barhaus

The owners searched nationwide for a specific site to call home. They long held an image of a house as close to the cliff’s edge as possible with a vista overlooking a bend in the river with a mix of agriculture, industry, and city life culminating in an illustration of life. The owners left and hustle and bustle of Chicago for east Tennessee and found property on Elder Mountain which is twenty minutes from downtown Chattanooga, TN.

HK Architects used the bluff view to guide the entire design. The barhaus concept consists of two bars paralleling the brow while maximizing the width of the lot to ensure a view from every angle. The two bars are separated into private and public spaces.

The guest house consists of two suites facing the cliff’s edge and an outdoor living space for the owners and guests to enjoy the incredible sights of Chattanooga and the Tennessee River Gorge. The main house has an open-plan focused on the views; with the fireplace set in the middle of the kitchen, dining, and living rooms. To make the house an extension of the cliff, the cantilevered bedroom was derived from the imagery of raising up to peer off the edge of the mountain.