once was. It reminded them of Pierre Koenig’s homes in the California hills, they would say. The bones of the home were strong and their vision clear, and the couple began a year-long journey to build a living gallery full of art, light and open spaces.
T he Chiles’ called on Tonic Design in Raleigh to help them reconstruct the home, knowing their design/build model would be ideal for this type of project. “The clients came to us wanting the most loft-like home and home-like loft,” says Vincent Petrarca, lead designer at Tonic. “They felt we could help them realize their dream of a modern home.” Having visited other significant architectural projects like Falling Water done by Frank Lloyd Wright and Villa Savoye outside of Paris designed by Le Corbusier, the Chiles’ recognized the details that they were drawn to and could use these as a reference point when designing the new home.
Over the years, the couple had created a remarkable art and furniture collection that needed to be displayed in a home that complemented their love and interest in art and design.
The team used rusted steel panels and white painted steel beams, along with wood, aluminum and glass to maintain the Mid-Century Modern appeal of the original structure as well offer unobstructed views of both their art and the surrounding landscape. Low walls, area rugs and Mid-Century Modern furnishings loosely define boundaries between the living room, dining room, office, kitchen and breakfast area, which encourages movement through the various spaces and levels of the house. Tonic worked with structural engineer Kaydos-Daniels to create the striking spiral staircase that connects the main living level to the roof deck. Clipped onto the side of the house, the outdoor stair’s helical form stands in contrast to the grid-like steel structure and a steel and pipe wood bridge spans a private walled garden that connects the drive to the front door.
The resulting 3,500-square-foot home is a combination of quiet retreats and open perches, providing several spaces to sit and enjoy the views inside and out. Because the home is situated on a hillside nestled in a stand of old-growth beech trees, the couple envisioned the roof deck as a large-scale “table on top of the house” where friends could gather for social occasions in a space with views across the treetops to the distant horizon. “The Chiles’ were a very informed client,” offers Vincent. “Very passionate about good design and that makes our job easy and enjoyable.”
When asked what makes for great design in a home, Vincent thinks specifically about the Chiles’ home. “I think indoor/outdoor connections and how we dissolve the corners of the rooms to make spaces feel larger and more connected to nature.” He adds that the roof terrace is one of his favorite parts of the home saying, “The wing shaped roof provides shade in the summer and allows sun onto the terrace during the winter months.”