Brow Lake Road is a narrow drive atop Lookout Mountain in Georgia. Along one side of the road is a spectacular view of the North Georgia Mountains, punctuated by beautiful homes. Along the other side of the road are untouched woods and a picturesque mountain lake. It is here, amongst this beauty, that you find Dan and Ferris Robinson’s family home, a 4,500-square foot, 4-bedroom, 3.5-bath log home.
The housing business is something that the Robinsons are quite familiar with. They are owners of Walden Log Homes, a leading manufacturer and supplier of authentic, antique log homes, which is located on Lookout Mountain. Walden Log Homes uses logs that are at least 100 years old to create and build custom log homes throughout the United States. With their experience in the housing industry and beautiful hardwoods, Dan and Ferris were uniquely qualified to design and create the home of their dreams.
Having now lived on Brow Lake Road for six years, Dan and Ferris bought the land for their home several years prior. Ferris explains how she stumbled upon the lot, “My parents lived in North Chattanooga and were thinking about moving up here. My mother and I came up here to look at this lot for her. She wasn’t interested, but I loved it. At the time there were very few houses up here and we ended up buying it. We had it for six or seven years before we finally built.” Those six or seven years were spent carefully planning the Robinson’s dream home and Ferris took it upon herself to design the house. She started with a Southern Living home plan and modified it significantly to fit their needs. The result of her years of hard work and planning is a beautiful home with an open floor plan, spectacular views, and an attention to detail that is clear from the moment you walk in the door.
Ferris describes what she loves most about her home on Brow Lake Road, “I love the view and the area because I feel like I am out in the country. We’ve got this beautiful little lake that we walk our dogs around every morning and let them swim and play. The property in front of the house is wooded and a common area, so it will not be developed. It is a bit of a drive in and out, but we love it. It feels like we are on a retreat every time we come home.”
Creating this retreat was no simple task. Ferris spent years modifying her plans until she had the perfect design. She explains the process, “I love house plans and I have six years worth of just going through and redoing the house plans on graph paper. I took an existing plan and modified it so that it fit my vision.” Ferris doesn’t have any experience with structural planning, so she turned to her brother-in-law, Scott Kelley, co-owner of Walden Log Homes.
The house was constructed with Walden’s unique antique wood. The front door of the Robinson’s home opens up to a large open area that contains the bulk of the living space in the home. It includes the foyer, formal dining room, living room, kitchen, and casual eating area. The walls are made of large wooden planks, mostly poplar wood from an old cabin, and give the living area a warm feel that makes the room appear cozy and inviting, despite its daunting size.
With the antique heart pine wood floors and the 100-plus years of historic wood surrounding you at every turn, it’s easy to feel at home in the Robinson’s house. The logs not only provide a unique atmosphere, but they also support the green movement that has become so popular in recent years. The Robinson’s home is constructed almost entirely of recycled materials.
The dining room is to the immediate left of the entrance of the home and features heirloom furniture from Ferris’s family. The large dining room table was her mother’s and the hutch belonged to her grandmother. There are no walls to separate this room from the others, but it is clear what the function is. To the right of the front door is the guest bathroom, which displays an antique chandelier and a door that is made of wood from an old barn. The inside of the bathroom door is painted red and weathered so that it looks quite authentic. It is just one of the many details that make the Robinson’s home unique.
Just past the bathroom in the foyer is an open staircase that leads to the upstairs bedrooms and living areas. The banister of the staircase is truly unique. Ferris explains, “The banister is made of tobacco polls. It came out of an old tobacco barn. You can see how it is stained black from years of tobacco hanging on it.” It is clear from the way she caresses the wood while she talks that Ferris loves the historic element of her home. Every piece of antique wood in her home could tell a story and the Robinsons enjoy living among the relics of the past. “I like old things,” says Ferris. “It’s a new house, but you don’t think it’s a new house because all of the materials are old.”
The kitchen and dining room are on the far side of the open space. In order to separate the two rooms without putting in any kind of wall, Ferris came up with a clever design idea. She installed a long island that offers a clear barrier between the rooms. She describes the feature, “I wanted an island that had ample storage on both sides. On the living room side, the cabinets are made of barn wood to coordinate with the living room; on the kitchen side, the doors coordinate with the kitchen cabinets.” The result is an impressive, highly functional structure that provides an incredible amount of storage for the family. More storage can be found in the pantry that lines the back end of the kitchen. The pantry doors open up to a long shallow storage area, which is precisely how Ferris wanted it. “I really like the shallow pantry because it is not too deep, so I never have to search for what I need,” she says.
The countertops in the kitchen are anything but typical, but they fit perfectly in the Robinson’s home. Ferris describes them, “The countertops are antique heart pine just like the floors. I didn’t want granite or marble or anything that was cold to the touch. I like to have warmth all over the home. The countertops are not stained, but treated with four coats of tung oil. If they get damaged, you can sand it out and reseal it. We haven’t had to do any repairs though. They are very durable.”
The most impressive feature in the kitchen is the huge line of windows and the incredible view that awaits anyone who has the pleasure of peering out of them. The view and the light were intrinsic to the home’s design. Ferris describes her vision, “I designed the windows all around the southern exposure. The original (design) had the master bedroom located where the kitchen is, so I switched it around because I knew I wanted the light coming into the living areas from the south.” The effect is extraordinary and it is easy to imagine the simple pleasure of sipping hot coffee at dawn at the kitchen table enjoying that spectacular view.
The living room features comfortable seating and a large stone fireplace. The fireplace includes a log holder that was built right into the structure, as well as a television cabinet on top.
With a door made of wood from an old barn, the cabinet offers a clever camouflage for the television when it is not being used. When asked about her furniture, Ferris scans the room and tells of all of the bargains she has found in her antique and salvage shopping trips. “I love to shop around, but I don’t ever pay too much money,” she says.
The living room also features a large row of windows and a door that leads to the back porch. The Robinsons spend a great deal of time out there, enjoying the view. Ferris describes these times, “In the mornings, we read the paper out on the porch when the weather is nice and we eat out there on the weekends. My husband has a Big Green Egg (a grill and smoker) and we cook out there just about every weekend night. I am so glad that we built a covered porch because I love to sit out there when it is raining.”
The porch is elevated because the backyard has a significant slope, but there is a lovely clearing with a small natural rock plateau that provides the ideal place to sit and relax, read or chat, and enjoy a spectacular view. The Robinsons have placed two Adirondack chairs on this plateau and spend a great deal of time out there. Ferris describes the view that can be seen from the backside of her house, “On the left is Trenton and over toward the right is Wildwood. Straight out is Jasper and South Pittsburg.” There are many perks to having a view like this. Ferris mentions, “In the summer, they (South Pittsburg) have a huge fireworks show and we can see it from our back porch.”
The only room (other than the bathroom) that is closed off with traditional walls on the first level is the master bedroom. The room features wood paneling. Ferris did not want any sheetrock in the home, except for the upstairs bedrooms. There is a fireplace with gas logs and a huge row of windows that offer the same fantastic view as the living room and kitchen windows. One noticeable detail is the absence of shades, which was intentional. The Robinsons are early risers and like to enjoy the view as they wake up in the morning. The master bedroom leads to the master bath, which contains ceramic tile and beautiful stone countertops with ornate design elements. There is a large garden tub that rests under a huge window, featuring another unbeatable view.
The upstairs was designed with the Robinson’s three sons, Alex (24), Robby (22), and Mikey (16) in mind, all of whom lived with them when they first moved into the home. Only Mikey lives at home now. There are three bedrooms upstairs. A shared bathroom connects two bedrooms and the other bedroom has its own bath. The top of the stairs opens up to a large living area that is open to the foyer below. It features a sitting area, an office, a great view through a large picture window, and a fireplace. One of the unique features of the fireplace mantle is a little piece of Chattanooga history: the green-painted supports for the mantle were originally housed in the Brass Register, a popular restaurant in Chattanooga that closed in 2000 and was reopened in 2006.
The floors of the upstairs living area are antique heart pine and the walls are lined with bookcases. Ferris explains the presence of the bookcases, “My brother is an interior designer in New York and when he was here he had lots of input. He advised me to put bookcases all around the room. It turned out to be a great thing. We all love to read and they provide a great storage option.” The bookcases are all constructed of old barn wood and blend well into the theme of the home. Creative talents run in Ferris’s family. Her mother is a talented artist and her impressive paintings can be seen throughout the home.
The Robinsons spend a great deal of time at home and think of their home as a kind of escape from the outside world. Ferris enjoys entertaining and hosting family functions. When they are not entertaining, the Robinson family spends most of their time in the kitchen cooking and during the colder months, sitting in front of the fire in the living room. When it is warmer, they enjoy sitting outside on the porch or on the Adirondack chairs below.
Following years of planning, the Robinson’s home is spacious and beautiful with modern conveniences constructed of older materials. Every room is uniquely crafted with beautiful woods to provide a warm sense of comfort that is then embellished by astounding views. It is a spectacular home, the Robinson family’s home.