Rosie’s Ridge
About the Project
After enjoying Rosie's Ridge as both a vacation home and a luxury short-term rental, Ashlund and her husband made the decision to call Highlands home full-time in June of 2023. That marked the beginning of the home's next chapter—a thoughtful transformation from a place designed for guests to one designed around the rhythms of everyday life.
Over time, every surface of the home has been reimagined to reflect the way they live, creating a retreat that feels deeply personal, effortlessly functional, and rooted in a true sense of belonging.
Location
Highlands, North Carolina
Photographer
Molly Harris
Videographer
Jonathan Harris
The kitchen was rebuilt from the studs as the functional heart of the home—designed to support the rhythm of everyday life while feeling calm, considered, and effortless to use.
A layered material palette introduces quiet depth throughout the space. Polished nickel fixtures—carried through the faucet, pot filler, and integrated filtered water system—bring a subtle sense of refinement, while pewter hardware grounds the cabinetry with a natural contrast.
Appliances are fully integrated into the millwork, allowing the architecture of the kitchen to remain visually uninterrupted. A concealed appliance garage keeps daily essentials—coffee, small appliances, and countertop items—neatly out of sight.
The result is a kitchen shaped by utility and designed to support daily rituals with ease.
Just beyond the kitchen, the lounge is bathed in morning light and has become a natural place to begin the day—coffee in hand, watching the sunrise over the surrounding mountains. In the evening, it shifts into a quiet retreat for reading and unwinding.
A bay window anchors the space, framed by tailored linen drapery that softens the architecture while drawing the eye outward to the landscape beyond. A curated palette of natural materials establishes warmth and ease throughout: a grounded wood coffee table, a wool rug underfoot, woven wicker accents, and velvet-cushioned lounge chairs layered for comfort and texture.
The room is designed for pause—an intentional space that reflects the home’s quiet focus on comfort, connection, and the simple rhythm of daily rituals.
The primary suite was fully reimagined as a private retreat defined by warmth, texture, and architectural detail. In the bedroom, a tongue-and-groove ceiling paired with white oak beams introduces quiet character, while tailored window treatments soften the architecture and frame the surrounding landscape.
A velvet chaise lounge was placed to capture the shifting light throughout the day—offering a quiet moment for reading or watching winter sunsets. The same velvet appears again in the layered bedding, paired with a block print quilt that introduces a subtle nod to Appalachian textile traditions and a sense of history within the space.
In the bathroom, the renovation extended to the subfloor, allowing for a complete reconstruction centered around comfort and permanence. In-floor radiant heating beneath natural limestone tile enhances the experience of the space, while a soaker tub is positioned within the bay window to take in light and seasonal views. A walk-in shower with rain head, handheld fixture, bench, and niche completes the space with understated functionality.
Concealed storage is integrated directly into the millwork, with linen closets hidden seamlessly behind tongue-and-groove detailing. The result is a suite that feels refined yet deeply livable—where every detail supports ease, comfort, and a sense of lasting calm.
The living room serves as the central gathering space of the home, defined by its scale, vaulted architecture, and connection to the surrounding mountain landscape. The design embraces these proportions, with two sofas anchoring the room and creating an easy setting for conversation and gathering.
At the center, a distinctive coffee table with turned wooden legs and a rich stain grounds the space with a sense of weight and quiet history. Layered around it, familiar furnishings and collected pieces introduce warmth and lived-in character.
Along one side of the room, a more informal vignette offers a softer moment within the larger space—a rocking chair placed beside a hutch, creating a quiet corner for pause and reflection.
Subtle decisions throughout, including the integration of the television so it reads more like part of the composition than a focal point, allow the room to maintain a calm, considered presence even in daily use.
Located just off the living room, the full bath was completely reimagined as part of the home’s renovation. Taken to the studs and rebuilt from the ground up, it was designed with accessibility in mind, including a flush-threshold shower for age-in-place ease.
A steam shower with integrated niche and infinity drain introduces a sense of quiet luxury, while wrap-around wall paneling adds architectural continuity with the rest of the home.
The main floor laundry and mudroom extend the same design language into the home’s most active utility spaces. A durable sealed brick floor paired with natural stone ensures longevity under daily use, while maintaining a refined material presence.
The washer and dryer are fully concealed behind custom millwork, allowing the room to remain visually quiet even in constant use. Thoughtful storage and durable finishes ensure the space performs effortlessly—supporting the realities of mountain living without compromising on design integrity.
The upper level is home to two bedrooms and a shared bathroom, each designed as a natural continuation of the home’s overall language while allowing for subtle shifts in mood and character.
In one bedroom, deep forest greens and warm creams create a grounded, enveloping palette, softened by layered textiles and a strong connection to natural materials. A four-poster canopy bed anchors the room, paired with a richly textured blanket at the foot of the bed that echoes the wood tones found throughout the home. At the foot of the bed, an intricate wooden chest with brass inlay introduces a crafted, heirloom quality that adds both function and quiet ornament.
The second bedroom takes on a cooler register, drawing from deep blues and iron tones that reflect the surrounding Blue Ridge landscape. The palette feels slightly more atmospheric, yet remains tied to the home’s broader material and color story. A richly patterned block print pillow introduces a subtle textile moment that brings warmth and depth to the bedscape. Throughout both rooms, alcove spaces are used intentionally to create moments of pause, storage, and quiet architectural rhythm.
The upstairs bathroom continues this sense of cohesion through material selection and detail execution. Architectural paneling adds depth and structure, while a refined combination of marble and traditional finishes creates a calm, enduring atmosphere that feels consistent with the rest of the home.
