2013 Southern Living Idea House at scenic Fontanel in Nashville, Tennessee

Southern Living magazine announced this week Castle Homes has been selected to build the nation’s only 2013 Southern Living Idea House at scenic Fontanel in Nashville, Tennessee.  Currently Southern Living 2012 Custom Builder of the Year, Castle Homes is now beginning work on the 5,000 square foot farmhouse style home being described by Southern Living Editor Lindsay Bierman as a “refined but relaxed farmhouse which builds on Tennessee’s rich architectural history” and will be Southern Living’s best idea house to date.

Bierman as well as Southern Living publisher Greg Schumann attended the official groundbreaking with Nashville Mayor Karl Dean, U.S. Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn, Metro Councilman Water Hunt, Fontanel co-owners Marc Oswald and Dale Morris, St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital Rick Shadyac, the idea house benefiting charity, along with a host of other dignitaries on the Fontanel property, former estate of country music legend Barbara Mandrell.

Alan Looney, president and founder of Castle Homes, said work is now beginning on the project which will be featured in the August 2013 issue of the magazine.

“It has been estimated that over 80,000 visitors will be touring the home open from June to December 2013.  Castle Homes is known for our craftsmanship, attention-to-detail and meticulous budgeting of our building projects and we are looking forward to demonstrating these skills in an exciting project which be a national showcase for Nashville,” Looney said.

Bierman said the architectural style of the home is a departure for Southern Living.

“As proud as I am of all the Georgian and Tudors, Cottage houses we’ve built over the years, I truly believe this house will be our best one yet. ….I am not a fan of the McMansion style as you might have guessed…we are going for a refined but relaxed farmhouse which I think really builds on the Tennessee’s rich architectural history….the latest addition to this land will have a sense of place and a sense of history that is so authentic that most visitors will mistake it for the original farmstead on the property and will ask the innkeeper when the Mandrells renovated…The credit will go to the team making it all happen,” Bierman said.

Here is a video overview of the 2013 Southern Living Idea House: