Homes of Distinction: 6120 Hillsboro Pike

Driving south on Hillsboro Pike, with Green Hills in the rearview mirror, the bustle of city life gives way to gracious pastures and winding drives — including a graceful approach, through rolling lawns and towering pines, that leads to Tuscan elegance and coastal comfort in the heart of Forest Hills.

A custom-built collaboration between architect Kevin Coffey and Castle Homes contractor Alan Looney, this approximately 6,500-square-foot showplace marries quality and creativity with notes of Europe and Middle Tennessee and memories of beach living in Georgia. 

Enter through a deeply recessed arched doorway to find an airy contemporary layout with open public spaces defined by a series of arcades. Warmed by natural light and accented with beamed ceilings and wood-burning fireplaces, the rooms seamlessly connect to exterior spaces for comfortable indoor-outdoor living. 

Heart and hearth of the home, the kitchen’s prep pantry and large island invite frequent festive cooking and entertaining in a house built to gather friends in flexible and functional spaces that weave in and out of porch and patio.

The ground-floor primary bedroom, with a spa-like bath, opens onto an arbored terrace, while upstairs offers three more bedrooms and a flexible space that could be finished for an apartment, game room or other creative purpose. 

In addition to a three-car garage, ample flat areas on the 2.15-acre lot can accommodate parking for the inevitable parties thrown on this hospitable property.

From the breezeway connecting the house to a woodworking shop to the axial views from the front door to rear garden, the house abounds with thoughtful details: soaring beams in cathedral ceilings, timber-frame and ironwork accents, standing-seam metal awnings, an outdoor television above a covered fireplace, and luxurious garden tubs.

With its serene neutral palette and soaring walls, this elegant, easygoing layout is ready to showcase an art collection, while simultaneously framing natural masterworks of local landscape just outside the windows.