Architect’s family home is a midcentury dream asking $1.7M

Architects can impress with an array of houses built for clients, but sometimes magic happens when they design a home for their own families. Such is the case with this five-bedroom, five-bath home in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Prolific North Carolinian architect F. Carter Williams designed more than 600 buildings in the region over his career, including the renovation of the North Carolina Governor’s Mansion and the Archives Library in Raleigh. But perhaps his most stunning building is Blue Haven, a 4,800-square-foot house he created for his family in 1959.

The home earned the nickname thanks to the Carolina blue fieldstone that was mined for the house from a quarry in the mountains. The blue stone greets visitors immediately upon arrival, mixing and contrasting with the structure’s abundant glass, warm-toned woods, and white terrazzo.

The living room is like a modernist tree house; a wall of windows provides views out to the tree-covered, 3-acre yard designed by landscape architect Dick Bell. Original built-in cabinetry and bookshelves abound, and glass doors lead out to an expansive deck. Other amenities include two fireplaces, a private balcony off of the master suite, and a spacious lower level that includes a kitchen, game space, and private guest bedroom.

Blue Haven was a picture-perfect retreat for the Carter family—the architect lived there with his wife and daughters until just before his death in 2000. If you want to make the home your own sanctuary, 6612 Rest Haven Drive is on the market now for $1,700,000.