Not-so-empty Nest

A couple upsizes in style.

At a time when most empty-nesters downsize, Ann and Barry upsized from their 5,800-square-foot Hudson Southern colonial — in a big way.

The 8,173-square-foot stone-and-shake-shingle home the husband-and-wife business owners commissioned Prestige Builders to construct on 2.4 acres overlooking the Cuyahoga Valley National Park is a kind of mini resort. A stone path leads from the back of the house, past a terraced dining area, to an in-ground pool, spa and open-air pavilion complete with a wood-burning fireplace and big-screen television.

The couple built the five-bedroom, 5 1/2-bath residence to entertain a growing family while allowing them to age in place. They’ve long hosted a Christmas celebration attended by approximately 50 relatives. Their three adult children and their families visit frequently for at least a long weekend at a time, and Ann believes the next few years will bring more grandchildren.

“It was just very, very important to us to be able to have our children, when they come home, be comfortable,” Ann says. Although Barry swims laps in the heated pool until the outdoor temperature dips below 22 degrees, it was built with the younger generations in mind. “We wanted the kids and grandchildren, when they can come to our home, to feel like they’re coming almost to a vacation [spot],” Ann says.

Ann and Barry enlisted Laura Yeager Smith of Laura Yeager Smith Home & Design in Hudson to develop interiors in shades of gray, beige and blue that exude what friends have described as “comfortable elegance.” Old-world details such as hand-hewn pine-wrapped trusses and hardwood floors complement the exterior and provide a sense of permanence, even when combined with more contemporary furnishings and fixtures. Color is introduced with furniture and accessories, such as throw pillows and lamps.

“Should we want to change our scheme a little bit … we could just change out a few pieces and create another look,” Ann says.

To Ann, the kitchen is the heart of the house. Smith extended a weathered-brick backsplash to the top of two walls and installed a metal hood shroud “supported” by decorative corbels and finished with fluted molding. The backsplash, glazed oyster cabinetry and white quartz countertops extend into a prep kitchen/pantry tricked out with an island, sink, freezer and second dishwasher.

“It’s really the area where you can get things ready, have a little bit more clutter or prep when you’re having people over,” she says. “Then your kitchen’s not blown up.”

The dining area has an orb-shaped iron chandelier and is posh enough for formal entertaining yet durable enough for everyday use.

A maple trestle table is stationed atop a multitoned cream, chestnut and gray wool rug. Hanging white barn doors slide closed to separate the dining area from the neighboring den.

Smith chose the same weathered brick in the kitchen backsplash to face the curving great room fireplace, a focal point flanked by coordinating artworks. Each hangs over a chest wrapped in slate-blue grass cloth. “[The pieces] add more texture and color, mix materials,” Smith says. “We didn’t want everything to be wood.” Sofas upholstered in a woven Crypton fabric and English armchairs covered in a gray-and-white pattern are augmented by a tufted-leather ottoman that doubles as a cocktail table and two white cut-velvet counterparts.

“We did a custom scale on those sofas to maximize seating in that room,” Smith says.

Picture windows overlook a covered terrace topped by the same pine tongue-and-groove construction and floored with the same natural bluestone as the pool pavilion. Smith notes that the swivel armchairs and twin-chaise sectional are covered in Sunbrella fabric that can be removed and washed. The same brand was used to cover the pool pavilion’s furniture and made cabana draperies that block elements ranging from hot afternoon rays to chilly fall breezes.

Other notable nooks include a laundry room finished in a bold floral print to make the designated task more enjoyable, and a lower-level wine room that Ann estimates can store 200 bottles. Barry insists the place isn’t too big.

“We use every single room in the house,” he declares.

One wonders, however, if he and Ann may eventually regret creating a place no guest in their right mind would ever want to leave.