HOUSE OF DIXON

TWO DESIGN STARS SHARE MORE THAN A NAME AS THEIR AESTHETIC LETS NATURE FLOURISH IN EVERY SEASON

- KRISSA ROSSBUND

You can see the resemblance. They share the same surname, but celebrated Atlanta architect Stan Dixon and equally lauded Virginia designer Barry Dixon are not related. But take one peek at a project they've both had their hands in, and you can recognize a common aesthetic outlook that commits to design detail and delivers a quality project that respects its surroundings.

When Stan first began imagining the house he would create for clients David and Mary Ritchie, he didn't have to look twice for inspiration. The property the couple had purchased was nestled in Cashiers, North Carolina, the eastern part of the Appalachian Mountains, where idyllic vantages of tree-saturated mountains make a case that nature can out-design anything humans create. But Stan's approach was destined to enhance the environment and make Mother Nature proud to partner.

"David and Mary were living in a traditional house in Washington, D.C., that was classic but could have been anywhere," Stan says. "They were seeking something different that had a sense of place and connected them to the land."