Mountain Mood

Creating a Mountain Home in the Mid South

Story by Cara Sievers | Design by City Hill Design | Photography by Sarah Voigt Photography

Having a place in Blackberry Mountain in the mountains of East Tennessee is truly a blessing for this Germantown family. It’s a home away from home, a genuine retreat and a place of respite. When time came to update their primary home, they knew they wanted to incorporate that mountain living ambiance into their everyday abode. 

The family enlisted sisters Katie Norrid and Amy Mobley of City Hill Design Co. to infuse the design with an updated, luxurious yet relaxed feel. Some rooms were overhauled, and some received only minor tweaks, but the City Hill team achieved its goal of a consistent, calming and comfortable flow. 

The home’s very first impression is the epitome of a warm, Southern welcome – a spacious porch that seems to greet visitors with arms outstretched and sweet tea at the ready. The family uses the porch as a front-yard living room of sorts, migrating there to socialize and gathering in the space to share a meal. 

“The porch was already a beautiful space; it just needed a new configuration and some functional design elements,” says Norrid. “Adding a bistro dining set, refinishing the homeowners’ rocking chairs and installing a giant bed swing created multiple seating options while keeping the flow open and airy.” 

Large cement planters flank the front door, and the foliage flows seamlessly into the exquisitely designed, tiered flower beds next to the porch. Landscape designer Camille McElroy created combinations of various greenery textures and pops of color that were pretty, but still hardy enough for the Tennessee sunshine. 

Just inside the front door, the color-drenched foyer sets a warm and cozy mood. The grayish green hue is the perfect backdrop for one of the homeowners’ collected antique buffets and a unique 16-piece polyptych from Josh Young Design House in NYC. 

“Throughout the home, we carefully combined vintage pieces with more modern elements and artwork to create an eclectic look that could not be dated,” says Mobley. “Not only is this style virtually timeless, but it is reminiscent of the design of their mountain home, combining many different eras and aesthetics.”

The muted and moody foyer opens into a massive great room with soaring 21-foot vaulted ceilings covered in reclaimed barn wood. Rustic warmth exudes from a huge wood-burning fireplace encased in Tennessee limestone and crowned by a reclaimed timber mantle. 

The floors, made from centuries-old dirty top pine, provide a gorgeously patinaed backdrop for the cozy family gathering space. Traditional olive green plaid wool upholstery—a subtle nod to the family’s Scottish heritage—meshes well with a gothic wrought-iron chandelier. A low, 70s-style coffee table and towering, eight-foot modern abstract painting by artist Keren Toledano (NYC) keep the room’s atmosphere eclectic and vibrant.

The dining area holds a beautiful live-edge dining table made from a walnut tree that came from the property, but that’s just one way in which the City Hill designers bring the outdoors into the room. All of the south wall’s doors and windows open to the screened-in porch, creating a hybrid living space. The homeowner admits that they tend to “live” on this porch, enjoying the view and watching their dogs play in the backyard. An outdoor kitchen with a grill and blacktop griddle gets a lot of use, as does a dining table that converts to a billiard table. 

While the home’s indoor kitchen boasts brighter subway tile walls and white trim, pops of teal in the barstools and draperies, along with several warm, woodsy accents, tie back into the antique wool rug and ground the space.   

When they’re not gathered in the kitchen, the family is likely gathered in the bonus room upstairs. Though originally designed as a place for teenage kids to hang out, the whole family escapes to this colorful corner from time to time. 

At first, the design team was asked to simply paint it; but the concept started to evolve, and the homeowners love the finished product. Serene, sage-tone walls are complemented by black-and-white curtains and pinstriped ottomans. Pops of color abound in a fun crowd of throw pillows, coordinating with the colorful artwork series behind the shuffleboard and foosball tables. 

While kids gather in this bonus area, mom and dad can take refuge in the primary suite, complete with even more unique mountain-home touches. Perhaps a little tongue-in-cheek nod to Blackberry Farm, the Craftsman-style mantle and built-ins are painted a rich blackberry hue, pulled straight from the palette provided by the antique 1920s rug. 

Cozy swivel club chairs and a petite writing desk encapsulate a sitting area adjacent to the traditional, four-poster bed. One of the homeowners’ favorite elements, inspired by interior design at Blackberry Farm, are the luxurious Sandra Jordan throws at the foot of every bed. With a silky sheen and soft hand, these foot-warmers add a muted, luxe vibe and a blatant nod to their mountain home in every room.

Whether in the Great Smoky Mountains or their uniquely appointed Germantown residence, this family can enjoy the elemental, organic and natural feel of a mountain home. The design has an almost scrapbook-like feel—a collection of the family’s most loved pieces that have been amassed over the years. In a time in which many houses are designed with a single style washed across them in their entirety, it’s refreshing to see a home with such individuality and warmth. As refreshing, some might say, as mountain air.