Copper Ridge Residence

The family came to us after acquiring a parcel along Copper Ridge, just west of Knoxville, with a vision for a legacy home their children could grow up in. They wanted a house intertwined with the land, with room to host gatherings of thirty or more. Yet they also longed for quiet places of reflection, like the sitting room by a window where her mother used to read to her.

The ridgetop looks south over the rolling hills of Tennessee and north from a bluff to the lake. Nestled between two farms, the land seemed to ask for a home that would stretch out along the ridge and its views.

Sitting on the ridge, the house needed to take in the view while still settling into the land. Alongside a large home for family and hospitality, the program included an outdoor kitchen, a pool, spa, and pool house, a garden with a greenhouse, a separate home for parents, a shop in a repurposed barn, and a small shed and turnout for animals.

Low, sweeping rooflines draw the house down into the land and give it an intimate scale despite its size. Early on, the owner shared his admiration for a finely made watch, intricately assembled from fine materials, never showy, simply crafted to perfection. Laid flat, the watch face became the plan, with an emphasis at every three hours like the markers on its dial. The main axis runs the length of the ridge, with rooms reaching north and south toward the landscape, and the buildings balance along it in a loose but formal arrangement, the land rolling between them. At the heart, the kitchen and gathering room look south over the hills and open west to a screened porch, terraced pool, and gardens.