Plus, they created a unique microresort to offer guests an escape.
But when it comes to real estate, Margaret and Chris Shutze aren’t afraid of anything.
“Nothing scares us, not even the most dilapidated building.”
Relax on the patio, either in the hot tub or by the fire pit.Credit: Photography by Brian Woodcock; Styling by Natalie Warady
“We purchased the property from an eighth-generation Highlands family,” says Margaret.
The discovery, she says, felt like a divine sign.
Kismet revealed itself again in the naming of the spot.
Enjoy meals made in the luxury kitchen in The Wren.Credit: Photography by Brian Woodcock; Styling by Natalie Warady
“It felt meant to be,” she says.
Chambers' mother, who is in her nineties, also stops by from time to time.
“But she just beams when she’s around us.
Unwind under twinkling lights by the grill.Credit: Photography by Brian Woodcock; Styling by Natalie Warady
She’s so proud of how we built on what her son did.
We enriched it and gave it a real luxury aspect.”
“We want to share this beautiful place,” says Margaret.
This cozy porch is located off one of the two primary suites in The Kingfisher cabin.Credit: Photography by Brian Woodcock; Styling by Natalie Warady
Use these tips fortransforming a well-loved homewith renewed spirit just like Margaret and Chris.
To enhance its modern Scandinavian feel, the couple stained it a semitransparent black.
Chris also crafted large metal planters from Margaret’s design and added white oak slab doors.
Historic Amish barn at Flat Mountain Farm.Credit: Photography by Brian Woodcock; Styling by Natalie Warady
Now, the barn plays host to flower-arranging and indigo-dyeing workshops, yoga classes, and private events.
It’s those decisions that make even a log cabin feel like a five-star stay, she says.
Create A Meaningful Gathering Place
The couple didn’t overlook design details outdoors.
The Wren cabin features two baths.Credit: Photography by Brian Woodcock; Styling by Natalie Warady
The abstract painting is by North Carolina artist Howard Thomas.
“I love, love, love that flagstone,” says Margaret.
“But I can’t take any credit for it; that was here.”
The Wren cabin features two living rooms, one of which has a hotel-grade sleeper sofa.Credit: Photography by Brian Woodcock; Styling by Natalie Warady
The cabinetry and island arepaintedStratton Blue (HC-142) by Benjamin Moore.
Rework A Classic Piece
The couple inherited four claw-foot tubs with the property.
They had one of them refinished and perched it in an upstairs nook in The Kingfisher.
The Wren cabin features two bedrooms.Credit: Photography by Brian Woodcock; Styling by Natalie Warady
The floor tile is from Cle, and the wallpaper is by Rebel Walls.
“I love that they came from the farm originally,” says Margaret.
Chambers, who was known around Highlands for restoring historic log cabins, hand-hewed the beams on the second-floor porch. The patterned tile flooring is by Clé.Credit: Photography by Brian Woodcock; Styling by Natalie Warady
The property’s largest cabin, The Kingfisher (kitchen pictured), was relocated to Flat Mountain Farm from Burlington, North Carolina.Credit: Photography by Brian Woodcock; Styling by Natalie Warady
