HOME & GARDEN

Hot Property: Retreat rises from the woods

Shari Rudavsky
IndyStar
Mexican Saltillo tiles separate the eating space on the top floor from the office/family room beyond.

As a child, Natalie Douglass dreamed of being an architect. But in her generation, girls did not become architects. They entered nursing or, as Douglass wound up doing, teaching.

But she still had the architecture bug. So when she and her husband bought three acres of non-farmable land in Johnson County in 1969, she fulfilled her fantasy and designed her own home. Her young family moved in two years later.

Perched on a wooded hill overlooking a creek, the house transports visitors to the northern California forest with its two-story wood ceiling and splashes of Mexican tile. Even the red dots that Douglass pasted to the many windows to prevent Kamikaze birds seem carefully chosen to add splashes of color to the home.

From the outside, the house looks unassuming, almost like a cottage, but step inside and there’s a soaring, cathedral feel.

“Our builder always wanted to build a house with an interesting entry,” Douglass said – and her plans obliged.

Once you’re inside, you can choose to go down the stairs to the living room and the bedrooms or up to the kitchen, dining area and more living space.

Originally, the house had bedrooms in a row on the lower level for the Douglass’ three boys. Natalie and her husband, Charlie, slept in what Natalie calls “an efficiency apartment on the top floor,” basically an extension of the kitchen with space for a bed. Wooden sliding doors can close the top floor from the rest of the house, giving it a private feel.

Natural materials abound throughout the home. Originally orange Formica, the kitchen countertops are made of wood from a tree that was on the property.

About 20 years ago, the family added on to the home, building a more conventional master bedroom downstairs and two common rooms, which they use as his and her studies.

The master bedroom also reflects the couple’s tastes. A separate chamber allowed Douglass to retire early while her husband stayed up to watch television in the sitting area.

Situated on 3.2 acres, the house afforded its residents a window onto wildlife, from mallard ducks to deer to fox and more. Both inside and out, it feels like a retreat from the world whizzing by on the road just outside the driveway.

Call Star reporter Shari Rudavsky at (317) 444-6354. Follow her on Twitter: @srudavsky.

About the home

• Location: 3890 Olive Branch Road

• Details: Four bedrooms, four baths, 3,265 square feet, three levels built into a hillside, 3.2 wooded acres with brook below, two out buildings. 

• List price: $599,995.

• MLS:  21369417 

• Contact: Daniel Cope, Cope Sells Indy, 317-641-2768, daniel@yourrealtylink.com.