A Welcoming Home Designed for Entertaining

When the homeowners of this beautiful residence decided to build a new home in an area closer to their community of friends, their goal was to create a warm and inviting home that was perfect for entertaining guests. Caitlyn Noble sits down with the couple to learn more about the building process from their perspective.

The homeowners explain, “The most important thing to us was to have an open layout with plenty of natural light streaming in throughout the day.” A painter in his free time, the husband also wanted to incorporate warm color tones inspired by the couple’s travels over the years. 

They knew that bringing their ideas to life would require putting together a talented team that could help realize their vision. 

The couple had recently purchased a lot and proudly selected Rufty Homes to build their new home. It was Rufty Homes “who had built several of our friends’ homes and came highly recommended to us. Jon Rufty recommended that we work with Frazier Home Design and we chose Heather Holcombe Designs to help us achieve a cohesive look that matched our style,” says the couple. “And then we worked closely with our Rufty Project Manager, Allen Moore, who helped figure out creative solutions in almost every area of the home.”

When it came to incorporating color in the design, it all came down to balance. Heather explains, “Our goal was to find ways to use distinct colors throughout the home but in a cohesive way. To do this, we used similar palettes in different areas of the house. For example, there is a rust-colored stone in the foyer that is mirrored with the paint we chose for the back of the bookshelves in the family room. We also carried the granite countertops from the kitchen into the master closet and used the same shade of blue featured in the kitchen in the master bathroom tile.”

One of the home's most prominent features is the smoky blue kitchen cabinets, which are perfectly complemented by the custom-designed textured blue tile backsplash, which features a fig tree. “It took several iterations to get the design of that tile exactly right, but it was more than worth it to get the end result,” says Heather. 

It was that attention to detail from every member of the team that made the building process a smooth one for the couple. The wife goes on to say, “Allen and Heather were extraordinarily helpful and awesome to work with. They both helped guide us to make the right decisions and we felt we could rely on them completely. A project of this size, with so much complexity and customization, comes with challenges, especially since we were specific about what we wanted. But, we all worked together to get everything right down to the last detail. ”

For Allen Moore, the challenges are part of what he loves about his work. “I enjoyed the process of helping the couple figure out exactly what they wanted, even if that meant making changes on the fly. The staircase, for example, started on paper as a completely different design, but it was very satisfying to listen to the homeowners and figure out a solution that better fit their needs and wants. The finished staircase couldn’t be more perfect for the space.”

This idea of helping homeowners find creative solutions during the build process is set from the top down, starting with Jon Rufty, which was immediately apparent to our client. He explains, “Jon was always solution-focused any time we had questions or concerns. It was obvious that he has a passion for what he does and his top priority is making sure his customers are happy.”

Now, as they prepare to move into their new home, the homeowners most look forward to the time they’ll spend together with their friends and loved ones. Whether it’s hanging out on their screened porch, surrounded by nature, or having a drink in their downstairs bar that was inspired by a trip to Dubai, their place will feel like home to all who visit.

For more photos of this beautiful new home, click here.