At Home: Apeldoorn House Honors Heritage Through Old-World Craftsmanship, Sustainable Design

By Emma Castleberry

Created by Barbara Massey, Apeldoorn House vacation rental in Black Mountain blends European charm, family legacy and environmentally conscious building practices into a singular retreat in the mountains.

Tucked quietly into the lush landscape of Black Mountain, the home feels as though it has always been there. From the beginning, Massey’s vision for the house was deeply personal. “I wanted to build an Irish Cottage in honor of my Irish grandparents who immigrated to America through Ellis Island in the early 1900s,” she says. “When I asked my grandmother why she left her family at 18 years of age never to see her parents again, she stated, ‘I heard that in America, the streets were paved with gold.’”

Apeldoorn House was named after a historical town in the Netherlands in honor of Massey’s Dutch grandparents. The house’s form—soft curves and thick walls, with a farmhouse warmth—is an homage to both Ireland and France. “After two recent trips to France and staying only in country farmhouses, the house plans morphed into a home built with industrial hemp (green build) with soft curved corners that mimic the old houses in Ireland and France,” says Massey.

Sustainable building materials, particularly hempcrete, were essential to Massey’s vision. “I wanted to use materials that had less impact on the environment than a traditional build,” she says. “Through my research and contact with expert Tim Callahan, author of Hempsteads: Architectural Details for Hemp-Lime Construction, I learned that hempcrete has a huge impact on prevention of mold growth inside and outside of the house so the health benefits are huge. This material provides a combination of great insulation, decreasing heat loss and drafts, thermal mass and moisture regulation that requires less energy to heat and cool the house.” Callahan, who lives in Asheville, consulted Massey throughout the design and construction of Apeldoorn House.

Embracing hempcrete also allowed for the home’s signature architectural softness. “I was drawn to an ‘Old World’ ambiance with interior curved corners throughout the house,” says Massey. “The 12-inch thick walls lent themselves to wide window sills using vintage heart pine planks.”

Inside, every detail carries intention, history and personal touch. For five years, Massey gathered antique architectural elements and furnishings, building the home around them. Details like repurposed wooden doors and panels from France, repurposed antique kitchen cabinets from Manhattan, old ceiling beams, antique furniture and 100-year-old heart pine interior doors appear throughout the house. “It was important to me that no new cabinets, tables or other details were used in the house with the exception of the wall and door trim,” says Massey. “The floor is a concrete slab that was acid washed by a local artisan. The choice of repurposed materials is why the house has the Old World look and is so comfortable and peaceful.”

Outdoors, the care is just as evident. “The landscaping was designed to reflect the natural beauty of nature and highlight the babbling brook, the large ancient trees and the outline of nearby mountains,” Massey says. “Birds, butterflies, bears with cubs and turkeys are frequent visitors.”

What emerges is a testament to patience, generational pride and reverence for material and place. “Apeldoorn House is like no other house or bed and breakfast in Black Mountain,” says Massey. “Every element was designed with intention and meticulous attention to detail.”

Apeldoorn House is located at 71 Penland Cove Road, Black Mountain. Learn more at ApeldoornHouse.com.