Hampstead Retreat

This enchanting 5,800-square-foot, five bedroom and five-and-a-half-bathroom home is located in the heart of Hampstead, a 416-acre New Urbanist community in Montgomery, Alabama. Designed by the neighborhood’s co-developers, the two-story, compound-style house features a minimalist, contemporary design throughout the interior. The large windows situated along the first floor invite natural light inside to warm the cool concrete floors running throughout the main level. Using scale, the entryway greets you with vases of varying shapes and sizes from the Tom Dixon’s Beat Vessels collection, creating a sense of drama. The dining and living room spaces invite you to pull up a chair and savor the couple’s appreciation for art, décor, boldness and symmetry. The 12-foot-long white oak trestle dining table from Spain is paired with Hans Wegner Wishbone chairs from a collection that spans 15 years. Balance and scale are on full display in the living room where symmetrical black tables flank both sides of the masonry fireplace, and the area as a whole is surrounded by mismatched, sculptural chairs with different weight and fabrics.

The sunlight pours in from the large central courtyard through the tall hallway windows, leading into the kitchen where a deep, intense wood complements the galley-style layout and offsets the gloss gray island. Upstairs, soft textures, layers and warmth transform the master bedroom into a hygge sanctuary. Floor-to-ceiling drapery lines the back wall, creating a darker and quieter environment, with a pair of pendant lights on both sides of the bed. A 650-pound, six-and-a-half-foot white matte tub is the centerpiece of the master bathroom. Symmetrical his-and-her bath counters offer plenty of space, and full-width mirrors expand the size of the room and reveal natural light. Asymmetric hanging pendants were selected as an unexpected décor detail and offer dimmed lighting so as not to overshadow the sunlight.

Outside, the home’s exterior features a cedar roof and dark cedar siding to soften the painted brick. The courtyard, thoughtfully planned to connect to almost every room in the home, takes advantage of Alabama’s warm weather. The back porch overlooks the swimming pool and separate guest house, which can also be used as a work-from-home studio. To minimize gardening and maintenance needs, hardscape materials were incorporated into the landscape design. Concrete pavers divide the outdoor space visually and create formal planting areas for boxwoods, grasses, lantana, and rosemary. The variety of hedges and plants, along with the shaded back porch, creates a sense of retreat.