"Family-friendly" is a catch phrase that is often used in current conversation. A definitive example of the term can be found in the striking 21st century home of Dr. and Mrs. James Winkley that is featured on the annual Kitchens and Moore tour to be held Thursday, Sept. 10.

The Pinewild home of Jim and Jeannine Winkley is delightfully placed in a three-acre wooded setting, and was designed by Tessie Chao, of Stagaard and Chao, Architects, with the close collaboration of the couple. They moved here from the Washington, D.C., area a few years ago when Dr. Winkley joined the staff at Pinehurst Anesthesia Associates. A year or two of planning went into the design process for their new home.

Parents of four children at home, ages 3 through 9, they detailed their lifestyle for Tessie Chao, who came up with a preliminary plan.

"Then, we kept making suggestions and additions before the final architectural drawings were completed," says Jim.

Jeannine adds, "We had many ideas of what we wanted in a house. We didn't want a box. We wanted a more stretched-out and expansive layout with a lot of windows and a lot of natural light."

Large Family, Big Home

The three-level home, containing 9,400 square feet in two wings and a main core, was constructed of fieldstone and gray siding. According to Tessie Chao, special attention was given to the design of the roof structure to create a balance between all the intersecting roofs and the building mass, by utilizing shed dormers, cupolas and other features such as accent trim work at all gable end walls.

The Winkleys chose Harris and Son as the builders for their exceptional home.

"We interviewed five different builders and were impressed by the solid credentials and references of Steve and Mitchell Harris, as well as the fact that they were very family-oriented," says Jeannine. "We wanted to be sure we had a builder that wouldn't mind the kids roaming around the building site."

The main level of the home contains the much-used family room, kitchen, informal dining area and Carolina room. Also on the main level is the formal dining room and living room, and Jim's study and library. A small office for Jeannine, a craft room and a super-efficient laundry room are off the kitchen.

The upper level holds the bedrooms and baths for the family, while the lower level has an exercise room, a TV room, a guest bedroom and bath and a big playroom and classroom for the children, where Katie, Angela, Christopher and Rebecca are being home-schooled.

Jeannine, who has a degree in electrical engineering and had a career as a software engineer for IBM and AOL prior to her marriage to Jim, has turned her talents to teaching.

"We find home-schooling gives the kids an opportunity to learn at their own individual pace, and it also gives the family more time together," she says.

A natural outdoor setting for lesson plans is provided by the wooded acreage with a stream and a small pond. Jeannine says that they have had an archeological dig, have done bird watching, and examined leaves and plants. Outside recreation time is spent in and on the elaborate play set that was designed by Jeannine or, during the hot summer weather, in the cool waters of the attractive swimming pool.

21st Century Electronics

Jim explains that the house was especially conceived with an array of state-of-the-art electronic components that provide the ultimate in safety and comfort for 21st century living -- such as viewing systems covering the pool, the pond, the driveway and throughout the house tied into well-placed television monitors, giving the parents the ability to keep track of the children.

These are supplemented with audio components "so we can talk back and forth with them in other parts of the house," he says.

Other 21st century electronic elements include lighting controls that function automatically, and a security system that turns itself on and off at a preset time and also warns if a door is open anywhere in the house. The exceptional features are the result of the ongoing research that Jim has done. He pored over electronic magazines, explored and investigated Web sites on the Internet and studied technical descriptions for products to determine the ones that offered the best results for safety and carefree living.

The foyer is enhanced by an octagonal formal area rug in an intricate pattern placed on oak flooring surrounded by a strip of contrasting dark cherry wood. Two recessed areas with decorative urns are complemented by a special memento -- a painting of the magnificent Washington, D.C. ,Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with its six stunning white spires where the Winkleys were married.

Open Concept

As one enters the foyer, one cannot help but notice the three-story open main stairwell with views toward the waterway and lighted by a splendid contemporary chandelier. To add to the openness, the stairs were designed with a concealed cantilevered steel structure to give the illusion of free-floating stairs, with no means of attachment to the exterior wall. It also has windows stacked three stories high.

To the left is the formal dining room with a wide distressed-finish cherry dining table seating 14 people. Jim designed the built-in china cabinet along one wall displaying the couple's Noritake wedding china, as well as a collection of Lladro figurines. Beautifully painted oils encased in ornate gilt frames -- one a charming still life, and another, a fine landscape with a Louisiana mansion in the distance -- are elegantly exhibited.

Muted tones of wine and green are combined in a tapestry-like design on the wingback chairs in the living room, setting off a handsome deep red couch. The seating arrangement faces a unique double-sided fireplace. Family photographs and a child's rocker that was Jeannine's in her younger days balance the dcor.

Just down the hall is Jim's study and library. A voracious reader, he has amassed a vast selection of books.

"He always wanted a secret room, and I didn't want to see more books, so we had a hidden room built behind his desk," says Jeannine.

Included in his library are books from his youth, historical nonfiction works and novels, science fiction, as well as medical volumes. Jim's traditional mahogany writing desk by Stickley fronts the other side of the double fireplace, and below the window is a fantasy chess set with dragons and goblins, and a telescope for this recreational astronomer.

The main hallway includes an infrequently used elevator. The original architect's plan proposed a first floor bedroom and bath suite that neither Jim nor Jeannine wanted. However, looking to the future and to the resale value of the house, they opted for the installation of the elevator.

Inviting Kitchen

The inviting open layout of the kitchen that together with the adjoining family room is a focal point of the family's activities is a warm and welcoming space. Tall maple cabinets crafted by Harold Locklear have his special finish, and the family-sized Jenn Air refrigerator also is faced with a similar treatment.

Ceiling spots pick up the rich texture of the Cambria Quartz counter tops, and the large middle island flanked by six high backed stools serves as the gathering place for breakfast and lunch. Underneath the island are pull-out sections for the dishwasher and other kitchen accoutrements.

Sliding glass door panels separate the kitchen and the family, providing a sound barrier between the two spaces.

"If the dishwasher is going, and the kids are watching television, both can be accomplished at the same time without any noise spillover," Jeannine says.

The high vaulted ceiling of the family room extends to the upper story level and catches the eye with an unusual white oak finish. Arched windows complete the look of soaring space

A tremendously comfortable five-sectional leather couch dominates the room.

"We brought the piece from Maryland with us, and built the room around it," says Jim. He points to a plasma television set cleverly concealed behind a screen depicting a tranquil pond of water lilies. The screen, placed over an imposing fieldstone fireplace, disappears at the touch of a button.

Off the family room is a Carolina room that started out, according to Jeannine, as an outdoor patio, then morphed into a porch with interchangeable windows and screens, and finally became a part of the house. Highlighting the dcor are deep green cushions on wicker furniture, and special touches such as her grandfather's rocker, an antique chest, and a 1930s Singer sewing machine with the wrought iron foot pedal.

Special Touches

All of the bedrooms on the upper level have a specially painted trim, done by artist Emily Hiatt. Her freelance sketches echo the patterns of the quilts on the children's beds with floral designs in two of the rooms, butterflies in another, and airplanes in the boy's room.

A beautiful painting of a Madonna and Child done by noted artist Del Parsons, a gift from Jim to Jeannine, overlooks the entrance to the master suite. Jim also created a collage for the couple's first wedding anniversary that hangs on an adjacent wall. A quilted bedcover in delicate shades of dusty blue and lavender on a white background enhances the warm tones of a cherry four poster bed. A vintage Raggedy Ann doll and a teddy bear that belonged to Jeannine as a child occupy a place of honor in a cozy rocker.

The lower level is primarily given over to the children's play and learning activities, but there is also a television room with huge beanbag seating, called Love Sacs, where Jeannine does her daily Wii Active routine, plus the regular exercise room and a guest suite.

The home combines the finest elements of architectural design and creative imagination, coupled with excellent craftsmanship making it an outstanding feature on this year's Kitchensand Moore tour.

Those attending the Sept. 10 tour at the Winkley home will be treated to a sampling of a favorite recipe of Seth Hartman, managing partner of Bonefish Grill in Southern Pines. Hartman will be serving a corn chowder.

Tickets for the Kitchensand Moore Tour are available in advance for $15 at Phoenix Fashions, Seven Lakes, at 673-5998; The Faded Rose, Pinehurst at 215-0505; Daphne's Hallmark, Southern Pines, at 692-7333; Seagrove Candle Company, Southern Pines, at 695-0029; and the Cooperative Extension Service, Carthage, at 947-3188.

Tickets, recipes and brochures with directions will be available for $20 the day of the tour at the Village Chapel and at each house. The tour, sponsored by Moore County Extension and Community Association, is a fundraiser for Youth Development, Moore County 4-H Clubs, Boys and Girls Homes of North Carolina, Inc., with other local youth groups receiving a portion of the proceeds.

Mary Elle Hunter is a Pinehurst freelance writer. Contact her at mhunter104@yahoo.com.