AMY DIXON-DUDLEY
AMY DIXON-DUDLEY
AMY DIXON-DUDLEY
AMY DIXON-DUDLEY
AMY DIXON-DUDLEY
When Build Nashville bought this lot for a speculative build to later sell, co-owner Jamie Duncan found herself falling in love with the house during the frame stage.
She wanted it for herself, and with the help of an amazing team and Duncan’s personal touch and expertise, the home became what it is today: a breathtaking abode with warm, inviting textures that welcomes — yet softens — modernity, adorned with greenery and art.
When it came to design, Duncan kept and adored the majority of interior designer Elena DeSoto’s selections, however, she customized a few things to her personal taste. These customizations are mainly in the backyard with additions such as the sunken fire pit, outdoor shower, mondo grass, and the cabana. She also added the beams in the living room and basket lights in the dining room and on the stairwell.
The inspiration is drawn from Duncan’s favorite place in the world: Costa Rica.
“I love Costa Rica, and I was trying to recreate an experience I had there. I recently stayed at the second-best resort in the world – number one in Costa Rica, number two in the world – Nayara Tented Camp, and I was drawn to a lot of the finishes and the textures that I saw there,” says Duncan. “So, a lot of the details like the beams and the basket lights were drawn from that. And the cabana outside, we installed these things I call skylights, but they are actually made with a polycarbonate panel that is kind of like a plexiglass. Then, we put bamboo reeds inside of those openings so that it aesthetically made it prettier, and that’s how it was at the resort. We followed a lot of the overhangs and different features of the resort. [The resort] inspired us to do the outdoor shower, which we used the same bamboo reeds for.”
A plethora of the home’s aspects pay homage to Costa Rica, making Duncan’s heart swell. Her favorite part of the home is the screened-in porch because she loves to be outdoors, soaking up the rays and seeing all the animals. However, every inch of the home is awe-inspiring. The minimal color scheme juxtaposed with texture feels welcoming and zen to set the mind at ease.
“Texture is like my buzzword right now,” Duncan says. “I’m just all about layering different textures and colors. I think you can do a modern house that is still soft and organic, not a harsh modern. It’s still inviting, it’s not cold and austere, so that was my biggest goal with the texture. Another goal was the layering of different materials and playing with different textures, such as the concrete shower and concrete floors, and then having the solid wood beams in the living room."
Duncan describes the home as an art gallery because of its large incorporation of various works.
“The dining room was always designed around that big, tall 27-foot wall with custom art made by a local artist, Cory Basil, who created that piece specifically for me in that space, and that was always intended to be an art wall. My entire house is an art gallery. There is nothing on my wall that was not purchased from a local artist in Nashville or someone that I have some kind of relationship with, or from when we travel.”
This is the home that Build Nashville uses as its model home, proving to clients that they can build their dream homes right before their eyes.