The house at dusk from the curving driveway: black board-and-batten siding, a two-story wall of windows lit from within, cedar brackets under the eaves.

Hermitage, Tennessee

Hermitage House

A new modern farmhouse, redrawn room by room

The project

Hermitage House is a new farmhouse that we redesigned from the plan up.

The black board-and-batten house in Hermitage, Tennessee, was completed by its builder in 2025. Its shell was right: a two-story wall of windows, oak floors, a courtyard between the wings. We acquired it in December 2025 and redesigned the interior and the grounds over the winter.

We space-planned every room and drew the plans ourselves, from a red-pen sketch over the builder's plan to the final set: twenty-seven sets of drawings between November and March, carried through with a drafter, a civil engineer, the cabinet maker and the pool designer. We chose every finish, fixture and fabric, and contracted the construction to Gio's Home Improvement and specialist trades.

The work

Kitchen rebuilt in white oak and Taj Mahal-look quartz, with a butler's pantry beside the back door
Living room opened to the stair, with a lit oak media wall where the fireplace was
Primary suite addition: double shower, sauna, pool bath and a second closet
A lighting plan for every room, every circuit on a dimmer
Oak floors upstairs in place of carpet; the bonus room became a gym with a wet bar
Pool and spa, louvered pergola, and a retaining wall lit along its length

Before & after

Same rooms, a year apart

The 2025 photographs show the house as its builder finished it; the 2026 photographs show it after our redesign. Where we could, we matched the camera. Drag the line, or focus it and use the arrow keys.

2025 photograph (before): the kitchen, a white-based granite waterfall island under two lantern pendants, black cabinets and a stainless hood. — Kitchen
Black cabinets and a granite waterfall island gave way to white oak, Taj Mahal-look quartz and a row of alabaster globes.

The kitchen island head on: a quartz waterfall top, four black-framed counter stools, five alabaster globe pendants and oak cabinetry either side of a white hood. — Kitchen
Black cabinets and a granite waterfall island gave way to white oak, Taj Mahal-look quartz and a row of alabaster globes.

2025 photograph (before): the living room, the wall of windows at the end and a wall with a see-through fireplace beside the stair. — Living room
The wall that held a see-through fireplace came down, and the stair now opens straight into the room.

From the dining table into the living room, the alabaster dining chandelier across the top of the frame. — Living room
The wall that held a see-through fireplace came down, and the stair now opens straight into the room.

2025 photograph (before): the office, empty, a black marble fireplace surround between tall windows. — Office
The black marble fireplace became smooth white plaster, and the room became somewhere to work.

The office: a white plaster fireplace surround with a framed map above, a desk and two upholstered chairs on a gray rug. — Office
The black marble fireplace became smooth white plaster, and the room became somewhere to work.

2025 photograph (before): the backyard, a cedar deck ending at an open field. — Backyard
The deck used to end at a field. Now it steps down to a louvered pergola, a pool and a spa.

The deck and pergola from the corner of the deck: a curved teak daybed in the foreground, a sectional under the louvered roof, the pool beyond. — Backyard
The deck used to end at a field. Now it steps down to a louvered pergola, a pool and a spa.

2025 photograph (before): the primary bath vanity, a fluted vanity with a white top under an arched gold mirror, gray tile behind. — Primary bath
A long white oak vanity with a quartz splash, black sinks, wall-mounted black faucets and vertical sconces.

The double vanity: oak drawers, two undermount sinks, black wall-mounted faucets and frameless mirrors between vertical sconces. — Primary bath
A long white oak vanity with a quartz splash, black sinks, wall-mounted black faucets and vertical sconces.

2025 photograph (before): the guest bath, a white vanity top, a black-framed mirror and a gray tile shower. — Guest bath
Gray tile and a white top replaced by green glazed tile, an oak vanity and a black sink.

The guest bath: an oak vanity with a black undermount sink, globe pendants, and a shower in vertical green glazed tile. — Guest bath
Gray tile and a white top replaced by green glazed tile, an oak vanity and a black sink.

2025 photograph (before): Foyer, with wood plank ceiling, double front doors, hardwood, black can lights — Foyer, down the entry
The wood-plank ceiling and natural-wood double doors gave way to a white ceiling, black doors, a sconce-lit console and a runner rug.

The foyer looking down the entry hall: dark arched double doors with leaded glass, travertine sconces, a woven runner and linen curtains on a black rod. — Foyer, down the entry
The wood-plank ceiling and natural-wood double doors gave way to a white ceiling, black doors, a sconce-lit console and a runner rug.

2025 photograph (before): Primary Closet, down aisle toward end mirror, with white built-in shelving, hanging rods, drawer stack, end mirror — Primary closet aisle
The bare white closet system is now full of clothes, with a runner rug down the aisle.

The original walk-in closet, white shelving and hanging rods on both sides, toward a full-length mirror. — Primary closet aisle
The bare white closet system is now full of clothes, with a runner rug down the aisle.

2025 photograph (before): Upstairs Hall, with hardwood, black iron railing, tall front windows, open doors — Upstairs hall
Oak floors, dark doors, art.

The upstairs hall, oak floors running to the railing over the living room. — Upstairs hall
Oak floors, dark doors, art.

2025 photograph (before): Guest Room 2, toward balcony slider, with balcony sliding door, iron balcony railing, gray carpet, ceiling fan — Guest room two
Gray carpet out, oak in.

Guest room two: a wood bed under a wide landscape print, a door to the balcony beyond. — Guest room two
Gray carpet out, oak in.

All 28 before and afters

The palette

Three paints and a short list of materials

Three Sherwin-Williams paints do most of the work in this house, and this site is set in the same three: Alabaster for the ground, Accessible Beige for blocks and rules, Urbane Bronze for type. Swatches are screen approximations; use the code to pull a real sample.

Alabaster

Sherwin-Williams SW 7008

LRV: 82
Hex: #EDEAE0
Undertone: Warm
In the house: The house white: walls, ceilings and trim in every room except the primary bedroom. (likely)
On this site: The ground of every page on this site

Accessible Beige

Sherwin-Williams SW 7036

LRV: 58
Hex: #D1C7B8
Undertone: Warm greige
In the house: One accent wall: the dining room's gallery wall behind the oak built-in. (likely)
On this site: Blocks, rules and quiet backgrounds here

Urbane Bronze

Sherwin-Williams SW 7048

LRV: 8
Hex: #54504A
Undertone: Warm dark gray-brown
In the house: The dark: every interior door, and the whole primary bedroom (walls, ceiling, tray and trim). (likely)
On this site: The color of the type you are reading

Materials

The material board

Under the paint, a short list of materials repeats from room to room, so the house reads as one place.

Every tile is a crop from the 2026 photographs of the finished house.

Close-up of Taj Mahal-look quartz in the finished house — Taj Mahal-look quartz
Exodus Stone. Kitchen island and splash, wet bar, dining credenza, baths

Close-up of White oak, flat slab in the finished house — White oak, flat slab
Tiger Cabinetry in Oslo Oak: kitchen, dining, living, baths

Close-up of Alabaster in the finished house — Alabaster
The dining drum and the five island globes

Close-up of Ribbed wood-look tile in the finished house — Ribbed wood-look tile
Primary shower walls

Close-up of Black sinks and fittings in the finished house — Black sinks and fittings
Undermount black sinks, black faucets in every bath and the kitchen

Close-up of Green glazed tile in the finished house — Green glazed tile
Guest bath shower

Close-up of Matte black pulls in the finished house — Matte black pulls
Bar pulls on every cabinet; black balusters on the stair

Close-up of Board-and-batten in the finished house — Board-and-batten
The black exterior the whole palette answers to

The rooms

Room by room

The front of the house straight on across the lawn, black board-and-batten with a tall grid of windows under the center gable.

Street side

Arrival

From the street the house was already finished: black board-and-batten, cedar brackets, a two-story wall of windows. The office front is symmetric, with a painted-brick chimney about five and a half feet wide rising on the gable ridge, and a raised side deck under the Juliet balcony, with a black picket rail and a black board skirt. We left the outside alone.

Inside the front doors, the stained plank ceiling became a smooth white one, the inside face of the doors went dark charcoal to answer the black outside, and a pair of travertine sconces now light the way in. Linen curtains on a black rod run the length of the hall.

The full room

In this room

Travertine slab sconces, up and downVakkerlight
Wood slat sconces, up and downCerno
Recessed LED wafer downlights
Foyer half-round consoleCrate & Barrel, CB2 or West Elm
Foyer benchCrate & Barrel, CB2 or West Elm
Foyer runner rugCrate & Barrel, CB2 or West Elm

Main floor

Living room

The two-story room had a see-through gas fireplace boxed into a wall beside the stair, with the TV hung above it. We took that wall out so the stair opens straight into the room.

The TV moved across to a new oak media wall, with lit shelves on both sides and drawers below. A beaded garland chandelier hangs in the full height of the windows, and Roman shades soften the lower glass.

The full room

Tall view of the media wall: lit oak shelves either side of the television, the beaded garland chandelier above.

From behind the sectional toward the windows, the oak media wall at left and the open stair at right.

In this room

Living room chandelier, alabaster bead garlandsSimilar to: Parel Alabaster Chandelier
Travertine slab sconces, up and downVakkerlight
Recessed LED wafer downlights
LED strip, shelves and under-cabinet
Living room sectionalCB2
Living room swivel chairsSimilar to: Kessler Leather Swivel Accent Chair

Main floor

Kitchen & butler's pantry

The kitchen came with black cabinets, a granite waterfall island and a pair of lantern pendants. We kept the footprint and rebuilt everything inside it: Tiger Cabinetry flat-slab white oak in Oslo Oak with black bar pulls, a waterfall island in Taj Mahal-look quartz that seats four, a black sink, and full-height quartz behind the range and the wet bar.

The far end of the kitchen became a butler's pantry for the coffee station and a second refrigerator, beside the back door to the courtyard deck, so the working side of the kitchen stays out of sight. Five alabaster globes hang over the island in one line.

The full room

The wet bar: oak cabinets, a glass-front beverage fridge and a full-height quartz splash behind two lit floating shelves.

The butler's pantry: a coffee station on a butcher-block counter, open oak shelves and a full-size French-door refrigerator.

In this room

Recessed LED wafer downlights
LED strip, shelves and under-cabinet
Butler's pantry globe pendantY'INSP
Travertine slab sconces, up and downVakkerlight
Back entry globe light
Pleated floor-length drapes on black rods

Main floor

Office

The front room off the foyer has its own fireplace and two stories of windows, which made it the obvious office.

The black marble surround was the loudest thing in the house, so we replaced it with smooth white plaster and let the art and the trees outside carry the room. A globe chandelier fills the height.

The full room

Tall view of the two-story office, a globe chandelier and tall windows on two walls.

In this room

Office chandelier, brass with frosted capsule shadesSimilar to: Colombe Burnished Brass and Glass Chandelier Light 50"
Wood slat sconces, up and downCerno
Recessed LED wafer downlights
Office desk and credenzaCrate & Barrel, CB2 or West Elm
Office guest chairsCB2
Office area rugCrate & Barrel, CB2 or West Elm

The primary shower: a glass enclosure wrapped in ribbed wood-look tile, two black rain heads, vertical sconces, a lit niche and a teak bench, with the sauna door at left.

Primary suite addition

Primary bath & sauna

The original bath had a freestanding tub under the window, a tiled walk-in shower and a single vanity wall. The tub came out, and the addition gave us room to rethink the rest.

Now a double shower is wrapped in ribbed Jameson tile in Camel Deco, with two rain heads, vertical sconces and a line of light at the ceiling. A cedar sauna sits beside it behind glass in an oak frame. The vanity runs nearly ten feet in white oak between two linen towers, with black sinks and wall-mounted black faucets under a quartz splash, on a pale porcelain floor. The same addition holds a pool bath with its own door to the patio.

The full room

The sauna behind a glass door: cedar walls and tiered benches, a bucket and ladle.

In this room

Vertical alabaster capsule sconces, primary vanityVakkerlight
Vertical alabaster capsule sconces, shower and saunaVakkerlight
Recessed LED wafer downlights
LED strip, shelves and under-cabinet
LED perimeter strip, shower and closet
Teak shower bench

Primary suite addition

Primary closets

The original walk-in stayed where it was and filled up fast.

The addition brought a second closet with its own window, a washer and dryer, and a run of drawers under a wood top, so laundry for the suite never leaves the suite.

The full room

The new closet in the addition: hanging rods and shelves, a washer and dryer at right.

The new closet toward its window, a run of white drawers under a wood top.

In this room

Recessed LED wafer downlights
LED perimeter strip, shower and closet
Pleated floor-length drapes on black rods
Primary closet built-ins
Maple butcher-block countertops
Toilets, white elongated

The downstairs guest bedroom from the corner: a woven wall hanging, a marble-topped nightstand and an olive tree by the window.

Main floor and upstairs

Guest rooms

Upstairs, the gray carpet came out and oak went in, so the floors run unbroken from the front door to the back bedrooms.

The guest rooms are simple on purpose: black ceiling fans, Roman shades, a good bed, and the same dark doors as the rest of the house. The downstairs guest room has fluted nightstands with marble tops and a woven hanging over the bed.

The full room

Guest room one: a bed between two nightstands under a round print, a window to the trees.

In this room

Ceiling fan, three-blade, matte blackFanora
Recessed LED wafer downlights
Upstairs hall bar sconce
Upstairs hall low-level light
Guest bedroom bedCrate & Barrel, CB2 or West Elm
Guest bedroom nightstandCrate & Barrel, CB2 or West Elm

Main floor, upstairs and pool side

Guest, upstairs & pool baths

The baths share a vocabulary: oak vanities, pale stone-look tops, matte black faucets. Then each gets one thing of its own.

The downstairs guest bath is green, with vertical glazed tile to the ceiling of the shower, globe pendants and a black sink. Upstairs, arched backlit mirrors hang over a long double vanity and a brown tile shower. The pool bath, new with the addition, is light and easy, with a door straight to the patio.

The full room

The upstairs bath: a double vanity with black faucets, arched backlit mirrors, globe pendants and a brown tile shower.

The pool bath: a pale wood vanity, a brass-framed mirror between black sconces, and a tub with a striped curtain.

In this room

Pool bath black and brass sconces
Recessed LED wafer downlights
Guest bath ring-globe pendantsFulesi (Amazon)
Guest bath shower wall light
Upstairs bath stacked globe pendantsVakkerlight
Pool bath floating vanity, light oak with fluted drawers

Main floor

Back hall & laundry

Not every room needed rebuilding. The laundry's black cabinets and butcher-block counter already worked, so they stayed, with walnut shelving added for towels.

In the back hall the lockers and bench stayed too. The doors went dark, a stone sconce went up over the bench, and two large canvases turned a corridor into somewhere you notice.

The full room

The laundry room: black cabinets and a butcher-block counter under the window, a washer and dryer on pedestals, walnut shelving.

The back hall toward the garage door: dark painted doors, a built-in bench and cubbies, two large copper-toned canvases.

In this room

Wood slat sconces, up and downCerno
Recessed LED wafer downlights
Laundry storage towers and chests
Roman shades
Back hall mudroom unit
Laundry shaker base cabinets

The gym from the doorway: rubber flooring, a cable trainer, two treadmills and full-height mirrors.

Upstairs

Gym

The upstairs bonus room became a gym: rubber flooring, full-height mirrors, a black fan, and the equipment that actually gets used.

At one end, an oak wet bar with a small sink, a stone splash and a beverage refrigerator means nobody goes downstairs for water mid-workout.

The full room

The gym wet bar: an oak niche with a small sink, a stone splash and a glass-front beverage refrigerator.

In this room

Gym bar niche linear LED
Ceiling fan, five-blade, matte blackArranmore Lighting & Fans
Recessed LED wafer downlights
LED strip, shelves and under-cabinet
Dark gray roller shades
Tiger Cabinetry flat-slab cabinetry, Oslo OakOslo Oak, semi-custom full-overlay slab door

Lighting

Light

We drew the lighting plan room by room before we chose a single fixture.

Every circuit is on a dimmer, and every room follows one idea: a single beautiful thing to look at, and several quiet sources you never see.

Alabaster carries the kitchen and dining room: a four-foot drum of panels over the table and five globes over the island. A beaded garland fills the two-story living room. Travertine sconces mark the front door and the back door. Everything else is hidden: under the floating shelves, under the cabinets, along the toe kicks, in the tray ceiling and along the top of the shower glass.

The pool at night from under the pergola, the retaining wall lights reflected in the water. — The pool at night from under the pergola.

The fixtures

Living room chandelier, alabaster bead garlandsSimilar to: Parel Alabaster Chandelier
Office chandelier, brass with frosted capsule shadesSimilar to: Colombe Burnished Brass and Glass Chandelier Light 50"
Vertical alabaster capsule sconces, primary vanityVakkerlight
Vertical alabaster capsule sconces, shower and saunaVakkerlight
Travertine slab sconces, up and downVakkerlight
Wood slat sconces, up and downCerno
Butler's pantry globe pendantY'INSP
Guest bath ring-globe pendantsFulesi (Amazon)
Upstairs bath stacked globe pendantsVakkerlight
Pool bath black and brass sconces
Upstairs hall bar sconce
Upstairs hall low-level light
Gym bar niche linear LED
Ceiling fan, five-blade, matte blackArranmore Lighting & Fans
Ceiling fan, three-blade, matte blackFanora
Recessed LED wafer downlights

Outdoor living

Behind the house there was a wood deck and a field. We kept the deck as the house's back porch and built everything else out from it.

A Leisure Pools fiberglass pool in Ebony Blue, with a tanning ledge, a spa built into the corner nearest the house and Diana Royal travertine coping, sits in turf crossed by travertine stepping stones. A retaining wall is lit along its length, and a black louvered pergola with a motorized roof shades the deck.

Pool: Leisure Pools Ultimate 35, fiberglass, 35 ft by 15 ft 5 in, Ebony Blue interior
Depth: 4 ft 3 in to 6 ft 6 in, with a tanning ledge
Spa: Built into the corner nearest the primary wing, about 6 by 5.5 ft, two spillover edges
Coping: Diana Royal travertine, eased edge
Ground: Artificial turf with 24 by 24 in travertine stepping stones
Pergola: About 19 by 10 ft, louvered aluminum, motorized roof
Pool builder: Kevin Sparks Signature Pools

The pool from the patio toward the house: a dark pool with a built-in spa and travertine coping, pavers set in turf, and the louvered pergola over the deck.

The pool from the far end toward four chaise loungers under striped umbrellas.

The pool from the spa end, pavers stepping across the turf toward the pergola.

Inside the pergola: a sectional and olive trees in white planters.

Under the pergola, looking along the deck toward the house.

More of the yard

Renderings

The house from the record model

Renderings, not photographs: the house as built, drawn from the same three-dimensional record as the elevations and lit by the sun. Each camera was matched to a photograph, shown beside it. Planting, furniture and neighbouring houses are indicative.

Rendering from the record model, not a photograph: front, from the drive — Front, from the driveMorning sun from the east-north-east · 42 mm, level verticals. Near the camera of photo 01.Matched to photo 1

2026 photograph: Exterior Front, from driveway lawn, with black board-and-batten siding with black painted brick chimney, two-story front wall of windows with the great-room beaded chandelier visible through the glass, second-floor Juliet balcony with iron railing and orange timber brackets, front steps with black iron railings (right side) — Front, from the driveMorning sun from the east-north-east · 42 mm, level verticals. Near the camera of photo 01.Matched to photo 1

Rendering from the record model, not a photograph: rear, across the pool terrace — Rear, across the pool terraceLate-day sun from the west-north-west · 35 mm, 20 ft up. After photos 64 and 66.Matched to photo 64, 66

The back of the house from the lawn: pool, pergola and deck along the black wings. — Rear, across the pool terraceLate-day sun from the west-north-west · 35 mm, 20 ft up. After photos 64 and 66.Matched to photo 64, 66

Rendering from the record model, not a photograph: bird's-eye from the south-west — Bird's-eye from the south-westAfternoon sun · 50 mm, about 160 ft up. Direction of aerial 75.Matched to photo 75

Aerial view over the yard: the pool, turf and pergola set behind the house. — Bird's-eye from the south-westAfternoon sun · 50 mm, about 160 ft up. Direction of aerial 75.Matched to photo 75

Rendering from the record model, not a photograph: dusk, from the front lawn — Dusk, from the front lawnRooms lit, wall and landscape lights on · 32 mm. After photo 67.Matched to photo 67

The front of the house from the lawn, the wall of windows and the chimney against a blue sky. — Dusk, from the front lawnRooms lit, wall and landscape lights on · 32 mm. After photo 67.Matched to photo 67

Rendering from the record model, not a photograph: entry approach — Entry approachMorning sun · 24 mm, level verticals. After photo 02.

Rendering from the record model, not a photograph: the raised side deck — The raised side deckMorning sun · 28 mm, level verticals. After photos 12 and 71.Matched to photo 12, 71

2026 photograph: Side Deck, with 2 outdoor armchairs, Small round side table, Faux potted plant on side table, Outdoor rug — The raised side deckMorning sun · 28 mm, level verticals. After photos 12 and 71.Matched to photo 12, 71

Rendering from the record model, not a photograph: pergola lounge, toward the pool — Pergola lounge, toward the poolAfternoon sun · 22 mm, eye height. After photos 59 and 69.Matched to photo 59, 69

Rendering from the record model, not a photograph: bird's-eye after dark — Bird's-eye after darkRooms, wall lights, cap lights and pool lit · 50 mm. Camera as P1.0, view 3.

Rendering vs photograph

The record model through the camera solved from one of our 2026 photographs, beside the photograph itself. Drag the line to compare.

Rendering from the record model, not a photograph: Bird's-eye over the pool terrace — Bird's-eye over the pool terrace
The record model rendered through the drone camera recovered from the aerial photograph, beside the photograph itself.

Massing studies

The same cameras in a white study material, so the forms read: the two-story gable block, the garage wing, the primary wing with its addition, and the pool terrace set into the slope.