Bark House Style
Rustic, refined, natural, organic, unique, sophisticated, timeless, long lasting, sustainable-bark shingles are the material of choice for today's architects, builders, and homeowners. They appear in a breathtaking range of projects: mountain, seaside, and prairie homes; resort lodges and inns; shopping centers; sports venues and other entertainment facilities; and built-in and freestanding cabinetry.The first use of bark shingles came in the mountains of western North Carolina from the American chestnut tree, sometime in the late 1800s. The style spread quickly through the resort towns and beyond: the classical lines had broad, timeless appeal yet synthesized three recognized decorative styles at the turn of the twentieth century-Rustic Revival, Shingle, and Craftsman but died out after 1940s. In the 1990s, the revival of bark architecture was generated by Marty McCurry, who made it his life's work to reinvent a modern-day process for manufacturing bark house shingles from poplar bark, utilizing green building practices. Building with bark requires a willingness to take responsibility and to make conscious choices about what you build and how you build it.Bark's appeal in construction comes from its feel of "instant age." A building clad in bark looks settled into the landscape as soon as construction is completed; it makes a home warmer and more comfortable to approach, and it makes larger buildings more intimate. No matter what variety of rustic styling you prefer-Adirondack, Cowboy, Craftsman, Modern Rustic-bark used in remodeling can act as a visually pleasing architectural tool to bridge the gap between old and new.As bark architecture returns today in new forms, it is easy to appreciate the inherent strength of the old bark house context and design. During this architectural revival, bark house design, with all its rich accents, has truly returned and has grown beyond the residential realm. Something of the original bark house lifestyle has returned as well: the appreciation of beauty, relaxation, and nature's glorious progression throughout the four seasons. Bark house design has endless promise for creating a simply beautiful homeChris McCurry and her her husband, Marty McCurry, are the originators of modern poplar bark shingle manufacturing. She is a pioneer in today's indoor-outdoor bark house design, and a building industry professional. They founded Highland Craftsmen to bring a little-known building material back into general use. They have succeeded, with installations of their bark in thirty-seven states and several locations overseas. She is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council and the American Chestnut Foundation, and founder of www.growthishome towngreen.org, a grass-roots effort to identify grants that can bring green development opportunities to economically distressed rural communities. Chris and Marty travel extensively in Europe, Africa, and Latin America to study how people in other parts of the world use local resources for building.Nan Chase writes about architecture and landscape design from her home in western North Carolina. She is the author of Asheville: A History, and her work has also appeared in the New York Times, Smithsonian, Fine Gardening, Architectural Record, and Southern Living. She and her husband, Saul Chase, have built a rustic bark bungalow near historic downtown Asheville, North Carolina, where she is a contributing editor of WNC Magazine.