Katie Pratt	- Download MP3-

The horses in the pasture beyond the backyard of the home off Ooltewah-Georgetown Road convey just the pastoral setting its Pratt & Associates developers envisioned.

The New Traditional model home in the FrontGate subdivision is one of 36 on the first Tour of New Homes sponsored by the Home Builders Association of Southern Tennessee. The two-weekend tour concludes today from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 6 p.m.

New Traditional homes, according to Jim Gallagher of Pratt & Associates, “are authentic recreations” of homes in “vintage 1920s neighborhoods.” T

he Chattanooga company previously developed the Traditions and Legends neighborhoods in the area, as well as similar layouts in four other cities. Katie Pratt, lead designer for FrontGate, said each home is different, even among similar homes in the same neighborhood.

“There’s not a house like this in the neighborhood,” she said of the two-story, 2,444-square-foot model home, which lists in the $280,000s.

The home has Hardie plank siding over brick and is painted a blue-gray tone called sea level with beige trim. It features three bedrooms and two and a half baths, a gas-log fireplace, front porch, balcony, rear deck and two-car garage.

The home’s main level contains a great room, kitchen, dining room and half bath. The wall between the kitchen and great room contains a passthrough window that gives the entire area an open feel.

The great room has built-in bookcases and cabinets flanking the fireplace, which is accented with travertine stone and topped by a soft white mantel.

The cabinets have stainedwood tops with drawers instead of doors to allow better organization of materials, Mrs. Pratt said. The shelves have fluted-trim sides, crown molding and painted rear accent panels.

Earth-tone fabric treatments finish the room’s look.

The galley kitchen features stainless steel appliances, an oversize double sink, stained alder cabinets, granite countertops, tumbled slate tile backsplash, canned lighting and a double pantry.

A breakfast area off the kitchen provides plenty of room for informal dining. The main level and stairs to the second level have oak flooring and iron spindle accents.

The neutral but varied custom fabric window treatments throughout the house were created by Nicole Smith of Interiors by Nicole. The coordinating blinds, used on several windows, came from Budget Blinds.

“The plan was to have lots of textures but to keep it neutral,” Mrs. Pratt said.

The handsome dining room is highlighted by wainscoting with square picture molding and muted three-color stripes painted by Janis Wilkey.

The downstairs bath, or powder room, features antique-look, tree-accented wallpaper, a pedestal sink and antique-look stainless fixtures.

Upstairs, the oversized master suite has windows overlooking the horse pasture, a roomy walk-in closet and a neutral colored chandelier with silk shades and crystal teardrops from The Lighting Gallery.

The spacious master bath has slate-look, ceramic-tile flooring; 6-foot whirlpool tub and separate shower with tile surrounds; and a double alder wood vanity with nickel-plated fixtures.

Each of the other two bedrooms has an interesting feature, with the balcony opening off the smaller of the two (currently outfitted as a study or sitting room), and two dormers and a sloped ceiling providing interest in the larger of the pair.

Off the second-level hallway are a utility room with attic access and a full bathroom with painted cabinets and a Nicole Smith-created shower curtain.

The concrete-over-brick front porch has a beadboard ceiling and period-look railings. It gives the homeowner a view of what eventually will be a 49-home neighborhood.

The neighborhood, according to Mr. Gallagher, has 5-foot sidewalks, 6-foot streetscape greens between the sidewalk and road, and eventually will have a pool and cabana.

Mrs. Pratt, an interior designer before her husband and father-in-law began to develop FrontGate, said she has tried to give each home unique features. While the exterior of the homes may mimic the look of the 1920s, the interiors won’t necessarily do that, she said.

“I try to do some different things,” she said. “I try to keep the colors neutral, on the lighter side, and get creative with the trimwork, crown molding and shapes and sizes of tile.”

On the outside of the homes, Mrs. Pratt said she also tries to keep the colors neutral but give the entrances bolder colors such as reds, blacks or mahoganies.

“It makes the front pop,” she said.