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Builder and developer Ethan Colclasure understands what makes a house a home; after all, it's his job. With the help of his wife, Ashleyby day, a counselor who also has a knack for interior designhe built a transitional-style home for his family, blending modern and traditional features that feel current, yet familiar.
The couple worked with P. Shea on the architecture and consulted with JL Design and Natalie Hager Interiors on the interior style choicesalthough Ashley enjoyed being more hands-on with decisions on the aesthetics.
'We have antiques, and we have brand new, and we have super modern,” Ashley says of their eclectic décor selections. 'We are really big in to art, original art especially. We've collected from all kinds of different places, but I will say the big pieces that are going to stay with us for a long time are more traditional with hints of modern in them.”
Their Green Hills property used to feature a 1,500-square-foot, 1940s ranch-style house when the couple bought it in 2008. They did an initial remodel, but, after having their third child (they have three girls, ages 4, 2, and 1), they decided they had outgrown it, so they tore it down to build the nearly 6,000-square-foot abode, which they recently sold in mid-March.
'It's a thing builders do, I supposejust move and move and move every couple of years,” Ashley explains. They will relocate to a home about 100 yards away ('We love the overall location,” Ethan says), and, even though they knew the current house would not be their 'forever home,” they made sure to add all the design features that they loveand that they knew buyers would love, too.
Clean lines, white walls, floor-to-ceiling windows, a granite waterfall island, Carrera marble backsplash and counters in the kitchen, and tall ceilings all mingle to make the home feel airy, bright, and modern, without feeling too contemporary. And, most importantly, they made sure to craft a home that entertains well.
'We love entertaining; we love having friends over,” Ashley says. Between a spacious backyard space with an outdoor kitchen, fireplace, and two outside TVs, plus an open-concept interior, the house is hosting heaven. 'On most Sundays, especially during football season, we'll have 20 people over with kids. We have two big bounce houses that we blow up; so, we watch football and grill. It's pretty fun,” Ethan adds.
But a house that entertains yet lacks in function is only good to look atand, of course, the two didn't overlook any details when it came to utility. Ashley has what she calls her 'moffice”or mom office, which includes a spacious laundry room and a kid-friendly half bath separate from the more lavish, main-floor guest half bath. Plus, they have two sets of washing machines and dryers and two dishwashers.
Touches of the unexpected are also abundant throughout the home. 'We knew we did not want basic, brown-stained flooring,” Ethan says. The floors are Monocoat, a natural wood finish, and the slates lie in a chevron pattern just inside the front door. There's also a 'Teddy Bear Condo” in one of the upstairs bedrooms, with a mural painted by Ashley's mom around a small entrance into an area where the Colclasures' daughters can play. Another unusual feature: Stained wood on the exterior helps the house stand out from the rest of the white-painted-brick homes on the marketand adds a modern design quality.
Even though their time there was temporary, Ethan and Ashley Colclasure built a home that could easily suit anyone. And, perhaps the best perk of living with a home builder, Ashley explains, 'Many of the elements that I'm going to miss, we're going to [recreate] in our next home.”