Photo by Natalie Lorimer, JeremyBlumPhoto.com
A love of horses, nature and design inspired this energy-efficient forever home in Bourbon County
Jennifer and Cecil “Pep” Peppiatt’s desire to return to the rural lifestyle of their childhood did not originally include building a home from the ground up. But an inability to find an existing home that felt right for their family — plus a little guidance from the beyond — led them to the perfect Bourbon County property, where they partnered with Clive Pohl of Pohl Rosa Pohl Architects to build their dream home.
Pep, a physician practicing palliative and supportive care, and Jennifer, a nurse executive for the clinical arm of a healthcare consulting company, lived for more than a decade with their four daughters in a home designed by Robert McMeekin, a local architect known for designing Keeneland’s original wooden grandstand and iconic limestone clubhouse. The couple also owned a vacation home at Dale Hollow Lake. In 2022, when one of their daughters took up riding, they began longing for a return to childhood pleasures.
“Pep and I both grew up on horse farms and thought we’d gotten it out of our blood. But once we were around it again, we were drawn back,” she said.
So began an undertaking that would last more than three years.
“We wanted a piece of property with a house and a barn,” Pep explained. “We looked for quite a few months and found nothing we could see ourselves in, and, finally, came around to the idea of finding land and building.”
Jennifer began driving around in search of properties. She decided to call upon her close relationship with her grandmother and said a little prayer to her Mawmaw to help her find a property. That same day, she came upon a small piece of wood nailed to a post that she hadn’t noticed before. It read, “For Sale by Owner,” followed by a phone number.
“We walked the piece of land, and it was love at first sight,” Pep said.
Photos by Natalie Lorimer, JeremyBlumPhoto.com
The couple was immediately drawn to the 11-acre property, now dubbed Four Daughters Farm, and purchased it. With a love of the mid-century modern aesthetic and a commitment to sustainable living, Clive Pohl was the natural choice to design their new home, which includes Pohl’s signature geothermal heating and cooling system, along with a large solar array and a cistern system that stores up to 7,500 gallons of rainwater collected from the home’s roof.
“The mechanical room includes a water filtration system, which means that the collected rainwater is potable,” said Pohl. “Water from the cistern comes in one place, and city water comes into another, and they can switch between the two.”
Energy generated by solar panels is stored using a Tesla Powerwall battery system, and in place of a traditional electrical panel, Pep chose a solar-ready SPAN panel, which is designed to lower electrical costs by providing usage data by room or by appliance, allowing homeowners to maximize savings. Combined with geothermal heating and cooling, the system has led to substantial savings on the family’s monthly utility bills.
While the upfront cost of sustainable systems is higher, Pohl noted that the Peppiatts were committed to taking sustainability as far as they could.
“I don’t think they’ll regret it for a moment,” he said.
1 of 4
The kitchen shares an open space with the dining and living areas, and features black quartz countertops from Counter Culture and walnut cabinetry by Showplace Company. Photo by Natalie Lorimer, JeremyBlumPhoto.com
2 of 4
The kitchen shares an open space with the dining and living areas, and features black quartz countertops from Counter Culture and walnut cabinetry by Showplace Company. Photo by Natalie Lorimer, JeremyBlumPhoto.com
3 of 4
The kitchen shares an open space with the dining and living areas, and features black quartz countertops from Counter Culture and walnut cabinetry by Showplace Company. Photo by Natalie Lorimer, JeremyBlumPhoto.com
4 of 4
The kitchen shares an open space with the dining and living areas, and features black quartz countertops from Counter Culture and walnut cabinetry by Showplace Company. Photo by Natalie Lorimer, JeremyBlumPhoto.com
The focal points of the home are the open-concept living area, comprising the living room, kitchen and dining area, and the attached covered patio, where the couple enjoys coffee every morning. With floor-to-ceiling windows lining the back of the home and filling the space with natural light, the room is anchored by a wood-burning fireplace accented with vertical walnut slats that blur the line between indoors and out. A built-in walnut bookcase topped with black leathered quartz acts as a half wall, creating a hallway that leads from the main living area to the private wing of the home, which contains the owner’s suite and a staircase to the lower-level bedrooms. A single second-story room that Jennifer calls her “away room” currently acts as her home office.
The kitchen ties into the living area through the use of the same black leathered quartz countertops sourced from Counter Culture, including a ceiling-height backsplash behind the stove. The walnut cabinetry was built by Jim Smith of Showplace Company, who acted as the general contractor for the project, and includes unique appliance garages, which provide camouflage for countertop appliances, allowing them to remain accessible while staying hidden when not in use.
The couple chose a Wolf induction range and convection oven for the kitchen, along with a smaller convection steam oven, which Jennifer says takes the place of a microwave.
1 of 4
Photo by Natalie Lorimer, JeremyBlumPhoto.com
2 of 4
Photo by Natalie Lorimer, JeremyBlumPhoto.com
3 of 4
Photo by Natalie Lorimer, JeremyBlumPhoto.com
4 of 4
Photo by Natalie Lorimer, JeremyBlumPhoto.com
The dining area, situated between the kitchen and a wall of windows, features a simple vintage mid-century dining table and chairs beneath a chandelier made of dried tumbleweeds by California lighting artist Jenn Isbell.
“It’s natural and melds perfectly with the backdrop of the windows,” Jennifer said. “At night, the way the light shines through the tumbleweed is magical.”
Through a door down a short hallway on the main floor, the family can access the owner’s suite. A window-lined bedroom offers spectacular sunrise views. Connected to the suite is the couple’s bathroom, which features a shower with a sunken tub overlooking the surrounding hills, creating a spa-like wet room. Quartz countertops and LED lighting round out the space, which also includes a walk-in closet with a built-in vanity and shelving made from maple.
“The morning light comes over the hillside,” Jennifer said. “We don’t lower the blinds when we sleep so we can see the gorgeous sunrise every morning. And on the other side the sun sets, so you can watch that from the bath.”
The lower level of the home contains a sitting area and two bedrooms, where the couple’s 16- and 17-year-old daughters reside. A large bathroom with polished concrete floors and long countertops provides plenty of space for beauty products — perfect for active teenage girls. A special feature of the lower level is the queen-sized Murphy bed located in the sitting area, installed for the couple’s adult daughters when they come home to visit.
1 of 7
Photo by Natalie Lorimer, JeremyBlumPhoto.com
2 of 7
Photo by Natalie Lorimer, JeremyBlumPhoto.com
3 of 7
Photo by Natalie Lorimer, JeremyBlumPhoto.com
4 of 7
Photo by Natalie Lorimer, JeremyBlumPhoto.com
5 of 7
Photo by Natalie Lorimer, JeremyBlumPhoto.com
6 of 7
Photo by Natalie Lorimer, JeremyBlumPhoto.com
7 of 7
Photo by Natalie Lorimer, JeremyBlumPhoto.com
The remainder of the 11-acre property is devoted to the family’s love of nature and animals. Pep is an avid gardener who spends much of his free time cultivating native plants.
“I like to create a habitat so the other things that live around us can also have a place to live,” he said.
While he has many future plans for the property’s flora and fauna, the family has already built a small paddock and fenced an area for one horse and two miniature donkeys. Their two white English Labradors also enjoy exploring the property. They have also built a hybrid pool that looks like a pond but acts like a swimming pool.
The Peppiatts are very happy in their new home, and both have their favorite spots. For Pep, the patio is perfect, while Jennifer adores the kitchen.
“The patio is a really peaceful place. It’s got a great view of the pool and paddocks, and it is oriented perfectly because it faces the sunrise,” said Pep.
Jennifer added, “I love the kitchen. I like this open space. When the kids are all here, I can cook dinner and Pep will be on the patio, or everyone will be sitting at the table. Looking out and seeing everyone and everything is the best thing.”
Photo by Natalie Lorimer, JeremyBlumPhoto.com