Cottage at the Ridge: A Tour of Brad Rempel's Tennessee Retreat

Exterior

Taking a look at the exterior of the home, what first catches your eye is the bold and beautiful color of the house. Instead of a traditional white cottage, Rebecca chose to go with a stunning black. The color is called Iron Ore, one of my favorite colors to use in design.

Paired with a black exterior are rustic wood posts and ceiling. This is such a gorgeous contrast and really adds a modern touch to this home's exterior.

Large and modern windows allow the rolling hills to be seen from every angle inside the home so the acreage can be enjoyed from any room. I cannot say enough about this view. I mean, my goodness, the pond, the hills, the trees—all of it gives me a sense of peace.

Let’s check out the inside.

Downstairs Living Space

Through to the right is the downstairs living space. The first thing I noticed is the super cool painted shiplap.

It's painted the same color as the exterior, Iron Ore.

The gold mirror and sconces pop off the black shiplap and really create a modern vibe for the space.

Off to the side is a small bistro table and chair set, the perfect space to eat a meal, play a game, or be part of the room's conversation.

One of the great things they did in this smaller living space is they maximized the seating. There is enough seating in here for eight people.

Check out these floors! These are real raw wood floors from the lumber mill that have been sanded. I absolutely love blonde flooring and think it contrasts beautifully with all the Iron Ore accents.

I really love these leather industrial chairs; they're compact, comfortable, and add a beautiful touch to the room.

Another thing they did in this space is they didn’t have all matching furniture. Each piece is different but cohesive, keeping the space from being generic or looking store-bought.

Here is another smart move: instead of blocking this beautiful view with a sofa or chairs, they just added a bench.

Kitchen

Across from the living room is a gorgeous full kitchen. The cabinets, again, are painted with the beautiful color Iron Ore and paired with a lovely waterfall countertop.

The countertop also provides extra seating with counter-height stools, and I have to say, these are some unique bar stools.

Keeping with the gold accents around the home, they chose gold hardware for the cabinets and a gold bar cart.

To provide additional lighting, they chose three gold sconces above the windows.

I love that they chose windows instead of upper cabinets as cabinets would hide the view out to the patio and hills.

Another thing they added in this kitchen was a runner, which I highly recommend for two reasons: one, it adds textiles to the kitchen, and two, it's soft and warm when you're up in the morning barefoot and making your coffee.

Take a look at the floors in here. A stenciled tile is a timeless look and adds a bit of country charm to an otherwise modern space.

The shower is no exception to the modern vibe with its gold rain shower head and gorgeous tile work.

Across from the shower is the laundry area, tucked neatly away with a tabletop custom-built on top to house laundry necessities.

Main bedroom

The last downstairs space is the main bedroom, and some really great decisions were made in this room. For one, they chose mirrored closet doors.

Mirrors are so smart to use in a smaller space; they reflect light from the windows and make the entire space look so much bigger.

In this smaller room, they were smart not to bring in the dark shiplap but instead kept it light and bright with white walls.

One of the last things in this room I want to mention, and give major kudos to Brad and Rebecca for, is the drapery rod. I have been to several Airbnbs where they didn’t install that middle bracket, and the drapes are either about to come out of the wall or the rods are totally crooked, so great job!

Stairs

Let’s check out the upstairs of this cottage. The black shiplap continues up the stairs to the loft, contrasting beautifully with the blonde flooring.

Second Bathroom

When you first enter the loft and turn to the left, that’s where you find the second bathroom. The first thing that jumps out at me are the black hexagon tiled floors with white grout. They are in lovely contrast with the white walls and pair perfectly with the white subway tile in the shower.

Once again, we see a partnership of two different metals working together for a cohesive look. I especially love the vanity in this bathroom as it ties in with the flooring in the rest of the home.

Seating area and bunk beds

When you exit the upstairs bath, you’ll find a small seating area and the bunk beds.

These bunk beds are no exception to the luxury this cottage offers. They have outlets, built-in nooks, and armed sconces for reading lights. Not to mention, they’re full-size beds.

Between the bunks are French doors leading out to a private balcony with a stunning view of the hills. This is the ideal spot to watch the sunrise and enjoy a cup of coffee. If you have never visited Tennessee, when they talk about the rolling hills, it is amazing, and this property is surrounded by rolling hills, 360 degrees. This view is out of this world.

Loft living area

Across from the bunk beds is the loft's living area. This space offers great, comfortable seating that overlooks the downstairs and shares the wonderful views of the property.

The TV stand is also a fireplace, which during winter could make the coziest place to drink hot cocoa and watch Christmas movies. Now, Brad was pretty hesitant to have a TV; he wanted his boys to enjoy the outdoors, which is so wholesome and I so respect that, but this being an Airbnb, a TV was necessary.

Another cool feature in this Airbnb is the functioning coffee tables, one downstairs and one upstairs. What I mean by that—let me show you. This is such a great function for those who like to eat dinner while watching a movie.

Outdoor dining and entertaining

Alright, let's go check out the exterior of the house. Now you’ve seen the front porch and the second-story balcony, but what you haven’t seen is the side.

Here, there is plenty of seating for entertaining and dining, which can be seen from the kitchen windows.