There’s one angle to log houses that awakens a passion for nature and a sentimental feeling toward this rustic home environment and its western flair. Visions of pioneers chopping down trees, sizing logs and building their own homes are blended with the simplicity of an uncomplicated lifestyle.
Then there’s the perspective of today’s contemporary log home with all the amenities, comforts and luxuries of stick-built houses, while still exuding the enchanting, natural warmth that only logs can deliver. This Blacksburg property gracefully melds the nostalgic longing for a natural ambiance with the desire to live with modern accoutrements.
The large front porch spans the entire width of the house and offers copious options for a bistro dining set, thick chair pads on wicker and the requisite rocking chairs. There’s plenty of space for dining, relaxing and rocking. In just the past 18 months, the homeowner has meticulously removed dying or crowded trees, and installed some professional landscaping. The circular driveway, leading to a 3-car garage, has been smoothly paved. Curb appeal here is 10 on a scale of 1-10.
Stepping inside envelops the visitor instantly in a warm aura. From the generous foyer space, one can turn right, pass a powder room and stroll into the spacious gourmet kitchen. Straight ahead, natural daylight streams through windows and the new, high quality patio doors into a spacious open living room. These Pella sliding doors flank the stone fireplace [gas], which is outfitted with the ease of remote operation. Mini-blinds encased in the glass offer convenience of shading as needed without any strings or manual up-down motion. This recent update opens to a newly expanded deck facing south in a fenced yard. The property has woods behind and in front, with minimal traffic on a short, dead-end street. While only a mile from shopping, it feels like a frontier oasis.
Five substantially large, log, vertical columns create interest like sentries supporting the log open balcony. A soaring, cathedral ceiling lowers to offer a more cozy feel in the adjacent dining room, which can comfortably seat a dozen or more. The kitchen is well-defined with a large breakfast or wine bar on the dining room side. New slide in-out shelving in a very large pantry offers convenience for seeing what’s there and retrieving it. The center island offers the gas range and oven with counter space on both sides, and there is the requisite kitchen window over double sinks. Granite counters nudge up to a log backsplash for the natural materials, while stainless steel appliances provide state-of-the-art aesthetics and advantages.
Kitchen lighting has been strategically placed with five glass pendant lights over the island, classy track lighting over the breakfast bar, and motion task lights under finely-crafted oak cabinets. There’s an appropriate 4-light strip of bulbs over the sink and a couple small double small ceiling track lights. Larger single ceiling lights near the interior living room wall are perfect for spotlighting pieces of art.
Also on the main floor is a comfy home office, which can be a nursery, personal retreat or small bedroom. The master suite is tucked off the main activity center with a very substantial walk-in closet. The master bath features a toilet closet, stand-alone soaking tub, separate shower and double vanity.
The upstairs open loft is beautiful to view from downstairs and just as lovely to be on, looking down at the living room. Space at the top of the staircase, replete with wood railings and a gate at the top, can be an entertainment space, playroom, home office, reading nook or craft center. There are two large bedrooms on the second floor, each with drywall walls for color and decorative benefits. There’s a full bathroom and an attractive array of small wood doors with brass hardware leading into various storage spaces.
And there’s more. The mud room between the garage and entering the house holds the laundry facility and utility sink, hooks for jackets and plenty of room for boots. Another door in the garage leads up to an efficiency apartment – a cute, cozy, comfy space entirely separate from the main house.
This is one property that can honestly deliver rustic elegance with an Americana atmosphere and a contemporary lifestyle. The grandeur of space and design offers a sophisticated home with abundant natural materials and timeless charm.
The 9th U.S. President, William Henry Harrison, ran as the “log cabin candidate” in the 1840 election, partly to shore up votes from the frontiersmen, though Harrison himself was anything but. He was born into what could have been dubbed Virginia nobility. He won by a landslide, delivered a two-hour inauguration speech on the steps of the U.S. Capitol in very cold weather, caught pneumonia and died 32 days later. The 13th and 16th U.S. Presidents, Fillmore and Lincoln, were also born in log cabins.
Text by Joanne M. Anderson
Photos by Kristie Lea Photography
