HGTV Dream Home 2006
Located in Lake Lure, N.C., this cozy cabin is the perfect getaway spot that includes charming rustic accents and plenty of space for entertaining.
Related To:

Soaring Sanctuary
Sophisticated Yet Rustic
Mountain Home
Mantel Highlights
"The house starts telling you what works in the house," Woodrum says.
Sunny Main Bedroom
"It's like being in a sunflower," says designer Linda Woodrum of the main bedroom. The airy white walls and ceiling and the bright golden yellow and brown accents in the fabrics evoke a sunny meadow on a warm, lazy summer day. Woodrum originally placed a large urn filled with silk sunflowers at the foot of the bed. The urn didn't quite work ("it was big and clumpy and looked horrible," Woodrum says), but the sunflowers provided the inspiration for all the colors in the room.
Side Table
Woodrum found the rug first, then used the yellow as a basis for other finds. She found the black and yellow plates on the wall by the window in Hendersonville, N.C., where they were handmade by a local potter. The "great energy" of the yellow in the room is grounded by the black honed granite around the fireplace, and the touches of brown in the rug and on the bed.
The View
The focal point is the spectacular view outside the large main window. Woodrum deliberately chose not to outline the window in a contrasting paint color so the view itself would command the eye. The room's close connection to the outdoors is embodied in a small balcony off the main suite. A door near the bed opens out onto a peaceful little deck with a fence of rhododendron and locust.
Tranquil Main Bath
In the bathroom, Linda Woodrum again used a monochromatic color scheme, with "Creamy" paint on the walls, ceiling and trim. The sense of being surrounded by nature is heightened by other natural materials, including blonde wood floors (the same Australian cypress used throughout the house), and travertine countertops and tile in shades of mocha and walnut.
"It's monochromatic, but it's also warm, natural, organic," says Woodrum. "It should be a space that's restful, a place to go to rejuvenate before you face the world."
A magnificent walk-in shower with glass walls and door and hand-burnished travertine tile fills one end of the room. In the center of the room, a Jacuzzi tub surrounded by windows provides the perfect spot a soothing soak.
Sauna Escape
After a Steam
Soft Textures
Whimsical Art
Fun and Relaxing
Woodrum added a dining-size table cut down to coffee table height with a child's chair at one end, providing the perfect spot for little people to spread out their latest artwork or card game.
Rack 'em Up
Rustic Mirror
Seasonal Setting
Breakfast Nook
Kitchen Sink
Tropical Hardwood Countertop
Outdoor Colors
A floor-to-ceiling window in the dining room "puts you right outside" when you dine, says designer Linda Woodrum. To find her inspiration for the color palette, Woodrum simply looked out the window. As a result, woodsy browns, greens and creams dominate, accented with splashes of red and gold. While it's autumn in the kitchen and summer in the main suite, it's decidedly spring in the dining room, with rich green curtains, the warm mocha tablecloth and rug.
Table for Twelve
Casual Arrangements
Everything in the room is "a support system" for the scene unfolding outside the enormous window, Woodrum says. "All this has to be rich, wonderful, welcoming – but that view has to dominate."
Fantasy Retreat
"I knew instantly the blue ceiling would be the only color for this room," says Woodrum, who chose Sherwin-Williams' "Blissful Blue" for the ceiling as well as the walls in the attached full bathroom. The paint color changes with the light, depending on the time of day, the weather, and the seasons unfolding outside. "This room has the best view in the house," Woodrum says, "and I loved how it's so connected to the sky."
Quilts
Abstract Art
Bunk Room Beds
Hickory Highlights
Bunk Room Bath
Colorful Craft Room
Energizing Exercise Studio
A Pro Form weight machine and a ballet bar along the wall offer just two opportunities for working up a sweat; open the closet doors and a treadmill unfolds to face the French doors and that magnificent view. Down the hall from the exercise studio is a built in storage area with four cubbyholes for towels, four drawers, and plenty of pegs for jump ropes and bathrobes.
Beautifully Crafted Wine Cellar
Craftsman Tom Kline, who made the impressive kitchen island upstairs, created the wine cellar's cubbies with more than 35 sheets of plywood. The cubbies are modeled on similar ones that the architect, Al Platt, has in his office for holding wood samples and other materials.
"It's very unique," says designer Linda Woodrum. "And a good way to turn a small space into a useful one."
Serene Home Office
"It's a nice little getaway," says Linda Woodrum.
Functional Laundry Room
Conveniently located right next to the main bedroom, the main laundry room glows in a warm shade of burnished yellow ("Golden Fleece," by Sherwin-Williams). Rich cherry cabinets, Silestone counters (in "Blanco Capri") and an unfinished slate floor are a far cry from the dingy cinder block basements most people associate with the words "laundry room."
It's hard to believe that a room this lovely and sophisticated is also so functional. But it's loaded with storage space, plenty of countertops for folding and stacking, and even a built-in ironing board that drops down out of a closest. A window facing the forest at the front of the house is perfect for daydreaming over the rinse cycle.
Guest Quarters Kitchen
A creamy white half bath between the entry hall and kitchenette shows off the flagstone floors and offers easy access for those dining or relaxing in the outdoor living area. It's all part of what makes HGTV Dream Home 2006 "the most livable of the Dream Homes," says designer Linda Woodrum. "It's the most realistic house for people to live in, for people to function in," she says.
Attic Bedroom
Using the rug as her design inspiration, Linda chose a variety of red and brown accents to use against the creamy white basic palette. A brown and white striped rug warms the floor, and semi-sheer white curtains with a pale brown floral pattern enhance the large view window. Red and cream sheets and a white quilt from Pottery Barn cover the queen-size bed, and red-patterned throw pillows add even more color. Two botanical prints in red frames provide a splash of color by the door.
Sleeping Porch
Just off the attic bedroom is one of the home's many surprises: A screened-in sleeping porch, complete with a pull-down queen-size bed. The walls of the sleeping porch are covered in poplar bark, mirroring the bark siding that covers the upper story of the guest wing, the bays on the front and back of the house and parts of the outdoor living area. Linda had a mattress specially made for the bed that's covered in an outdoor fabric that won't mildew.
"This half of the house is not as formal; it's much more countrified," Linda says. The white quilt has a less intricate, more casual stitching pattern than the quilt in the more formal main bedroom, for instance, and the checks, stripes and cottage prints of the other fabrics in the room all contribute to the rustic feel. "It really is a unique, sweet little bedroom," Linda says, "with a real sense of old Americana."
Attic Bathroom
Mountain and Lake Views
Indeed, the climate in the mountains here is mild enough to permit year-round use of the outdoor spaces, and the enormous outdoor fireplace and soaring peaked roof offer the opportunity to stay warm outdoors on cool days or cool on warm days. A stone ledge that runs along the perimeter of the terrace provides built-in seating. "You don't have to worry about moving furniture in and out. It's always there and always accessible, just like the view," says Linda Woodrum.
Great Outdoors
Stones and Timbers
Sit and Stay Awhile
Stairs to the left of the terrace lead down to the lower level patio, and to a cozy campfire area. As more evidence that the HGTV Dream Home planners truly did think of everything, this spot offers a circle of large boulders surrounding a stone fire pit—the perfect spot for roasting marshmallows on cool evenings.