Cashiers' Design World Turns One Mountain Home Into a Showcase

By Jon Tharp, Broker  ·  August 31, 2026

A mountain home in Cashiers is about to get a temporary makeover from a group of interior designers from around the region. The Cashiers Designer Showhouse is a regular fixture on the Highlands-Cashiers plateau, and it draws visitors well beyond Jackson County.

Cashiers sits at the intersection of NC-107 and US-64, about an hour and a half southwest of Asheville by car. That easy reach from both Asheville and the South Carolina Upstate is part of why events here pull crowds from well outside the immediate area, especially in late summer when second-home owners are still spending long stretches on the plateau.

The format is simple. A roster of designers divides a single home among themselves, each one taking on a room or a section of the property and turning it into a fully styled space. Visitors walk through the finished result room by room, seeing a dozen different design perspectives under one roof instead of one designer's vision.

Events like this have become a fixture in resort towns with a strong second-home market, and Cashiers fits that mold closely. The plateau's mix of custom mountain architecture and a strong local design community makes a showhouse format work in a way it might not in a larger, more spread-out market.

Why does a design showhouse matter beyond the design world?

For a town like Cashiers, events like this are as much about community and local giving as they are about paint colors and furniture placement. Showhouse fundraisers typically direct proceeds toward a local nonprofit, giving ticket buyers a reason to spend an afternoon touring a beautiful home while supporting a cause tied to the area.

It also gives visitors, and especially prospective buyers, a rare look inside the kind of high-end mountain homes that rarely come up for public tours otherwise. Custom homes on the plateau are frequently tucked behind gates or down long private drives, so a showhouse is one of the few chances to walk through a fully finished, professionally styled interior without an appointment tied to a real estate listing.

What does this say about the Cashiers real estate market?

The steady presence of design-focused events in Cashiers reflects something buyers already sense when they spend time here: this is a market where craftsmanship and interior finish carry real weight. Homes on the plateau tend to be architect-designed and custom-built rather than production homes, and buyers shopping this area are often just as focused on the interior details as they are on the view.

That focus on design quality also shows up in resale value. Homes with thoughtful, well-executed interiors tend to hold their appeal in a market like Cashiers, where buyers are frequently comparing multiple custom properties rather than choosing from a tract of similar floor plans.

Where else can you see this kind of design talent in Western NC?

Cashiers is not alone in this. Highlands, Waynesville, and Asheville all have their own design and home tour traditions, though Cashiers' version leans heavily into the mountain modern and rustic elegant styles that define the plateau's architecture. If you're new to the area, a showhouse tour is a fast, low-pressure way to get a feel for what "Cashiers style" actually looks like in person.

Check current listings for dates and tickets before planning a visit, since these details, including the designer lineup, shift from year to year.

If wandering through a beautifully designed mountain home has you imagining what it would be like to own one on the plateau, Jon Tharp is happy to talk through what is currently available in Cashiers and the surrounding area.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Cashiers Designer Showhouse?

The Cashiers Designer Showhouse is a curated home tour event where a single residence in the Cashiers area is divided among a group of interior designers, each responsible for reimagining one room or outdoor space. Once complete, the home opens to the public for guided or self-paced tours over a limited run. Events like this are common in high-end mountain resort towns because they combine design inspiration with a fundraising component for local causes. The specific home, designer lineup, and dates change from year to year, so it functions more like a rotating showcase than a fixed annual fixture in one location.

Where is Cashiers, North Carolina located?

Cashiers sits in Jackson County in far Western North Carolina, along NC-107 near its junction with US-64, on the plateau between Highlands and Lake Toxaway. It is roughly 60 miles southwest of Asheville, about an hour and a half by car, and a short drive from Sapphire, Glenville, and Highlands. The area is known for its high elevation, cooler summer temperatures, and a concentration of upscale second homes, which is part of why events centered on interior design and architecture do well there.

Are designer showhouse events open to the general public?

Most designer showhouse events, including those in the Cashiers and Highlands area, sell tickets to the general public rather than restricting entry to industry professionals. Ticket sales typically go toward covering event costs with the remainder benefiting a local nonprofit partner. Because these are timed, limited-run events inside a private residence, capacity is often capped, and organizers may offer specific tour windows or require advance registration rather than unlimited walk-in access.