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Just on the eastern edge of Fayetteville, Ark., nestled in the woods of the Ozarks, you can find a modern marvel — the home of Ralph and Marketa Burns. This couple sought the help of Tim deNoble and Tim Maddox, partners at deMx Architecture, to help them make their modern dream a reality. After living in Harrison, Ark., for nearly 30 years, where they owned a pharmacy, the couple was looking for a way to downsize their lives without sacrificing style. “Most of the other houses in the area kind of resembled the ‘cookie cutter’ style,” Marketa said. “We wanted something different and very modern, I was put in touch with Tim Maddox; he sent me a design and it was exactly what we wanted. We loved it.”
Maddox and deNoble came up with a sustainable design that allows the couple to live in the home with minimal impact on the environment as well as minimal impact on their monthly budget. The home takes advantage of natural light with abundant windows; uses locally-quarried natural stone; features a Galvalume metal roof and
siding, which is the most energy-efficient metal to use for roofing; and a water-collecting system on the roof, should the homeowners ever decide to recycle rainwater. The home has a unique “bowtie” shape — it is referred to by the architects as “The Bowtie Home ” — that not only creates a striking and memorable form, with covered balconies at each end, but aids with the water collecting systems as well.
One of the most interesting energy-saving aspects of the home is the geothermal heat pump system, which uses the earth’s constant temperature to heat or cool the air in the home, cutting the Burns’ energy bills up to 80 percent. It works on a system of underground pipes that in the summer provides a source of cooling and in the winter, a source of heat. For instance, in the winter, water circulating in the underground pipes absorbs heat from the earth and carries it to the heat pump and into the home, where it arrives as warm, comfortable air. The Burns confirm that they have noticed a drastic reduction in their utilities. “Our gas bill is almost nothing,” Marketa said. On extremely cold nights, they use the fireplace in the living room, but most of the time, they said, they don’t have to.
While the modern design of the home is Marketa’s pet project, the outdoors is Ralph’s territory. “I was fine with anything — I just wanted to have a tractor,” Ralph said. According to Marketa, he spends most of his time riding it around their 10 acres, hauling rocks, removing debris from the woods and moving items for projects on the grandchildren’s tree house, which is a model of the couple’s home. The 2,700 square-foot home is made even larger by the wall of windows along the rear and throughout. Every room is flooded with vast amounts of natural light; however, the surrounding woods offer privacy and a sense of seclusion for the couple. The interior is stunningly modern — the most striking feature is the abundance of maple wood. It can be found in the floors, built-in cabinets, trim and doors. “With this home, we wanted to make a modern design with open space and lots of natural light and also use as many sustainable materials as possible,” Maddox said. The floor plan is very open, but the architects designed spatial dividers, such as a beautiful maple and cherry pocket door, to close off rooms.
Marketa furnished the home primarily through nationally-known retailers specializing in modern design, such as Crate and Barrel, CB2 and Fayetteville furniture store, Lacuna Modern Interiors. The style is sleek and minimalist with streamline chairs, a sectional sofa and a hide-away, built-in entertainment center in the living room. A simplistic solid wood dining table with unobtrusive red leather and metal dining chairs sits below a beaded chandelier in the dining room.
The kitchen is unassuming and thoughtfully laid out with flourishes of granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. The open floorplan and many windows allow dinner to be prepared in the kitchen with the kids’ treehouse in plain sight.
The Burns have lived in their modern marvel for three years and still love it. “The Bowtie Home” fits their lifestyle perfectly. It requires minimal upkeep, low monthly utility costs, comfort, style and a small carbon footprint.•
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