Brown County visitors now have a new overnight option unlike most currently available.
Bob Blass opened his second business in Brown County last month. This endeavor is “Plähaus,” a brand of “architecturally stylish tourist homes designed to attract urbanites, adventure-seekers and home-design aficionados looking to social distance with style.”
An 820-square-foot, two-bedroom, three-bathroom cabin now sits just off Helmsburg Road. It’s on a 3.7-acre subdivision of the same property where Blass lives.
Plähaus hosted its first guests on Aug. 26. “It’s pretty much booked all of September and weekends through November,” Blass said. He anticipates bookings to go up once he receives more reviews.
Plähaus, a German-sounding take on the word “playhouse,” honors the entrepreneurial drive of his German immigrant grandparents and his parents’ support for his artistic talent.
Blass saw the opportunity to set his vision into motion while serving on the steering committee for the Brown County Music Center, which highlighted a need for additional visitor accommodations.
“Nashville and the Brown County area have so much to offer in the way of adventure tourism and artisan retail, and yet still so much untapped economic opportunity,” Blass said.
“The music center was clearly one of those opportunities being brought to fruition, and it’s going to need other industries in the area, such as tourist homes, to help it succeed.”
When it came to building Plähaus, Blass wanted to create something really striking and different from anything in Brown County. “I didn’t want to do another log cabin,” he said. “It had to be modern and simple, yet complement its surroundings in nature.
“I just wanted to do something a little different than everything else out there.”
The home features a mix of steel, metals, concrete, light wood-grain paneling, oak and slate floors, modern furnishings and lighting, and finishes suited for an episode of HGTV’s “Dream Home.”
Blass tapped into his contacts from Square Cat Vinyl in Fountain Square (Indianapolis) and got Neon Architecture to bring his vision to life. The firm also served as the general contractor on the project.
Blass, a native of Dayton, Ohio, moved his home and his brand-development company, oornj brandesign, to Brown County in 2016 from Fishers.
He bought 12 acres just outside Nashville after his mother passed away from cancer. Blass drove back and forth from Fishers and Dayton weekly to help take care of her so she would not have to go into a long-time care facility, he said.
“I’m grateful I had that opportunity to be with my mom and work with my sister to take care of her. But after my mom passed away, I wanted a place of peace and yet an energizing community. Brown County has that in a unique confluence,” he said.
Blass cut his architectural teeth for Plähaus on his own home just off Jackson Branch Ridge Road. While different in genre from Plāhaus, the barn-style house is also on the cutting edge of design, featuring wide-board hardwood floors, limestone countertops, corrugated metal ceilings and tall windows that show off industrial lighting suspended from cathedral ceilings.
“I stood on the spot this home is built on many times, thinking: This would be a great place for a guest home that people can enjoy up here in the trees,” said Blass. “And today, that dream is a reality. I want to deliver my guests that same experience of peace, beauty and community I have found here.”
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More information on Plähaus: plahaus.com.
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