This Myers Park Home Masters Indoor and Outdoor Living
About Face
Ken Pursley is serious when he refers to the homes he creates as mutts. "They are not purebreds, but rather, I tend to draw on a lot of houses and precedents. What really matters is the emotion a house generates," says the Charlotte, North Carolina-based architect. For one hometown client, he looked to the early 20th-century work of Edwin Lutyens, a British architect known for adapting traditional styles of rural England to fit the times.
The decorative facade looks as though a carpenter has chiseled it from wood.
The House at a Glance
Where: Myers Park, Charlotte, North Carolina
Built: 2014
Square footage: 5,000 square feet, including porches
Builders: Sid and Brice Thomasson, Thomasson Construction Company
Landscape architect: Bruce Clodfelter, Bruce Clodfelter & Associates
Interior designer: Teri Thomas, Teri Thomas Interiors
Materials: Brick, slate, white oak, cedar, and concrete
A fanciful chandelier hangs from a plank ceiling in the living room.
Walk on Water
The spaces that surround the pool are designed for easy access to the outdoors. Instead of having people pass through the pool house to get to the covered porch, Pursley installed concrete stepping-stones—he calls them lily pads—directly in the water. Set in the saline pool, they allow the water's edge to hug the building.
Kitchen Cunning
Pursley played up the public spaces by having the family and dining rooms, the breakfast nook, and a reading aerie revolve around the kitchen.
The cooktop is designed into a hearth made to look like an old fireplace.
Light Breakfast
A windowed kitchen nook looks out onto the interior courtyard.
Nature's Neutrals
Tones of ivory, slate, putty, and stone prevail in the primary bedroom.
Perfect Pitch
The peak of a Gothic door design is ideal for fitting an entrance under a stairway. Open treads let light stream through and offer a glimpse of the pool and woods beyond.
Haute Hook
A copper lantern hangs from a whimsical S-shaped hanger fabricated by Charlotte blacksmith Theron Ross, who made the decorative exterior railings throughout.
Couture Cover
Nickel upholstery nails stud a vinyl-covered kitchen cabinet to give the built-in the look of an armoire. Inside, a sink and cocktail accoutrements make entertaining easy.
Sleek Slope
This stairway's sweeping ceiling and shiplap walls turn what would be just an ordinary passageway in most homes into a beautiful space.
Nature Walk
The hallway to the primary bedroom offers an unhindered view of the courtyard and pool. Along the wall, the primary closet and powder room are hidden by wood planking.
Design Detail
It may appear to be a flourish, but the rail lock is designed to accommodate the door hardware while allowing the maximum amount of light to flow through the sheet of glass.
Banding Together
The headboard and extension of a custom bed designed by Mark Kline of Pursley Dixon Architecture were meant to mimic the bands of the railing.
Friendly Folly
A charming entry gate, constructed with cedar timbers and a slate roof, creates a memorable walk from the guest parking court to the lush courtyard beyond.
A brick cottage rooted in the romance of the English countryside is designed for living indoors and out.