A Wood-and-Glass Home in Nashville Brings Warmth for a Pair of Empty Nesters

Walls of windows from Kolbe Windows & Doors create a layered, light-filled dwelling.

Text by

Stacey McLachlan

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MA2LA

Presented by

Kolbe Windows & Doors

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Dwell’s home tour of the Wood Screen House in Nashville, Tennessee, is presented by Kolbe Windows & Doors.

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Every hike has its reward. But on this Nashville property, instead of a waterfall or valley vistas, you’ll find a stunning wood-and-glass modernist dream by architect Michael Goorevich at the end of your climb.

"We conceptually set the home up like a hike," Goorevich explains of the four-bedroom, two-story home, built around a series of switchbacks that take you from the street curb to the driveway to the rear pool terrace and beyond. "This is a journey of climbing the hill."

A slatted stairway cuts through the home, up and out to the rear terrace, where an inviting pool awaits.

Goorevich had worked with the homeowners several times on renovations and additions for their previous home. Now, with their children grown, the couple was ready for a fresh start, and turned back to the architect for help in creating a home base for their new chapter as empty nesters.

An open-concept living room and kitchen in a pavilion-like space features views of the pool, a stone retaining wall, and stairs that continue up the slope.

The result is the Wood Screen House, a project that lives in the beautiful dichotomy between opacity and transparency, mixing wood screen walls with floor-to-ceiling windows and doors to create something truly special.

At this point, Kolbe windows are a staple of a Goorevich project. "I’ve used Kolbe several times for the same reasons," says the architect. "The windows are performing well and still look great on all of the projects."

At the center of it all is a roomy kitchen, designed with entertaining in mind. Dual islands welcome helping hands for dinner parties and family meals alike. "The whole family cooks together," says Goorevich.

Natural light and striking views are welcomed through Kolbe VistaLuxe WD LINE windows which the design team selected for their construction quality, thin wood profiles, and extruded aluminum exteriors.

The rest of the home radiates out from this hub. Guest rooms and their adult children’s rooms are located on the lower level, with the kitchen, living room and the primary bedroom located one story up. The entryway leads to the main staircase, which cuts through the center of the home to fill it with light, top to bottom. "Plus, the stairs are really fun to climb," laughs Goorevich.

Wood screens are crafted from modified soft wood from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified forests.

Wanting to expose as much glass as possible, general contractor Shawn Keen installed Kolbe VistaLuxe WD LINE windows throughout the house. The low-profile stiles and rails maximize the amount of glass shown. "The stark contrast of the stunning Kolbe windows against the Kebony slats warrants a sense of elegance that you don’t often see," says Keen.

The primary facade uses wood slats to create a privacy screen between the street and the private world of the house. Frosted glass was also used strategically in this bathroom to allow light in but create privacy as well.

Kebony slats line both the interior and exterior, bringing a wooden warmth to the home, inside and out. It’s both a beautiful and practical choice. "We just put it up without a finish and leave it alone. It weathers and ages like a pair of jeans," says Goorevich. Kebony is a naturally modified wood that performs extremely well in Nashville’s humid environment.

It was no easy task ensuring consistent alignment between the windows and wood screens, but the team’s meticulousness was rewarded. "The house showcases everyone’s hard work and dedication with stunning results," says Keen.

The slats are an aesthetically pleasing way to accommodate elements such as air vents, speaker screens, privacy screens, guardrails, or AV equipment vents—but they also have the added benefit of bending and playing with light in a magical way. "They cast beautiful shadows that reveal the time of day and seasons of the year," says Goorevich. "They seem to vibrate in light."